Tom Brady announced he’s retiring after 23 seasons in the NFL. The seven-time Super Bowl champion said this time it’s “for good.”
“Thank you so much to every single one of you for supporting me – my family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever. There’s too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all,” Brady said in a video posted on Twitter.
Brady’s extraordinary career began as the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL draft. He became the Patriots’ starter in 2001 after New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe was injured. Now he’s widely considered to be the greatest quarterback of all time.
Brady spent 20 seasons with the Patriots. With head coach Bill Belichick, the franchise dominated the NFL and won six Super Bowls. Brady then left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won his seventh title.
Brady has struggled with the idea of retiring. He tried it once and decided to play again almost immediately. In 2005, he told 60 Minutes that he was always working to be better and reach his goals, even during the off-season. He wondered what he would do when it’s over and doesn’t have 80,000 people screaming his name. He compared it to an astronaut who goes to the moon and comes back down to earth and gets depressed.
“There’s nothing in their lives that can fulfill them in the way that, that does,” Brady said.
It has been reported that Brady will become the lead analyst on Fox’s NFL coverage now that he’s retired. According to reports, Fox gave him a 10-year deal worth $375 million.
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