At 45, superstar Tom Brady hangs up, « for good »
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Washington (AFP) – This time, Tom Brady is sure of it: the best player in the history of American football is retiring « for good » at 45, a year after having already made that decision and turning around a few weeks later.
It is a video filmed in a park, with buildings in the background and in a few minutes on Wednesday, it has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times: dressed in a gray T-shirt and visibly moved, Brady films himself -even and announces that he is ending his career after 23 seasons in the trying National American Football League (NFL).
« I’m retiring, for good, » said the man who was still this season the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I know the whole process was huge last time. This time when I woke up this morning I thought I was going to hit the record button and tell you guys first,” he continued to his fans.
« I think you can only make a super emotional announcement once and I already made mine a year ago. Thank you very much to all of you for encouraging me. Thank you all for allowing me to live my absolute dream, I will not have changed anything (in my career), I love you all », concluded, on the verge of tears, the one who won seven editions of the Super Bowl, including six with the New England Patriots.
Just a year ago, Brady had already announced that he was ending his career, before coming out of retirement on March 13, 2022.
television consultant
In the meantime, Brady divorced Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen, with whom he had been a star couple for thirteen years in the United States. He led his Buccaneers in the NFL play-offs before being eliminated on January 16 in the first round by Dallas (31-14).
His post-career is already mapped out: he will become, like many others before him, a TV consultant after signing a staggering 375 million dollar ten-year contract with the Fox Sports channel.
Brady, who has pocketed more than 330 million dollars thanks to his contracts with New England and Tampa Bay according to the specialized site spotrac, will also be able to devote himself to the clothing line in his name launched a year ago.
Nothing predestined the Californian by birth chosen in very modest 199th position in the 2000 draft by New England for such a destiny.
Better than anyone in professional sport, except perhaps Tiger Woods in golf, this extraordinary champion made lasting rhyme with winning. Witness his collection of Vince-Lombardi trophies: four were lifted at over 37, a canonical age in American football where a career lasts an average of four years and four and a half months.
The innumerable records (more than 80 listed) that accompanied his irresistible rise are as many obstacles almost impossible to cross for those who would have the ambition to compete with him in the history books.
One of his finest feats? In February 2021, at age 43, he won the Super Bowl for the seventh and final time with the Buccaneers, a team used to the depths of the NFL.
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