Tom Brady officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday, days after reports first surfaced about his intention to step away from the game.
Brady made his retirement official in a lengthy post on his Instagram page.
"I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention," Brady wrote
Rumors began swirling about Brady's impending retirement on Saturday when ESPN first reported that the Tampa Bay Buccaneer and former New England Patriot signal-caller was preparing to retire.
Brady's agent and some family members later stated publicly that the quarterback had not made a decision about his future.
Brady himself stated on a podcast released Monday night that he had not yet made up his mind about retirement.
"When the time is right, I'll be ready to make a decision," Brady said.
He later went on to criticize ESPN reporters Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington for choosing to report about his decision to retire.
"We're in such an era of information and people want to be in front of the news often. I totally understand that and understand that's the environment we're in," Brady said. "I think for me, it's just literally day-to-day with me."
Brady will retire as one of the greatest to ever play the game. In his 22-season career, he won seven Super Bowls — six with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers. He was named the NFL's most valuable player in 2007, 2010 and in 2017 and is the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards, completions and passing touchdowns.
