Tom Brady, who won a record seven Super Bowls for New England and Tampa, has announced his retirement.
Brady – the most successful quarterback in NFL history, and one of the greatest athletes in team sports – posted the announcement on social media on Wednesday morning.
“Good morning guys. I’ll get to the point right away,” Brady said as the message began. “I’m retiring. For good.”
He had previously called time on his career after the 2021 season but wound up coming back for one more year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He retires aged 45, the owner of numerous records in a remarkable 23-year career.
A year ago when he retired, it was in the form of a long Instagram post. But about six weeks later, he decided to come back for one more run.
The Buccaneers – with whom he won a Super Bowl two seasons ago – made the play-offs again this season, losing in their play-off opener and raising the question of whether Brady would play again.
A couple of weeks later, he has given the answer.
“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,” Brady said in the video.
“I won’t be long-winded. You only get one super-emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year.
“I really thank you guys so much, to every single one of you for supporting me. My family, my friends, 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 is the NFL’s career leader in yards passing (89,214) and touchdowns (649). He is the only player to win more than five Super Bowls and has been MVP in the sport’s biggest game five times.
Famously underrated coming into the NFL – he was picked 199th in the 2000 draft by the Patriots, behind six other quarterbacks, three kickers and a punter – Brady certainly was not expected to become synonymous with greatness.
After an underwhelming rookie year, Brady took over as the Patriots’ starter as the team beat the St. Louis Rams in the 2001 Super Bowl.
More Super Bowl wins came after the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The Patriots returned to football’s mountaintop for a fourth time in Brady’s era a decade later to cap the 2014 season, the start of three more titles in a span of five years.
In 2020, he joined the Buccaneers and won his seventh Super Bowl. He spent his last three years with Tampa Bay, getting them to the play-offs in each of those seasons.
“Tom’s legacy is unmatched in the history of this game. All the Super Bowl titles and statistical records speak for themselves, but the impact he had on so many people through the years is what I appreciate the most,” Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said.
“His imprint on this organisation helped take us to the mountain top.
“We will certainly miss him as our quarterback, but I will also miss him as a leader and friend.”
Brady has won three NFL MVP awards, been a first-team All-Pro three times and selected to the Pro Bowl 15 times.
It was announced last year that post-retirement Brady would join Fox Sports as a television analyst in a 10-year, $US375 million ($A530 million) deal.
© AP 2023
