TAMPA, Fla. – Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady announced via Twitter on Wednesday that he is retiring -- for good this time, he says.
The 45-year-old Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback briefly retired last February only to change his mind and return for a 23rd season.
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He insisted that won’t be happening this go round during an emotional video posted to his Twitter account.
Brady got straight to the point in the video, shot while sitting on the beach, saying: “I’m retiring -- for good.”
Brady said after last year’s fanfare around his retirement, he owed it to the fans to let them know first.
“You only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year, so really thank you guys so much to every single one of you for supporting me,” he said. “My family, my friends, teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever. There’s too many people.”
Truly grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/j2s2sezvSS
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 1, 2023
Brady — the most successful quarterback in NFL history, and one of the greatest athletes in team sports — won a record seven Super Bowls for New England and Tampa.
Brady initially had little to say about his future after throwing for 351 yards, two touchdowns and a costly red zone interception in a lopsided playoff loss to the Cowboys that ended his third season with the Bucs.
“You always want every year to end great. Unfortunately, in sports it doesn’t work that way,” Brady said. “There are 32 teams in the league, and they’re all very competitive, and only one of them is going to feel really good at the end of the year.”
Brady was emotional in his Twitter video announcing his decision to retire.
“Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream,” he said. “I wouldn’t change a thing. I love you all.”
Brady is the NFL’s career leader in yards passing (89,214) and touchdowns (649). He’s the only player to win more than five Super Bowls and has been MVP of the game five times.
Brady has won three NFL MVP awards, been a first-team All-Pro three times and selected to the Pro Bowl 15 times.
Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen finalized their divorce this past fall, during the Bucs’ season. It ended a 13-year marriage between two superstars who respectively reached the pinnacles of football and fashion.
It was announced last year that when Brady retires from playing, he would join Fox Sports as a television analyst in a 10-year, $375 million deal.