After 23 seasons playing in the NFL, Tom Brady has officially announced his retirement…”for good”, this time.
In a video posted to his Twitter and Instagram, an emotional Brady leaves no room for interpretation and is upfront about his decision to retire.
“Good morning, guys. I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring,” he said while recording himself on a beach early Wednesday morning.
“I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning, I figured I’d just press record and let you guys know first. I won’t be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year, so really thank you guys so much to every single one of you for supporting me.”
Wednesday marks exactly one year since Brady first announced his retirement on February 1, 2022. 40 days later, he decided to give it another shot and called off his retirement.
In the video, Brady chokes up as he thanks his family, friends, teammates, and competitors. “I could go on forever—there’s too many,” he adds.
In Brady’s 23-year NFL career, 22 of those seasons saw him as a starting quarterback. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2000 as the 199th pick from the University of Michigan. He was the backup QB and played in one game his rookie season, completing one of three passes for 6 yards, per ESPN. The next year, after the Patriots QB, Drew Bledsoe, got injured, Brady stepped in as the starter and carried the team to a Super Bowl victory—being both his and the team’s first time winning the ever-so-coveted Lombardi Trophy.
Brady went on to win six more Super Bowls throughout his career, setting the record at seven for most Super Bowl wins by any player and helping the Patriots franchise tie the Pittsburgh Steelers, with six victories in just under two decades. (He’d have had nine wins, if it weren’t for the New York Giants beating him TWICE in the Super Bowl. This author BLEEDS BLUE, BABY!)
Brady announced his retirement after his third year playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which he brought two winning-record seasons and one Super Bowl win. His final season ended with a losing record (his first ever), however, while still making it to the playoffs.
He concluded his video saying, “Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”
Brady’s ex-wife and extremely successful model, Gisele Bundchen, left a sweet message for the retiree in the comment section of his Instagram post.
“Wishing you only wonderful things in this new chapter of your life 🙏🏼,” she wrote. She was joined by teammates, competitors, and celebrities alike in congratulating him on a historical career.
Brady and Gisele finalized their divorce in October last year after a 13-year-long marriage, welcoming two children, Vivian and Benjamin. The two have been adamant about keeping their children as priorities and trying to equally spend time with them, as they successfully have done so since divorcing.
No doubt, Brady will have more time to spend with his kids, but he’ll also still stay busy during the NFL season for at least 10 years to come, as he signed a $375 million contract this past summer as an analyst and broadcaster for the sport he spent nearly half his life playing.
Congratulations to Tom for a legendary career, and maybe we’ll wait another 40 days to see if he’ll stick with his decision this time.
Sources:
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35568868/tom-brady-says-retiring-football-good
https://people.com/sports/gisele-bundchen-comments-tom-brady-retirement-announcement/
