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Tom Brady Taking Leave from Buccaneers for 'Personal Issue,' Coach Says: 'Something He Needs to Handle'

Tom Brady, Clyde Christensen
Tom Brady, Clyde Christensen

Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty

Tom Brady is taking some "personal" time away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Todd Bowles said during a press conference Thursday.

The quarterback won't be back with the team until August 20, when Tampa Bay takes on the Tennessee Titans for a preseason game.

"Tom has been excused today. He'll be taking... he'll be back somewhere around after Tennessee," Bowles said, per NBC Sports. "He's going to deal with some personal things."

A source close to Brady tells PEOPLE the 45-year-old is not injured, and just taking personal time.

According to Bowles, Brady and the team already discussed the absence before the start of training camp in July.

"We allotted this time because he wanted to get in and get chemistry with the guys and go through two weeks of training camp, knowing he wasn't going to play the first two games," he explained.

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"He didn't want to take away reps from Blaine [Gabbert] and Kyle [Trask] as well as Griff [Ryan Griffin] as far as going into these next two games," Bowles continued. "And it's something he needs to handle."

Tom Brady
Tom Brady

Elsa/Getty

PEOPLE has reached out to the Buccanneers for updates.

According to ESPN, Bowles believes Brady will return in time for the Buccaneers' first game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys on September 11.

When asked by a reporter whether he was concerned about Brady's absence and his commitment to the team, Bowles said he was not.

"Per our conversation, I am not worried, no," he said, per ESPN.

RELATED: Tom Brady Says Return to NFL After Brief Retirement Will Be His 'Greatest Challenge Yet'

In an interview with PEOPLE in June, Brady spoke about his faith in Tampa Bay teammates.

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"We've got a great group, everyone's on the same page," Brady tells PEOPLE of his teammates. "We have great chemistry, we have great comradery with our group."

"It's a big challenge, playing in the NFL," he added. "We have a lot of great guys, and everyone's going to make the commitment to try to win a championship."