The NFL superstar is doubling down on his commitment to continue playing football.
Tom Brady has no plans of walking away from football any time soon. The NFL superstar is doubling down on his commitment to playing the game and doesn't see another retirement announcement coming any time soon.
During a new episode of his SiriusXM podcast, Let’s Go! With Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray, Brady reflected on his team's challenging season and said he is "absolutely" still in love with the game.
"It's a hard sport we've chosen and it's tough. It challenges you in every area, physically, mentally and emotionally," Brady shared. "And certainly at this stage we're in, this is where you gotta dig deep and see what you're all about and see what kind of character you have and see what you believe in and your values as a team. Do you stand up for each other when you face adversity or do you not? That's what we're all trying to figure out every time we take the field."
For the first time in 20 years, Brady is leading a team that is under .500 for the season, and the seven-time Super Bowl champ explained, "It feels terrible losing. It feels terrible. We all know, as fans it feels terrible. As players it feels terrible. As coaches it feels terrible. So what do you do? Do you just do the same thing and then show up to the game the same way? No, you just, you focus on the process of improvement and that's what it has to be."
"If we wanna do something about it, we've gotta do more and we gotta commit to one another more. Gotta play harder, gotta play faster, gotta play stronger, more determined, better execution, all the things," Brady shared. "And then you hope that once you find your rhythm, that can continue to carry you."
"There's no quit in our group and there will never be quit as long as I'm a part of any team. I know that for sure," he added.
When asked about speculation that Brady might finally walk away from the game if the season doesn't improve, Brady shot those suggestions down.
"There's no immediate retirement in my future. There was a retirement in the past, but I moved on from that," Brady said. "I made a commitment to this team and I love this team and I love this organization."
"I told them in March I was playing and I've never quit on anything in my life," he added. "And I know, as a bunch of teammates, that we all count on one another to be at our best and to work hard and to put the team first. And that's what you commit to and that's what you want your teammates to commit to as well... I'm always trying to work hard and I'm always trying to commit more to the things that are important to me. And this team is very important to me and I certainly want to be the best I can be for them."
Additionally, Brady touched on a record he may soon hold -- largely by virtue of his incredibly long career -- of being the most sacked quarterback in the history of the NFL.
"I'd like to actually thank my complete lack of agility and speed for allowing me to knock on the door of this very esteemed NFL record," Brady joked of the record. "I have some other cool ones. This one I'm probably not as excited about."
"Like we always say, you know, some things get better with age? I think the feeling you get when you're sacked is not one of those," he said with a laugh. "After as many times as I've been sacked at my age, I'd prefer to, let's just pass this record pretty quickly and hope I don't add too many more to that growing list over the second part of this season."
Brady's remarks come amid his ongoing relationship drama with his wife, Gisele Bündchen. Last week. the 45-year-old NFL pro was photographed without his wedding ring, leading to speculation that their marriage is in trouble.
On Oct. 14, Brady attended the surprise wedding of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in New York City -- without his wife. A source told ET earlier this month that the quarterback is having a hard time dealing with the idea of potentially losing his family as the couple's marriage appears to be ending.
“Tom isn't taking things well,” the source said. “He wants to reconcile and was still holding out hope that they could work things out. He is extremely hurt and misses Gisele being by his side. He feels abandoned in a way. He loves his family, but also wants to continue his career. He feels like he is in a tough spot."
The source added that the signs of the supermodel ending their marriage are there, as she has moved forward with retaining a divorce lawyer.
"Gisele has hired a divorce attorney to discuss her future plans,” the source noted. “At this point, it's more of her decision to move things forward in this direction. Things are a bit difficult, both personally within their family, and because they both have huge assets.”
Bundchen was first sighted without her wedding ring earlier this month and has been notably absent from Brady's games. On Sunday, Brady was photographed leaving his hotel with his own bare ring finger.
See the video below to hear more on Brady.
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