The all-time player for the Colorado Buffaloes has officially announced his retirement due to his wife.
After an incredible 22-year NFL career, quarterback Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced to the public on Tuesday that he was retiring from football. Brady said it was time to focus on other things.
Brady, 44, the seven-time Super Bowl champion, ended nearly 72 hours of conjecture with a lengthy Instagram post. On Saturday afternoon, rumors initially surfaced that Brady might retire.
Brady discussed the extreme physical strain and unwavering dedication required to compete at the highest level of football. He said nothing specific about his plans for the future.
“I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore,” said Brady, the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown throws. “This is difficult for me to write,” Brady said.
my NFL career, and I should now devote my time and attention to other matters that need it,” he stated.
The defending Super Bowl champions, the Los Angeles Rams, defeated the Buccaneers in the NFC quarterfinals, and Brady had just finished his second season with the team.
A week ago Sunday, Matt Gay’s field goal at the gun gave the Rams the victory, but Brady’s late rallying of the Bucs from a 27-3 deficit tied the game.
Following the game, rumors about Brady’s future and whether he will play in Tampa Bay again in 2022 began to circulate.
Furthermore, it was unclear whether Brady was hanging up as recently as Monday.
“I believe that when the time comes, I’ll be prepared to decide on a course of action,” he stated on the Let’s Go! podcast on Sirius XM.
However, Brady officially announced it on Tuesday at 9:35 a.m. ET.
“I’ve done a lot of reflecting in the past week and have asked myself difficult questions,” he stated. “And I am so proud of what we have achieved.”
In the realm of sports, the drama surrounding will he or won’t he had become a running joke.
Brady’s frequent punching bag, the humble New York Jets, tweeted Tuesday in jest, “this better be real.”
“But really, congrats on a first-ballot, Hall of Fame career,” the Jets, who fell short of Brady-led teams 30 out of 37 times, exclaimed. “The entire football world will miss seeing you on the field, even though we may not.”
Brady went to tremendous efforts to express his gratitude to his family, teammates, coaches, and almost everyone in his close circle.
He called out the Bucs’ owners, the Glazer family, general manager of Tampa Bay Jason Licht, coach Bruce Arians, Alex Guerrero, personal trainer, agents Don Yee and Steve Dubin, wife Gisele Bündchen, and kids Jack, Benny, and Vivi by name.
Brady has been transparent about how much his wife hurt every time he took a hit and how much she wanted him to quit sport.
“Her selflessness allowed me to reach new heights professionally, and I am beyond words what you mean to me and our family,” he wrote on Tuesday.
In Bündchen’s native Portuguese, he added, “Te amo amor do minha vida,” which translates to “I love you, my life’s love.”
Brady played for the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick for two seasons in Tampa and for twenty years in Foxborough, Massachusetts, but he notably omitted any reference to them from his lengthy speech on Tuesday.
Brady and the Patriots won Super Bowls in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and 2019 while Belichick was their coach.
