Sports Editor
Tom Brady, arguably the greatest player ever to step foot into a National Football League (NFL) stadium announced his retirement — again. The NFL legend released his retirement statement on his social media accounts on Wednesday, Feb. 1. This is the second time in his career that he has confirmed he plans to take a break from football. Ironically, this Feb. 1 statement marks the one-year anniversary of the quarterback’s first retirement on Feb. 1 of 2022.
Brady decided to play one more season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after his shocking return in 2022. At 44 years old, he hoped to continue his legacy. Looking back at Brady’s dominance on the football field, the seven-time Super Bowl champion leads the NFL in wins as a starting quarterback, passing yards, passing touchdowns , and passing completions. Brady is also the fourth NFL quarterback to record a victory against all 32 NFL teams.
Brady’s football journey began at Junipero Serra High School, located in San Mateo, California. He then received interest from multiple colleges and eventually chose the University of Michigan. He spent four years in college while achieving an impressive record of 20 wins and 5 losses as a starter during his junior and senior years. The next step was the 2000 NFL Draft. In the sixth round, pick 199 overall, the New England Patriots selected Brady. He sat behind Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe for his first year in New England. From then on, he made history. In 20 of his 23 seasons spent in the NFL, Brady belonged to the Patriots. He played in nine Super Bowls and won six of them. In the year 2020, Brady elected to take his talents to southern Florida and play for the Buccaneers. Remarkably, Brady and the Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV during their first season together, and Brady won his seventh Super Bowl ring.
Brady entered his final season in the NFL hoping for yet another ring. However, an injury-riddled season was in store for the Buccaneers. The team struggled to reach the playoffs with a losing record of 8-9, and their season only got worse from there. Brady’s final NFL game featured the Buccaneers hosting the Dallas Cowboys in a Divisional Round Playoff game of this year’s NFL Playoffs. Unfortunately, his historic run in the NFL ended with a less-than-ideal game as Dallas thumped Tampa Bay 31-14.
At the end of his historic run, Brady stated, “This is difficult to write, but here goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore.” Brady’s career cements him as a future Hall of Famer, and he will be noted as one of great football players.
(Sources: ESPN, NBC Sports, NCAA, NFL, Sports Illustrated, Washington Post)
Categories: National Sports, Sports