TAMPA — Buccaneers rookie Josiah Trotter, the son of Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Famer Jeremiah Trotter, is settling into life in Tampa Bay and says the city’s food and culture have already won him over.
“I think my favorite thing so far has been the food. There’s a lot of different things. Whatever cultural background you are coming from, I feel like it’s pretty easy to mix in with everyone else,” Trotter said in a team Q&A. “We have a great fanbase. There’s people all around. So, you can find a little bit of something that you like around it. So, I love it down here, especially going outdoors.”
Trotter grew up in a football household, and when asked which athlete’s poster hung on his bedroom wall, the answer was simple. “My dad,” Trotter said. “I had my dad and that was really about it!”
Off the field, the younger Trotter named LeBron James as his favorite athlete of all time and admitted he might get emotional when James hangs it up. “I think I may shed a tear. I think I’ll just enjoy it. He played a long time,” Trotter said. His favorite movie is “The Program,” his favorite TV show is “Family Guy,” his favorite music artist is Travis Greene and his favorite book is the Bible.
Trotter’s self-described hot take involves soda fountains. “I feel like, for me, if you go to a soda machine, you have to mix the drinks. I’m a big mixed drinker. I’ve been doing that since I was young,” he said. “One drink isn’t enough. You have to mix it with different stuff. I would mix soda and maybe a tea with it. Maybe, a fruit punch.”
His biggest pet peeve is a familiar frustration for Tampa Bay drivers. “It’s when I’m driving and there’s two lanes and there’s a green light. Then, I’m just sitting there and all the cars are moving. I just don’t understand. Why are we not both moving?” Trotter said.
Asked to settle the Spider-Man debate among Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland, Trotter sided with the original. “I think it’s Tobey Maguire. The OG. You got to always go back to the OG,” he said. His favorite video game is Madden 18, his favorite vacation destination is the Dominican Republic, his favorite Pokémon is Pikachu and his preferred Christmas movie is the Grinch — “It’s an OG movie.”
The Buccaneers are in the midst of training camp in Tampa Bay, with the preseason schedule ahead.