Any uncertainty or confusion over Tom Brady’s future has been put to rest. The NFL legend has retired from the NFL, officially this time.
Brady made the announcement on his personal social media accounts in a 7 slide instagram good bye post that had one very curious and glaring omission. No mention of the Patriots, the organization for which Brady played 20 seasons and won 6 of his 7 Super Bowl titles.
Brady wrote that he felt he could no longer make the commitment required to succeed in the NFL.
“This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore,” he said. “I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.”
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 1, 2022
In the post Brady thanked his family, his personal trainer, the Buccaneers organization, his Bucs teammates, head coach Bruce Arians and Bucs fans. Nothing to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, Owner Robert Kraft or Patriots fans.
The omission could signify that there is still some sort of rift between Brady and the Patriots organization for how things ended in New England. Brady could feel that he covered all that 2 years ago after leaving New England for Tampa. It’s also possible that Brady and the Patriots have something else in store to honor his retirement further down the road.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a statement thanking Brady for his time in New England.
“Words cannot describe the feelings I have for Tom Brady, nor adequately express the gratitude my family, the New England Patriots and our fans have for Tom for all he did during his career.
“A generation of football fans have grown up knowing only an NFL in which Tom Brady dominated. He retires with nearly every NFL career passing record, yet the only one that ever mattered to him was the team’s win-loss record.
A privilege to watch and a dream come true.
Statement from Robert Kraft on Tom Brady: https://t.co/YsXbvFx12d pic.twitter.com/r6zIMHKCU1
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) February 1, 2022
“In his 20 years as a starter his teams qualified for the playoffs 19 times. He led his teams to 10 Super Bowls, winning an NFL-record seven championships. In a team sport like football, it is rare to see an individual have such a dominant impact on a team’s success.
“You didn’t have to be a Patriots fan to respect and appreciate his competitiveness, determination and will to win that fueled his success. As a fan of football, it was a privilege to watch. As a Patriots fan, it was a dream come true.
“I have the greatest respect for Tom personally and always will. His humility, coupled with his drive and ambition, truly made him special. I will always feel a close bond to him and will always consider him an extension of my immediate family.”
Bill Belichick has yet to release any kind of statement of his own.
News of Brady’s potential retirement leaked over the weekend. Brady pumped the breaks on the news at the time saying that any decision would come in due time.
Brady retires as the best quarterback and arguably the greatest NFL player of all time. The GOAT has won seven Super Bowl rings, six with the Patriots, one with the Buccaneers — with a record five Super Bowl MVP awards. He owns a 243-73 record during the regular season and a 35-12 record in the postseason. He spent his first 20 seasons in New England establishing not one but two Patriots dynasties. He retires as the NFL leader in passing attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns, along with a 3 NFL MVP awards and 15 Pro Bowl selections.
