After a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington broke that Bucs quarterback Tom Brady was retiring, pandemonium has broken loose on social media. According to Tom Brady Sr., the future Hall of Famer’s dad, Brady hasn’t made a decision.
Checked in with Tom Brady Sr. who tells me, and I quote, "This story Mike is total conjecture. Tommy has not made a final decision one way or the other and anybody else that says that he has is absolutely wrong." #TomBrady #Buccaneers
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) January 29, 2022
That statement was reciprocated by the Bucs, including by head coach Bruce Arians and GM Jason Licht, through multiple sources. PewterReport.com was told by team officials that Brady has not communicated a decision about his future. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe reported that Brady called the Bucs on Saturday afternoon. Howe said Brady told the Bucs he is “not even close” to making a decision about his future.
Tom Brady called the Bucs late this afternoon to inform them he's not even close to making a decision about retirement, according to a source.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) January 29, 2022
So what is true and what isn’t? In all likelihood, Brady is still very likely to announce his retirement in the coming days. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport clarified that these reports may just be a timing issue for Brady. The Pro Bowler likely wants to articulate his own future, in his own words, in his own time.
From @NFLNetwork: Tom Brady does intend to retire, per several people close to him. The pushback appears to be based on timing, rather than his eventual decision. pic.twitter.com/GSTqDkKcjF
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 29, 2022
Keep in mind, Schefter, Rapoport and Darlington being wrong on a report of this magnitude would be unprecedented. This is the biggest story of their careers in some ways. It’s extremely unlikely that they would report Brady’s pending retirement without being certain. After all, the Bucs star quarterback recently made it clear how much he wants to spend more time with family. Brady has passions outside of football. Perhaps he believes it’s time to pursue those.
But for a little while, Bucs fans will cling to a sliver of hope. Perhaps Brady has a change of heart in the coming days/weeks. But more than likely, the time has come for the greatest football career of all time to come to a close.