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On the Let’s Go podcast, recently retired quarterback Tom Brady disclosed what ran through his mind as he was debating whether to call it a career. He said that it was not a physical thing and used the horses in the Kentucky Derby as a parable in looking ahead and missing some things:
"I don't think that's what it is, I don't think it's, you know, a physical thing. I mean, it does require a lot of time and energy, you know, it's just the nature of football and if you want to be good at it, you got to commit all the time and energy you can to it. I always think, during playing football during the season, I'm like, I've been to the Kentucky Derby a lot, so I look at those horses, and they have the blinders on and you literally are just running full speed as fast as you can, you know, for basically the entire season, and there's no time to look right or left and there's a lot of things that are happening in your life that because you don't look right or left, you're still looking straight ahead that you miss some things.”
The seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback says there comes a time to decide and that the game just goes on:
“You know, there just comes a time for all of us where we got to decide, you know, what we want to look going forward and I can always look at the past and look at the, you know, all the teams we've had, and all the success and stuff and the amazing relationships and all the great teammates, and, you know, like football, you know, I've seen so many great players retire over the years, you know, the game just goes on.”
Brady concluded his comments, saying that he needs to make time for other things in his life and to enjoy those new moments:
“And it should, and it's, it's gonna outlast everybody. I was fortunate to do it for a long time for 22 years and I did it at the highest level, and I had the best teammates and mentors and coaches and friends and, you know, again, it's just pretty simple. It's just, I need to make time for the other things in my life and it's exciting for me to be able to really enjoy some of those new moments as well."
Brady Calls it a Career
After 22 seasons in the NFL, Brady retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards (84,520), passing touchdowns (624) and completions (7,263). He played his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots and his last two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady's 47 playoff games and 35 playoff wins are the most in NFL postseason history.
There is no telling if the 44-year-old Brady will come out of retirement for another go, but it seems he is fine with his Hall of Fame resume. However, only time will tell if there will be a 23rd season.
