The New England Patriots have shared their funny reaction to Tom Brady’s retirement news.
The Massachusetts based football team took to Twitter on Wednesday to address Brady’s announcement that he would be leaving the NFL “for good” after his current season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended. The news came after the quarterback previously announced his retirement in February 2022, only to return to the sport days later.
The Patriots, which the 45-year-old played on for more than 20 seasons, hilariously quote-tweeted their initial message from when Brady first announced that he was leaving the sport last year.
“Quite the ride indeed. Thank you again, @TomBrady,” the team wrote in the quote-tweet above their February 2022 tweet, which read: “It was quite the ride.”
The post also included a cartoon of Brady on a boat wearing his Patriots jersey and looking towards the sun.
As of 2 February, the tweet has more than 2.4m views. Many Twitter users expressed their amusement over the Patriots’ quirky tweets.
“The Patriots recycling their Tom Brady tribute is just spectacular,” The New York Times sports editor Benjamin Hoffman wrote.
“The Pats just retweeting their own tweet from last year is wicked friggin’ funny,” another person added.
Some fans joked about Brady returning to football and retiring again, one of which wrote: “You’ll have to make another tweet next year too.”
Following Brady’s recent retirement news, the Patriots also shared a tribute to him on Twitter from the team’s coach, Bill Belichick.
“Tom Brady was the ultimate winner. He entered the NFL with little to no fanfare and leaves as the most successful player in league history,” Belichick said. “He entered the NFL with little to no fanfare and leaves as the most successful player in league history. His relentless pursuit of excellence drove him on a daily basis.”
His message concluded: “Tom was a true professional who carried himself with class and integrity throughout his career. I thank Tom for the positive impact he had on me and on the Patriots and congratulate him on his amazing career.”
On Wednesday, Brady shared an emotional video on Instagram to announce that he was retiring from the NFL “for good”. In the clip, he referred to his temporary retirement from last year.
“I know the process was a pretty big deal last time so when I woke up this morning I figured I would just press record and let you guys know,” he said. “You only get one super emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year.”
He went on to express his gratitude for his peers: “To every single one of you, for supporting me, my family, my friends, teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever. There’s too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream.I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”
Along with the video, Brady’s post included photos of his parents, children, and ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen, whom he announced his divorce from in October 2022.
In the comments of the post, Brady’s ex-wife also expressed her support for him: “Wishing you only wonderful things in this new chapter of your life.”
The former couple, who were married for 13 years, share a 13-year-old son, Benjamin, and a 10-year-old daughter, Vivian.
