UPDATE: In a statement, Brady’s agent, Don Yee, did not confirm or deny the retirement news and simply noted that the athlete’s official statement on his future would be coming soon.
“I understand the advance speculation about Tom’s future,” the Saturday, January 29, statement via The Hollywood Reporter said. “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.”
TB12 also deleted their tweet that seemed to confirm the retirement news.
Original story: Hanging up his cleats! Tom Brady is retiring from the NFL after more than 20 years in the sport.
The first official statement seemingly came from his company, TB12. “7 Super Bowl Rings. 5 Super Bowl MVPs. 3 League MVP Awards. 22 Incredible Seasons. Thank you for it all, @TomBrady,” the health and wellness brand tweeted on Saturday, January 29.
A source confirmed to Us Weekly that the 44-year-old athlete is officially retiring. ESPN first reported the news.
The California native was drafted in 2000 by the New England Patriots. He made his NFL debut in September 2001 against the New York Jets after quarterback Drew Bledsoe was knocked out during the game.
Brady went on to lead the Massachusetts-based team at quarterback for 19 years before announcing his departure in March 2020.
“I wanted to say thank you to all of the incredible fans and Patriots supporters. MA has been my home for twenty years,” he wrote in a statement at the time. “It has truly been the happiest two decades I could have envisioned in my life and I have nothing but love and gratitude for my time in New England.”
The former Super Bowl MVP concluded: “You opened your heart to me, and I opened my heart to you. And Pats Nation will always be a part of me. I don’t know what my football future holds but it is time for me to open a new stage for my life and career. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I will always love you and what we have shared – a lifetime full of fun memories.”
Brady, who is known as the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time), appeared in nine Super Bowls and won six titles as the leader of the Patriots. He proved his football skills once again in February 2021 when he took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Super Bowl LV during his first season as the team’s quarterback.
The Bucs beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31 to 9. Following his seventh Super Bowl win, Brady revealed that he had no plans of stepping back from the sport, despite his wife, Gisele Bündchen’s remarks on the field amid the Lombardi trophy presentation.
“All of a sudden, I saw my wife and I gave her a big hug,” the father of three said during a March 2021 episode of The Late Late Show With James Corden. “And just as I did it, she said, ‘What more do you have to prove?’”
Brady, who shares son Benjamin and daughter Vivienne with the supermodel, simply gave her an even bigger embrace, while “trying to figure out a way to change the subject really quick,” he joked. (The NFL champion also shares son Jack with ex Bridget Moynahan.)
“I know I’m having a lot of fun playing,” the professional football player told former Patriots player and Bucs Tight End Rob Gronkowski during a September 2021 episode of their “Tommy and Gronk” YouTube series when asked if he wanted to play until he was 50. “And again, at my age, I’ve agreed to play next year, as well, but beyond that, I’ll just take it year by year.”
After his second season with Tampa Bay, the former Michigan University athlete spoke out about the sport he loved, noting his future is always something fans are interested in talking about.
“I understand that at this stage in my career, there is going to be interest in my future whenever a season ends, but this week, all that is on my mind is the gratitude I have for this team and the fans that have supported us all year long,” Brady wrote via Instagram on January 2022. “This year has been incredibly rewarding personally and professionally and I am appreciative of everyone who worked their ass off to help our team achieve so much. I always want to win, I think that’s pretty apparent by now, but that doesn’t mean I equate losing to failure, especially when you go out fighting the way we did.”