It’s official. Tom Brady is retiring. Like a lot of important announcements, this one happened on social media.

In an Instagram post on February 1, 2022, Brady posted a picture of himself in a Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform, smiling and pointing. We can only assume the picture has him pointing so that we know to keep scrolling through the other pictures.

But they weren’t pictures. They were videos. When you scroll through, you see words, powerful words that Brady obviously thought through before posting.

Brady started by saying how important it is to make a “100% competitive commitment” when playing football. Then he 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.”

Brady added, “I’ve done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions. And I am so proud of what we have achieved. My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.”

Brady went on to thank the people in his life who have helped him both professionally and personally. He thanked his team and coach. He thanked his wife and kids.

He added the post summarizing his feeling about his career and pondering what he’ll do next. He wrote, “what my days will look like will be a work in progress.” He added, “I know for sure I want to spend a lot of time giving to others and trying to enrich other people’s lives, just as so many have done for me.”

 

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Brady played for the New England Patriots for 20 years before transferring to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the last two seasons of his career.