It’s an end of an era. Legendary New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterback Tom Brady decided to hang up his cleats and retire from the NFL.
Brady’s retirement was widely expected as several media outlets reported the news on Saturday. However, Brady waited with the official announcement until Tuesday morning, when he posted a lengthy statement on Twitter and the rest of his social media.
Announcing the retirement, Brady said he “loved his NFL career” but feels now is the time to “focus my time and energy on other things that require his attention. He also thanked his family, the NFL fans, his coaches, teammates, and everyone else who contributed to his career.
Addressing the future, Brady said he would continue working on the companies he co-founded, including TB12 Sports, but admitted he still doesn’t have everything planned out.
“I am going to take it day by day,” he added. “I know for sure I want to spend a lot of time giving to others and trying to enrich other people’s lives, just as so many have done for me.”
Brady spent his first 20 years in the NFL with the Patriots, transforming the franchise into a football powerhouse. As the team’s quarterback, Brady led New England to nine Super Bowl appearances and six Vince Lombardi trophies.
In 2020, Brady left the Pats and signed with the Buccaneers. He further cemented his status as the “G.O.A.T.” (greatest of all time) in Tampa Bay, helping the franchise to win a Super Bowl in his first year. However, he fell short of repeating in the 2021 NFL season, as the Bucs were eliminated in the divisional round by Super Bowl-bound LA Rams.
With seven Super Bowl rings, Tom Brady retires as the most accomplished player in NFL history. The next on the list, Hall of Fame linebacker Charles Haley, has five while no other quarterback managed to get more than four. Brady was also named the NFL MVP three times and had 15 Pro Bowl nods in 22 years of his NFL career. In addition, he holds numerous NFL records, including most career QB wins (243), most career passing yards (84,520), and most career passing touchdowns (624).
