UPDATE 4:20 P.M. PST: In the wake of Tom Brady’s retirement reports, some have come forward to claim that a decision has not been made quite yet. His longtime agent Don Yee later told ESPN in a statement:
“I understand the advance speculation about Tom’s future. Without getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what’s being reported, Tom will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy. He knows the realities of the football business and planning calendar as well as anybody, so that should be soon.”
NFL Network reporter Mike Giardi then tweeted that his father, Tom Brady Sr., told him:
“This story Mike is total conjecture. Tommy has not made a final decision one way or the other and anybody else that says that he has is absolutely wrong.”
ESPN also later reported that the dad told them via text that “Tommy has made no such determination” at this time. So we’ll have to wait and see what happens! Perhaps, Tom will actually speak on these claims soon!
Tom Brady is closing a huge chapter in his life!
According to ESPN on Saturday, the 44-year-old quarterback is retiring at the age of 44 after 22 seasons in the NFL. The outlet reports that Brady decided to finally hang up his cleats based on several factors, including his health and family. Additionally, he reportedly realized the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were likely going through a major roster turnover soon. Unfortunately, his retirement won’t come with another ring in his pocket since the Bucs lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional round last Sunday.
Following the news, his company, TB12, also tweeted:
“7 Super Bowl Rings. 5 Super Bowl MVPs. 3 League MVP Awards. 22 Incredible Seasons. Thank you for it all, @TomBrady.”
Former teammate Julian Edelman congratulated Brady, saying:
“Thanks for the memories, babe.
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Football player Chris Godwin also commented:
“The best ever. Congratulations bro @TomBrady grateful to have gotten to share the field with you! Much love fam.”
In case you didn’t know, the athlete was chosen by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the NFL Draft back in 2000. Brady played with the team until 2019, winning 6 Super Bowls. He soon shocked fans in 2020 when he announced that he’d joined the Buccaneers. He won his seventh ring with the Florida team and was named Super Bowl MVP for the fifth time that year. With the victory, Brady became the oldest player to be named MVP and win a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback.
The father is also a three-time NFL MVP, 15-time Pro Bowl selection, and was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time team in 2019. There’s a reason why he’s heralded as the greatest quarterback in NFL history…
Brady has constantly dodged retirement speculation over the years, insisting he would play the game until he was 45 several times. However, he spoke on the Let’s Go! podcast earlier this week about how being away from his wife Gisele Bündchen and their kids during the football season has been hard, explaining:
“My wife is my biggest supporter. It pains her to see me get hit out there, and she deserves what she needs from me as a husband and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad. I’m gonna spend some time with them and give them what they need, because they’ve really been giving me what I need the last six months – to do what I need to do and I said this a few years ago. It’s what relationships are all about. It’s not always about what I want. It’s about what we want as a family. And I’m gonna spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what’s next.”
Are you shocked by the news, Perezcious readers? Let us know your reactions in the comments (below)!
[Image via MEGA/WENN]
