Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady officially announced his retirement in an Instagram post on Tuesday February 1. This came after the Buccaneers lost in a close game to the Rams in the divisional playoff. 

“I have always believed the sport of football is an ‘all-in’ proposition – if a 100% competitive commitment isn’t there, you won’t succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game,” Brady said in his Instagram post. 

He continued saying, “This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore.” Brady will retire currently as the best quarterback in NFL history. During his 22 years playing in the NFL, he won seven Lombardi trophies, the most championships won by a single player, and five Super Bowl MVPs. Over his career, Brady accumulated the most passing yards in NFL history (84,520), the most touchdown passes in NFL history (624), and the most playoff wins in NFL history (35) just to name a few. 

Brady has played in the NFL for longer than most current Saint Anselm students have been alive. He spent his first 20 seasons playing for the New England Patriots, and younger fans grew up watching Brady dominate. In his nine-slide Instagram post, Brady said, “To my Bucs teammates the past two years, I love you guys, and I have loved going to battle with you. You have dug so deep to challenge yourself, and it inspired me to wake up every day and give you my best.” 

Many Patriots fans could not help being offended that Brady did not mention the 20 years he spent with the Patriots in the post. It is unclear if this was just an oversight, but Brady’s relationship with the Patriots and Head Coach Bill Belichick had declined in the years preceding Brady’s move to join the Buccaneers after the Patriots were unwilling to sign him. 

However, after a statement from Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Brady responded, “Thank you Patriots Nation. I’m beyond grateful. Love you all.” Brady and Belichick also cleared the air after Belichick said in a statement, “Tom’s humble beginning in professional football ultimately ended with him becoming the best player in NFL history.” 

Brady, in turn, responded, “Thank you Coach Belichick. I appreciate being coached by you, the Greatest Coach in NFL history.” Brady reflected on his career in another Instagram post saying, “I played for the name on the front of my jersey and on the back of my jersey. I played for my friends, my family, and our community – every single one of you – that have given me what I have today. I love you all. Thank you ALL for making this incredible journey possible.”