Tom Brady likely wouldn’t have it any other way than how the New York area decided to announce his retirement.
Shortly after Brady announced he would finally be hanging up his cleats and riding off into the sunset, NBA New York dropped a petty caption on Twitter that said, “Tom Brady, who lost 2 Super Bowls to the Giants during his legendary 22-year NFL career, retires; see his full message here.”
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday after 22 seasons and seven Super Bowl wins, saying he will no longer make that “competitive commitment.”
“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,” he began by saying. “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,” he continued. “I have loved my NFL career and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.”
Brady wrote a heartfelt thanks to his Tampa Bay teammates, the Buccaneers fans, the Glazer family, general manager Jason Licht, but no mention of the Patriots at all.
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“My playing career has been such a thrilling ride, and far beyond my imagination, and full of ups and downs. When you’re in it every day, you don’t really think about any kind of ending,” he continued.” As I sit here now, however, I think of all the great players and coaches I was privileged to play with and against the competition was fierce and deep, JUST HOW WE LIKE IT. But the friendships and relationships are just as fierce and deep. I will remember and cherish these memories and revisit them often. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.”
It was the Patriots who selected Brady out of Michigan with the No. 199 pick of the 2000 NFL Draft. He joined a team that already had quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who had led the Patriots to a Super Bowl.
Once Bledsoe got injured during the 2001 season, it was Brady who replaced him and never looked back. That injury changed the entire landscape of the NFL.
