Tom Brady is retiring, and this time it seems like forever.
The seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback posted an emotional video to his social media accounts Wednesday morning to share the news. It comes a year after Brady briefly retired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, only to return to football less than two months later.
This time, a somber Brady, his voice cracking at times, posted a selfie-style video, saying: “Good morning guys, I’ll cut to the chase right away: I’m retiring for good. I know the process was a big problem last time, so when I woke up this morning I thought I’d hit record and let them know first. So I won’t be extensive.
“I think you just get a super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine last year. So really, thank you very much to everyone, every one of you, for supporting me. My family, my friends, teammates, my competitors, I could go on forever, there are just too many. Thank you guys for letting me live my absolute dream. I would not change anything. I love you all.”
Brady, 45, retires with an unmatched seven Super Bowl rings, along with three MVP Awards, and the records for most career wins, passing yards, and passing touchdowns, along with a host of other records. .
Brady is the NFL career leader in passing yards (89,214) and touchdowns (649). He is the only player to win more than five Super Bowls and has been the game’s MVP five times.
Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen finalized their divorce last fall, during the Bucs season. It ended a 13-year marriage between two superstars who rose to the top of soccer and fashion, respectively.
It was announced last year that when Brady stopped playing, he would join Fox Sports as a television analyst on a 10-year, $375 million contract.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
