Tom Brady’s short-lived retirement early in the offseason coupled with his 11-day absence from Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp this summer has led to some speculation that the 45-year-old quarterback isn’t 100% committed to football.
Brady attempted to quiet this speculation once he returned to training camp last month in prepartion for the quarterback’s 23rd season in the NFL.
“It’s very challenging when you’re 43 or 44 because there are a lot of other things that are pressing and a lot of other things that are really important in your life, like your kids and your wife and different relationships. Things have always taken a back seat to football. That’s just how it has gone for me. I have a very tricky, complex life in different aspects and I’m just trying to navigate it the best way I can.”
Tom Brady said recently
This has not stopped reporters from asking new Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles about Brady’s comittment to football heading into Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys.
“He’s been all-in since we got him,” Bowles said of Brady, via Pro Football Talk. “He’s all-in now.”
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Questions about Tom Brady’s commitment are ridiculous
Brady’s decision to unretire after stepping away for roughly 35 seconds early this past offseason should have put an end to any of these questions. The seven-time Super Bowl champion was not going to decide to retire again after numerous veteran players opted to join him in Tampa Bay during free agency. He’s not that type of individual. Once he unretired, commitment was the name of the game.
“I read all these different stories about all these different places I was supposed to go or could have gone. I was only going to go to one place, which was here. I think this whole organization knows that.”
Tom Brady to reporters after returning to training camp
Like all of us, Brady has things going on in his personal life. He’s not just a statistic or a jersey number. He’s a father. He’s a husband. Obviously, something happened behind the scenes that made him decide it was best to step away from training camp for a bit.
As for Brady and his Buccaneers, they will open up the regular season against the Cowboys in Big D on Sunday night. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer was just named NFL’s best player and is coming off a brilliant 2021 season.
- Tom Brady stats (2021): 68% completion, 5,316 yards, 43 TD, 12 INT, 102.1 QB rating
It remains to be seen how much longer Brady will play. What we do know is that he’ll be among the game’s best players until the GOAT opts to hang up the cleats. At 45, he wouldn’t be in this situation if he weren’t committed.