Former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement in a lengthy statement on Instagram on Tuesday. There was some initial confusion about Brady’s decision, with reports on Saturday indicating he’d made his decision — with Brady openly refuting those reports.
Alas, he landed on his decision: he’s done with the NFL. He’s onto new and different things after 22 seasons and seven Super Bowl wins. The greatest quarterback of all time is no longer an active NFL quarterback. As surreal as that is, it’s the truth. With the gravity of Brady’s decision hitting the NFL world — and the Buccaneers, in particular — in a big way, he issued a lengthy statement to thank the many people in his orbit who helped him achieve success.
Here’s a look at those 957 words.