Legendary quarterback and seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady says he is retiring “for good” after 23 seasons in the National Football League.
Brady, 45, first announced his retirement on this day last year but went back on his decision six weeks later, claiming he had “unfinished business”.
Brady — the most successful quarterback in NFL history, and one of the greatest athletes in team sports — posted the announcement on Twitter, Wednesday morning, in a brief video lasting just under one minute.
“Good morning guys. I’ll get to the point right away,” Brady as the message begins. “I’m retiring. For good.”
“I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I’d just press record and let you guys know first.
“It won’t be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year.
“Thank you so much to every single one of you for supporting me – my family, my friends, my team-mates, my competitors. I could go on forever – there’s too many.
“Thank you for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.” he concluded in an emotional video.
Famously underrated, Tom Brady was selected by the New England Patriots with the 199th pick of the 2000 draft, Brady led the franchise to six Super Bowl titles.
He departed for the Buccaneers in 2020 and helped them win the title in his first season, being named the game’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for a fifth time.
After returning to the game last March, Brady – a three-time NFL season MVP – posted the first losing record of his career in a difficult year on and off the field.
Brady has won three NFL MVP awards, been a first-team All-Pro three times and selected to the Pro Bowl 15 times.
Brady – heralded as American football’s GOAT (greatest of all time) – led his team to the play-offs in 20 of his 21 seasons as a starter.
He is the NFL’s all-time regular-season leader in pass attempts (12,050), completions (7,753), passing yards (89,214) and touchdown passes (649), as well as being the league’s leader in all four categories in the post-season.
It was announced last year that when Tom Brady ends his playing career, he would join Fox Sports as a television analyst in a 10-year, $375 million deal.
