Tom Brady has officially ended his NFL career, ending any hopes New England Patriots fans had of him returning to the franchise. Brady was set to enter into free agency this month, but has instead decided to walk away from the sport.
The 45-year-old will go down as the greatest to ever play in the NFL, having won seven Super Bowl rings, setting countless records. He had tipped himself to play towards his 50th birthday and even stated earlier this season that he wouldn't be retiring again.
But on Wednesday morning, he issued a statement confirming he would be walking away - for good this time. His announcement came as a surprise to most, considering he was expected to take time away and decide what to do next before making an announcement.
A return to the Patriots had seemed most likely due to his relationship with team owner Robert Kraft, and the fact his replacement - Mac Jones - endured a torrid season in his old position.
But after retiring, the Patriots issued two classy tweets to their old quarterback, without saying a word. First, the Patriots tweeted three goat emojis when quote tweeting his announcement video.
Secondly, they posted a gif of Brady celebrating with his six Super Bowl rings he won with the Patriots.
Brady said in his announcement video: "I'll get to the point right away. I'm retiring. For good. I know the process was a pretty big deal last time so I woke up this morning I figured I'd just press record and let you guys know first so, it won't be long winded.
"You only get one super emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year, so really thank you guys so much for supporting me. My family, my friends, my 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."
Despite his announcement, Brady is unlikely to be away from the NFL for long. During his first retirement, the 45-year-old is believed to have agreed a deal in principle with Fox Sports to work as an analyst when he finally decides to hang up his cleats.
The deal is worth a reported $375million, and will see him cover games for the station for the next ten years.
Brady reportedly had interest from ESPN before taking the deal with Fox, and will work alongside his old team-mate Rob Gronkowski in the analyst's booth.
