Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown is no longer a member of the team after making a dramatic departure from the sideline during the second half of Tampa Bay’s game against the New York Jets on Sunday. Brown stripped off his gear and undershirt before waving and jumping around in the endzone while the teams were still on the field. The Bucs would go on to beat the Jets 28-24. After the game, head coach Bruce Arians said Brown was no longer a Buccaneer. Arians told NFL reporter Jay Glazer that Brown refused to return to the game in the second half, prompting Arians to tell Brown he was no longer welcome on the team. Brown missed several weeks of the season with an ankle injury and was only one game removed from serving a three-week suspension over faking his vaccination status. The Bucs are now without two of their three top wide receivers, as Chris Godwin is out for the season after tearing his ACL.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed to pull off a last-second, comeback victory on the road against the Jets Sunday, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with just 15 seconds remaining on the game clock. A 33-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to Cyril Grayson Jr. - recently called up from the practice squad - sealed the 28-24 win for the Bucs. Tampa Bay is now 12-4 for the season with one game remaining, matching a single-season franchise record. The week leading up to the game was full of turmoil for the Bucs, with several players and head coach Bruce Arians on the reserve-Covid-19 list. All made it to New Jersey for the game, but Tampa Bay, with the NFC South division title already secured, stumbled out of the gates. The Bucs went down by as many as 14 in the second half before the embattled wide receiver threw a sideling tantrum and exited the game. The Bucs offense then scored to make it a 24-20 game. New York’s decision to attempt a 4th and 2 conversion at their own 7-yard line instead of kicking a field goal backfired. Tampa Bay’s defense made the stop, and Brady led the offense 93 yards down the field with 1:57 remaining.
The St. Pete Catalyst will not publish Friday, Dec. 31, because of the New Year's Eve holiday. On Saturday, Jan. 1, we'll publish a special wrap-up of the Catalyze 2022 series, and will resume our regular schedule Monday, Jan. 3. Happy New Year!
The University of South Florida will welcome a new member to its Board of Trustees (BOT) in 2022, as Rogan Donelly was recently appointed to the board by the governor. Donnelly, a USF alumnus and resident of Sarasota, is the president and CEO of the Tervis Tumbler Company. Donnelly earned his master’s degree in business administration from USF and was the 2020 recipient of the university’s Outstanding Alumni Award. Donnelly also serves on the Board of Trustees for Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. Donnelly fills John Ramil’s seat on the USF BOT. Ramil has served on the board since its inception in 2001 and leaves as USF’s longest-tenured trustee. USF plans to honor Ramil at a future BOT meeting.
Mayor-elect Ken Welch has postponed two events following his inauguration after a spike in Covid cases due to the highly-transmissible Omicron variant. Welch announced Wednesday the Community Reception scheduled for 1 p.m. on Jan. 6 in Williams park immediately following his inauguration is no longer taking place on that date. The Mayoral and City Council Reception planned for Jan. 8 at the Dali Museum is also on hold. Makeup dates are not yet known. “Out of an abundance of caution, we will postpone these events till such time that we can safely celebrate together,” said Welch in a press release.
On Monday, it was reported that there have been over 500,000 new Covid-19 cases, which is drastically worse than any other single day of the entire pandemic. The omicron coronavirus variant, which has dominated the delta variant, has spiked by 35% for unvaccinated children nationwide in pediatric hospitalizations. Florida has seen an overall 127.8% increase in hospitalizations of children with Covid-19 week-over-week, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC on Monday cut the amount of time it recommends people should isolate after testing positive for Covid-19 as well as the quarantine period after coming into contact with someone who tests positive. The change “is motivated by science demonstrating that the majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to the onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after," according to the CDC. However, many in the scientific community have debated on the guidance of decreasing the isolation period as Covid-19 cases continue to soar. The City of St. Petersburg tweeted a reminder that many Covid-19 testing sites remain open in the region.
The Hooters restaurant in the Tyrone Square Mall in St. Pete will close this month. The closure is due to changes in shopping habits and the decline in mall foot traffic, according to a news release. “We had a great run in the Tyrone area since the restaurant opened its doors in 1987 and appreciate the support from our customers for so many years,” HMC Hospitality Group CEO Neil Kiefer said in a statement.
Pinellas County Government has announced it is hosting a career fair on Tuesday, Jan. 18. The county will hold the career fair from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the St. Petersburg College Epicenter at 13805 58th St. N., in Clearwater. Career seekers can talk to hiring managers about current and future full-time positions, internships and volunteer opportunities. The county seeks to fill open positions in almost every department, and representatives from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and CareerSource Pinellas will also attend. Applicants are encouraged to bring copies of their resumes, and employers will offer onsite interviews for some positions. Veterans are encouraged to apply and bring their DD-214 or veteran’s preference documentation. For more information, visit here.
With the Christmas holiday officially over and the new year rapidly approaching, those looking to safely dispose of their old trees can now drop them off at the Pinellas County Department of Solid Waste. The Solid Waste facility is located at 3095 114th Ave. N. in St. Petersburg. The City of St. Petersburg is hosting a citywide Christmas tree collection event on Jan. 8. Residents must place the tree out for collection before 7 a.m. in the same spot their trash is collected. Additionally, residents can drop their trees off at one of the city’s Brush Sites. For more information, visit stpete.org/brushsites. Collected trees are recycled into mulch.
Live-feed cameras have been set at the site of the $84 million development that reimagines the downtown waterfront park in Clearwater. The Imagine Clearwater project will transform the urban Coachman Park into a 24-acre urban waterfront park development for recreation and entertainment uses that would help attract residents and tourists to an underutilized part of downtown. The vision includes an outdoor performance bandshell and stage with covered seating for 4,000 people, play areas for children, shading and solar panels. The live video can be found here.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers 32-6 in Charlotte Sunday to clinch the NFC South title for the first time since 2007. The win also guarantees the Bucs a spot in the playoffs. After being held scoreless by the New Orleans Saints at home last week, Tampa Bay’s offense dominated the Carolina defense despite not having Pro Bowl wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and running back Leonard Fournette due to injuries. Wide receiver Antonio Brown, active for the first time since Week 6, led the offense with 101 receiving yards on 10 catches. The decisive victory also gave the Bucs their first back-to-back 11-win seasons for the first time in franchise history.
American Stage has announced the four unproduced works it will stage, in readers theater format, for its annual 21st Century Voices New Play Festival Jan. 7-9. Chosen from more than 300 submissions, they are:
Saudades by Fernando Segall
Zu’s Earth by Sidney Rushing
Go Down Moses by Dana Leslie Goldstein
Brown Girl In The Ring by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj (American Stage producing artistic director)
