Tom Brady Officially Announces Retirement, Ignores Time In New England

Tom Brady officially announces he is done playing professional football.

Source: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / Getty

This weekend was filled with drama after ESPN reporters got word of Tom Brady’s retirement and immediately ran the story without letting Tom do the honors himself. Many believed this would be the outcome for Brady after this last season, but something about ESPN breaking the story sent the rest of the weekend in a blender. That’s mainly because people believed Brady was petty enough to play another year just because ESPN jumped the gun.

For the rest of the day, Tom’s close team and family issued statements denying he would be retiring—but this morning, the man himself declared he is giving up on the grind after being the youngest and oldest QB to win a Super Bowl.

While the post was heartfelt, a noticeable absence from his farewell speech was any mention of New England or The Patriots. Brady would later respond to a tweet from the team on Twitter, but erasing them from his official announcement is shady, to say the least.

Brady’s full statement is on a number of slides on his Instagram. A portion of it reads;

“I have always believed the sport of football is an ‘all-in’ proposition — if a 100% competitive commitment isn’t there, you won’t succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game,” Brady said in his statement on Instagram. “There is a physical, mental and emotional challenge EVERY single day that has allowed me to maximize my highest potential. And I have tried my very best these past 22 years. There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life.”

“This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention. I’ve done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions. And I am so proud of what we have achieved. My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.”

Also in case you missed it, here’s Brady’s response to the Patriots.

If you’re a Brady fan, we know you’re sad, but if you are anti-Brady because of him beating your team for two or more decades, please enjoy these responses below.