Tom Brady, the winningest quarterback in American football history, has again announced his retirement from professional sports. It’s the second time this has happened: he had already done it exactly one year ago, on February 1, 2022, but then he had reconsidered and played another season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League (NFL). In a short video posted on social networks, Brady said that this time he is retiring for real:
Hi guys, I’ll get straight to the point. I retire. For real.
In the video, Brady recalled that his first retirement announcement last year was “a pretty big deal.” It had been teased and picked up by the world‘s media before the official announcement, and had created a huge stir. This time however Brady decided he wanted to make a simpler announcement: “When I woke up this morning I thought I would just press ‘record’ and let you know first,” he said addressing the viewers of the video. A little moved, he then thanked his family, teammates and many other people.
Truly grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/j2s2sezvSS
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 1, 2023
Considered by many to be the greatest football player ever, Brady won the Super Bowl seven times, more than anyone else. That record will likely remain unbeaten for a long time: the closest active player is former teammate Rob Gronkowski, with four titles. Brady’s records and wins surpass both those of past greats, such as Joe Montana and Peyton Manning, and those achieved individually by any of the thirty-two teams in the league.
In addition to his seven Finals wins, in twenty-two years of the NFL he was named NFL MVP three times and Finals MVP five times. He played and won with two different teams: from 2000 to 2019 with the New England Patriots and in the last three seasons in Florida with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.