Tom Brady's football story is one of sheer willpower.
From a nearly forgotten sixth-round draft pick to the architect of one of the greatest sports dynasties ever, it's been filled with trials and tribulations. And on Tuesday, it was announced he will retire from the NFL at the age of 44. Brady, widely considered to be the greatest quarterback of all time, has called time on his 22-year career, via a social media post. Over the course of his legendary career, Brady has won seven Super Bowl rings; six with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his penultimate season in 2020/21.
In what turned out to be his final season as a player, Brady and the Bucs lost agonizingly to the Los Angeles Rams, despite mounting a spirited 24-point comeback, in the divisional round of the playoffs.
In an Instagram post a few days after the Bucs' playoff exit, Brady was coy with his future, saying: "I understand that at this stage in my career, there is going to be interest in my future whenever a season ends, but this week, all that is on my mind is the gratitude I have for this team and the fans that have supported us all year long. "This year has been incredibly rewarding personally and professionally and I am appreciative of everyone who worked their a** off to help our team achieve so much." But a few weeks later, he announced that he would be stepping away from the sport.
"I have always believed the sport of football is an 'all-in' proposition -- if a 100% competitive commitment isn't there, you won't succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game," he said.
"There is a physical, mental and emotional challenge EVERY single day that has allowed me to maximize my highest potential. And I have tried my very best these past 22 years. There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life. This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: 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. I've done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions. And I am so proud of what we have achieved."
The greatest ever
With Brady at the helm and Bill Belichick as head coach, the Patriots grew into the most successful team in the NFL. During his 20 years with the team, Brady won six Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards and three NFL MVP awards. And as if that weren't enough, during his time in Florida, he won yet another title with the Bucs. Brady has been named to the Pro Bowl on 15 occasions, selected as an All-Pro five times and won the NFL's comeback player of the year in 2009 after returning from a torn ACL suffered in the season opener of the previous season.
And everything he achieved, he did it all while being a standout teammate and an even better person.
As his backup between 2009-11, Brian Hoyer, once said during a weather-enforced stop in Rochester, New York Brady showcased a hidden talent to his Patriots teammates.
"The whole team is there. And it turns into a beer-chugging contest. You have linemen, Julian Edelman, they all think they are going to win," Hoyer told ESPN. "Then someone says: 'I heard Tom is really great at chugging a beer.' We don't usually get to experience him like this, but we finally coax him into doing it. He does it, and let me tell you, you couldn't have poured out the beer faster into a glass. It was unbelievable. And he slams the mug on the table and puts both fists in the air.
"He walks away with a look on his face that said: 'You really thought you were going to beat me on this?' The place went nuts."
In 20 seasons with the Patriots, and two seasons with the Buccaneers, Brady has broken almost every NFL quarterback record there is to break.
Here is a list of just some of the records Brady holds: most NFL championships by a player, most career quarterback wins, most career passing attempts, most career passing completions, most career passing touchdowns, most career passing yards and most pass completions in a season.
There have been lows, including injuries and two heartbreaking Super Bowl losses to the New York Giants, but there have been even more highs in Brady's legendary career. Simply put, he is the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, arguably the greatest NFL player ever and most certainly one of the greatest athletes we'll ever see.