The NFL superstar addressed the reports during a podcast appearance on Monday.
Tom Brady has declined to confirm his future plans regarding his involvement with the NFL. The sports icon has, however, addressed and denied the high-profile reports that he's decided to resign.
On a new episode of the SiriusXM podcast Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray,
the famed quarterback said he hadn't officially decided whether or not he'd continue playing, explaining, "I’m still going through the process I said I was going through... When the time is right, I’ll be ready to make a decision."
He also called out ESPN's Adam Schefter, who first reported that Brady would be retiring, and commented on media culture in general, sharing, "We are in such an era of…being in front of the news."
Brady instead used his time to try and direct fans' attention toward the sport, and away from himself, explaining that the spotlight this past weekend should have been on the AFC and NFC championships and not his rumored retirement.
"The focus should be on those great games," Brady said. "I was trying to enjoy a nice weekend. It didn't turn out that way."
It was previously reported that Brady would be retiring after 22 seasons in the NFL, one year after winning his seventh Super Bowl championship, leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady was reportedly basing his decision to retire on several factors that included his family and health, this according to ESPN, which was first to break the news.
Brady's agent, Don Yee, released a statement to Schefter after the first reports ran stating, "Without getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what's being reported, Tom will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy. He knows the realities of the football business and planning calendar as well as anybody, so that should be soon"
Brady, drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round with the 199th overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft, was a 15-time Pro Bowl selection, six-time All-Pro, and he leaves the NFL as its all-time passing TD leader (624) and all-time passing yards leader (85,520). For good measure, he also has the most career wins with 243.
He is heralded as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. Among his most impressive accolades includes commandeering the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, when he led the Patriots to a Super Bowl win in 2017 after trailing 28-7 with 2:12 left in the third quarter.
ESPN also reported that Brady recognized the Bucs are likely to undergo a significant roster turnover, following their ouster by the Los Angeles Rams last weekend in a thrilling NFC divisional playoff game.
Earlier this week, ET's Kevin Frazier interviewed Rob Gronkowski for Gronk's Party Like a Player Groupon partnership, and the superstar tight end chimed in on whether he thought Brady would return for his 23rd season. Gronk, who has said he would opt for retirement if forced to make a decision "right now," said that decision's something Brady would have to look at closely.
"He's gotta make his own decision, you know, what's best for him and his family," Gronkowski told ET.
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