Another reason not to put an NFL franchise in London: the flight back is an injury risk. Steven Holder of the St. Petersburg Times reports that Antonio Bryant may miss this week's game due to a setback with his arthroscopically repaired knee - a setback that Bryant believes he suffered during the long (and cramped) flight back from London. Bryant reportedly sat in coach during the flight.
Antonio Bryant Reaggravates Knee Injury During London Flight
The most immediate question is: NFL players sit in coach? This certainly should not dispel the rumors that the Glazer family is facing financial difficulty. Last week, the Glazers vociferously denied reports from local radio stations and the Business Insider that they were victims of fraudster Bernie Madoff (with the Business Insider citing an unnamed Wall Street source who said the Glazers lost close to $400 million in the Ponzi scheme). There were also reports that the Glazers were shopping the Bucs, presumably because of the Glazers’ highly leveraged buyout of Manchester United that left the club $1.8 billion in debt. The Glazers denied these reports as well.
Bottom line: the Bucs are a cheap franchise. This may or may not be related to rumors that the Glazers are experiencing their own financial crisis. But flying their team coach on a trans-Atlantic flight doesn’t help their image of being dangerously cash-strapped.
As for the actual football implications of Bryant's injury, potentially losing their top receiving threat will not do rookie quarterback Josh Freeman any favors as he makes his first career start against the Packers this week. The Bucs are the last winless team in the league.
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