Tom Brady announced his retirement on Wednesday morning, the second consecutive year that he’s made that massive announcement on Feb. 1. This time, he says, it is “for good.”
The decision comes after months of speculation about his future. With the Buccaneers limping out to an 8–9 record and a wild-card round flameout in the playoffs, there were ample rumors about whether he’d look to move to a third franchise, like his childhood team the 49ers or his former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’s Raiders.
A source told Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop that Brady called the team around 6 a.m. ET. on Wednesday morning to inform them of his decision, two hours before he announced the decision to the rest of the world. He was weighing whether to retire until Tuesday, and had decided he would either play for Tampa Bay or retire, and would not join another franchise. ESPN’s Jeff Darlington was first to report on the timing of Brady’s decision.
“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,” Brady said in his video announcement on Wednesday morning.
“I won’t be long winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year. So, really, thank you guys 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.”
