For the first time since announcing his second retirement from the NFL last Wednesday, Tom Brady spoke publicly about his decision to walk away from football “for good.”
Speaking on his Let’s Go! podcast with Jim Gray, Brady spoke candidly about his retirement, which he announced in a simple video posted on social media. The seven-time Super Bowl champion explained that he felt it was the right time to hang up his jersey and cleats, despite a part of him still feeling like he can compete in the NFL.
“There’s always gonna be a part [of me] that wants to play and a part of me that, you know, feels like I can play,” Brady said. “I think there’s just a decision to know that it’s the right time. So I think for me it’s more of just, it’s gonna end at some point, and I think now’s the time.
“And it’s not that I can’t do it. It’s not that I wouldn’t want to do it. It’s not that I wouldn’t be excited to play. I love playing football. I’ve loved playing football since I was a kid on the street on Portola Drive. So I think it’s just a decision that it’s time to do other things.”
Gray then reminded Brady that he said at one point earlier in his career that he would retire when he “sucks.”
“That’s true. I did say that. And I meant it at the time,” Brady responded. “That was so long ago. I missed a few things in the meantime and certainly just have loved every experience that I’ve had doing it and doesn’t always go right, and I always tell this to my kids a lot, you know, it’s not about whether you win or lose, it’s about the process of trying to get the most out of yourself.
“And if you feel like you’ve done it then there’s a lot to be gained from it. And if you feel like you cheated that, then you feel like you’ve cheated yourself. And I think I’ve always wanted to maximize my ability as a player and now I get to maximize my ability in life as a person and as a human and as a man and as a father and as a son and as a brother and as a friend and as a teammate to different things going forward. So there’s a lot of things to be excited about.”
The former Patriots and Buccaneers quarterback may be leaving his playing days in the past, but won’t be leaving the game behind entirely. Earlier on Monday, Brady revealed on “The Herd” that he plans to begin his highly anticipated broadcast job with Fox Sports in 2024 after taking a year away from the public spotlight.
