TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round draft pick Rueben Bain Jr. paid homage to former University of Miami star and Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp on Thursday by wearing Sapp's No. 99 Bucs jersey in his rookie camp arrival.
A person with knowledge of the situation told ESPN that Bain planned the tribute on his own and that the team did not provide him with the jersey. Bain even wore the jersey backward so that Sapp's nameplate would be prominent.
The nod to Sapp was notable given that Bain has known Sapp since Bain was at Miami Central High School and they both starred at the U. Prior to Bain being drafted with the 15th pick, Sapp was the last Miami player to be selected in the first round by the Buccaneers. Bain said that on draft night, Sapp texted him congratulations and told him, as Bain put it, "This his city."
Hurricanes ➡️ Buccaneers@ruebenbainjr pays tribute to Hall of Famer @WarrenSapp on Day 1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/DLM4mC07dF
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) May 7, 2026
The color of the black Reebok jersey was significant, too. The Bucs have never worn black jerseys for a game. They had black jerseys available for retail in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but Reebok's NFL uniform contract didn't start until 2002. Sapp left the team after the 2003 season. That means Bain's jersey might be older than him. Reebok stopped manufacturing NFL jerseys after the 2011 season, so Bain was truly flexing his Buccaneers fandom and speaking to the die-hards.
A native of Miami, Bain has relatives in Tampa and grew up a Bucs fan, including watching his cousin Carlton Davis III help the Buccaneers keep Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes out of the end zone in Super Bowl LV.
What also makes the jersey gesture special is that Sapp, the 1999 Defensive Player of the Year and one of the pillars of the Bucs' vaunted Super Bowl XXXVII defense, represents the type of player that Bucs general manager Jason Licht and head coach Todd Bowles have looked to bring back to Tampa: guys with an edge and a "mean streak" on the field.
"I think I always had that kind of mindset," Bain said right after he was drafted, adding that he plays with a "head on fire" mentality, which could certainly help him channel Sapp on the field.
