Offseason
An unusually active offseason saw defensive coordinator Tom Bass and several players leaving to join the San Diego Chargers. Potentially embarrassing off-field incidents were avoided when sexual assault charges against guard Greg Roberts were dropped, while an indecent exposure charge against receiver Theo Bell was dropped when the act turned out to have been committed by an imposter who merely claimed to have been Bell. Bell later filed a libel suit against the Associated Press over their reporting of the incident. With the NFLPA contract on the verge of expiring, union officials became angered over the lack of progress in March meetings, and continued to raise the prospect of a strike. Other offseason distractions included an incident in which Hugh Green was arrested for evading police after being pulled over for a speeding ticket, and contract holdouts by Richard Wood and Jimmie Giles. Giles, who threatened retirement, received a verbal commitment to get a contract renegotiation at a later date; while an angry Wood wound up reporting to camp with no guarantee that his contract would be extended beyond 1984. The team was able to negotiate an agreement with the Tampa Sports Authority that guaranteed their residence in Tampa Stadium through 1995.
Read more about this topic: 1982 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Season