The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl boat parade was an epic celebration, but one person who can seemingly make any party better is former NFL punter and current SiriusXM radio host Pat McAfee.
And according to McAfee, there was almost a chance of him being at the Bucs boat parade, not as a host or emcee, but as a teammate and participant. There was a point last year, where McAfee was a potential option to join Brady in Tampa Bay, but because he did not have COVID antibodies, he was unable to do so.
What’s not clear is whether McAfee was potentially going to sign for one week or if he was looking to make a season-long return to the NFL. Bucs punter Bradley Pinion did not miss a game during the season, but he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list in December. Pinion entered COVID protocol along with the Bucs kicker and long snapper a few days before they were scheduled to play the Falcons. The three players ended up being removed from the list because of a false positive test, making them eligible to play in that game.
It’s possible McAfee is referring to that Dec. 20 game against the Falcons. The Bucs had a kicker on their practice squad, but they would’ve needed to get creative at the punter position if Pinion was unavailable. If McAfee had the COVID-19 virus earlier in the year and carried antibodies, he would’ve been eligible to skip normal protocol’s and join the Bucs as a late addition before their game. Ultimately it didn’t happen and unfortunately, McAfee wasn’t on a Bucs boat.
While a good chunk of the country is covered in snow and still under some semblance of quarantine, it made the Bucs boat parade look that much more appealing. McAfee would have brought the electricity to another level.
Brandon Contes is a former reporter for BSM, now working for Awful Announcing. You can find him on Twitter @BrandonContes or reach him by email at Brandon.Contes@gmail.com.
