Tom Brady Announces Retirement From Football

deadline.com:

Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl winning NFL quarterback, is retiring from the game.“This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes,” Brady writes on Instagram and Twitter today. “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’s retirement comes after 22 historic NFL seasons and follows considerable recent speculation about his future.In a series of Tweets and Instagram posts this morning, Brady brought an end to the speculation.“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 writes. “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.”Brady, in the social media messages, thanks his family, fans, teams and others for their support.See the messages below.Earlier this week, Brady’s mother, father and agent insisted that the quarterback had made no decision about his future, and that media reports, specifically by ESPN, to the contrary were incorrect.Brady won the Super Bowl last year in his first year with the Bucs after a long stint in New England.