Tom Brady announces he's retiring 'for good'

TAMPA, Fla. — In a solemn video on social mediaon Wednesday, Tom Brady announced that he's retiring "for good."

"I'll get to the point right away. I'm retiring — for good," Brady said. "I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning, I figured I'd just press record and let you guys know first. Won't be long-winded, you only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year."

Brady went on to thank his friends, family, teammates and competitors for letting him live his "absolute dream."

"I wouldn't change a thing," Brady said.

It was exactly a year ago on Wednesday that Brady said he was retiring for the first time. It was just over a month later that Brady announced his return to the Bucs.

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Jeff Darlington of ESPN, reported the team was notified of Brady's decision early Wednesday morning. Darlington said Brady's decision was going to be playing for the Bucs or retirement.

The Bucs released a statement following Brady's decision.

"Tom's impact on our franchise these past three years has been immense, and we are appreciative of the time we had with him here in Tampa Bay," the statement reads. "He set an exceptional standard that elevated our entire organization to new heights and created some of the most iconic moments in our history. Tom's impact will be felt within our community for many years to come, and we will be forever grateful for those unforgettable memories that he provided during these final seasons of his legendary career. We wish him the best in this next chapter of his life and are confident he will find similar success in his future endeavors."

BRADY BEGINS HIS CAREER IN 2001
Brady was a sixth-round draft pick out of the University of Michigan. The New England Patriots selected the lanky quarterback with the 199^th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. The Patriots saw something in Brady that the rest of the league missed, and Brady used the motivation from being overlooked for the next 23 years.

With Brady’s retirement, the NFL loses the greatest quarterback in the history of the game after 23 seasons. The future Hall of Famer set or broke just about every conceivable record as a quarterback.

WELCOME TO TAMPA

Brady joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the 2020 season after spending all of his career as a member of the New England Patriots. While some questioned Brady's move, it paid off quickly with Tampa Bay's second Super Bowl championship.

Most of the team returned for another run at a title in the 2021 season. Brady led the Bucs to a 13-4 record, but the Bucs were beat in the last minute by the Los Angeles Rams, 30-27 in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The Rams went on to win the Super Bowl.

After the 2021 season, Brady announced his retirement to accolades from around the world. But the retirement was short-lived as Brady decided to come back with the Bucs for another shot at a Super Bowl championship.

The 2022 Bucs looked to have a Super Bowl-ready roster, but an injury in the first week of training camp to center Ryan Jensen was an omen of what was to come. After losing Jensen, the Bucs spent much of the season with a makeshift offensive line, and it impacted every part of the offense.

Is Tom Brady's retirement for real?

— ABC Action News (@abcactionnews) February 1, 2023

NEXT STOP CANTON

Brady will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer as soon as he becomes eligible in a few years. He won 251 regular season games, 35 postseason games, and seven Super Bowl Championships.

As his 23-year career ends, he finishes throwing for 89,214 yards, 649 touchdowns, and completed 64.3% of his passes in the regular season. In the postseason, he added 13,400 passing yards, 88 touchdowns and completed 62.5% of his passes.

The multi-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP will go down as the greatest player of all time in the National Football League. He brought a second Super Bowl championship to the Buccaneers and he became one of the greatest Bucs of all-time in just three seasons.

The GOAT walked away on his terms and will now begin his well-earned retirement, again with this time likely being permanent.