“I Loafed A Little Bit And I Didn’t Like What I Saw”
May 10th, 2026
Yeah, it got ugly at times last season.
Todd Bowles wouldn’t admit it, but the film didn’t lie.
Lavonte David was struggling in what turned out to be his final season. An all-year knee problem helped turn the Buccaneers legend into a player he no longer wanted to watch.
In David’s most candid talk to date about his March retirement decision, he admitted he was no longer Lavonte David.
“There was a couple times in that season, man, I loafed a little bit and I didn’t like what I saw on film,” David told the The Set With T. Stead podcast. “And it was one of those things like, ‘Nah, I ain’t going to go out like this, bro.”
David added that he entered the 2026 offseason without a firm training plan and realized he no longer had the motivation to be the player he expected to be.
David and others on the Bucs often stress the importance of leadership and how David was a great leader. Perhaps David was a great leader. However, perhaps David’s leadership impact slipped last season as Bucs players saw him struggle.
Joe wonders whether David addressed his loafs with teammates and how he did it, and whether he was called out by coaches in a group setting or was given a pass.