Buccaneers' Pursuit of Tom Brady Code-Named 'Operation Shoeless Joe Jackson'

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a code name for their pursuit of Tom Brady: "Operation Shoeless Joe Jackson." 

Jackson was the most famous and talented figure in the infamous Black Sox Scandal, when he was one of eight members of the Chicago White Sox who were banned from baseball for fixing the 1919 World Series.  

He also was a key fictional character in the film Field of Dreams, based on the book by W.P. Kinsella, that inspired Tampa Bay's unique code name for their Brady pursuit, according to ESPN's Ian O'Connor. 

"If we build it, he will come," the team's director of player personnel, John Spytek, told general manager Jason Licht. "Go the distance."

Spytek wasn't shocked that Brady ultimately decided to join the Bucs.

"We felt we had built a good team down here, especially on offense," he said. "If you're a quarterback who wants to play with good players and for a coach with a great offensive mind, why wouldn't Tom pick Tampa? It always made sense in my mind. It made sense that if we built it, he would come."