Bucs' Bruce Arians was asked to consider opting out of season by wife, family: report

close

Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for February 10

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are Super Bowl Champs for the second time in franchise history, but that might have been different if head coach Bruce Arians listened to the advice of family and friends. 

Arians told The Los Angeles Times in an article published Wednesday that his wife, Christine, had asked him to seriously consider opting out of the season because of his age and health, both of which made him high risk.

TOM BRADY, PATRICK MAHOMES’ POST-SUPER BOWL LV CONVERSATION REVEALED

But the 68-year-old coach wasn’t about to miss the chance to coach a team with Tom Brady as quarterback. 

"I went to work, came home," he said. "We haven’t gone out to dinner since July. We have all these open-air restaurants here, but I just couldn’t risk it. Both of us are high risk."

According to the LA Times, Arians is now vaccinated. It’s not clear when he got the vaccine, but in late December he said he was "very eager" to get it. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The NFL managed to successfully complete its season outside of a bubble and without canceling a single game. Arians, like so many other coaching staff members, officials and players, took a risk hoping it would pay off, and for the Bucs, it did in the ultimate way. 

"Some people said, ‘Dad, you need to opt out this year,’ and I was like, 'No way. I’ll risk it. It’s going to be a magical year.’"

It was definitely a magical year for Arians, who became the oldest coach to ever win the Lombardi Trophy. Playing in the midst of a pandemic was a challenge like no other, but for Arians, it signaled something greater.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"Not being able to eat together and really socialize together. This team became so, so close with just the commitment they made to beat the virus so that they’d all be available," he said. "That was our first goal. We said, ‘If we beat the virus, we can beat anybody.’"