Tom Brady has officially announced his NFL retirement.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion has called time on a glittering career which spanned 22 years.
Brady finishes up after 20 years with the New England Patriots, who he led to six titles, before spending two years at Tampa Bay, winning last year’s Super Bowl with the Buccaneers.
There was some initial conjecture regarding a possible retirement call from Brady after it was first reported in the US that he was set to go, before he cooled that talk.
However, the 44-year-old has now made the announcement.
Brady wrote: “This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.
“My playing career has been such a thrilling ride, and far beyond my imagination, and full of ups and downs.
“I feel like the luckiest person in the world.”
Peculiarly, after all his success with Bill Belichick and the Pats, the champion quarterback failed to mention either in his nine-part social media post.
He did extend his gratitude to a number of other individuals, as well as the Bucs, and thanked the ‘Patriots Nation’ in a separate post but left out any mention of New England or his former coach in his release.
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 1, 2022
Thank You Patriots Nation ❤️
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 1, 2022
I’m beyond grateful. Love you all. https://t.co/kXm2ET27Dk
Regardless, Brady ends his tenure in the game as the greatest of all-time and as the only player to win seven Super Bowl rings.
He also won three NFL MVPs and five Super Bowl MVPs among a long list of individual and team accolades.