Ahead of the Super Bowl, the man who won the big game seven times announced his retirement from the NFL, ending his 22-year career in the league.
Now Tom Brady is set to enjoy retired life, including spending more time with his wife Gisele and three children.
He recently responded to an online remark about his parenting skills as he prepares to improve as a father in the coming years, and with him also hinting at a comeback one day, one teammate said he “wouldn’t be surprised.”
Retired Tom Brady jokes about parenting skills
Tom Brady hasn’t been a stranger when it comes to social media, and now that he’s retired, he’s likely to embrace it even more. He’d been silent on Twitter for a few days after sharing his big news that he’d retired from the NFL at the start of the month.
After that, he’s shared several tweets involving some of his plans for the future. A tweet last Thursday was about focusing more on his Brady brand in the coming years and included a video with his message.
“On to chapter 2…working on @bradybrand the past 3 years and now seeing it out in the world has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Lot of amazing stuff to come. We’re just getting started,” he tweeted.
A few days ago, he retweeted a fan who commented that he can’t be the “Tom Brady of parenting” anymore now that Tom Brady has that title. The fan shared a t-shirt that included that title, along with an image of Brady holding up his hands covered in Super Bowl rings.
“Nope you’re safe. I’m parenting at a JV freshman backup quarterback level. Working on it though,” Brady joked in his retweet.
Brady, 44, has been married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen since February 2009. The couple welcomed their first child together, son Benjamin Rein that same year. In 2012, they had a daughter named Vivian Lake.
Brady also dated actress Bridget Moynahan from 2004 through 2006. They had a son in 2007, John Edward Thomas Moynahan, who goes by Jack.
In his retirement announcement, Brady referred to his wife and three kids as his “inspiration,” heaping extra praise on Gisele in part of his statement.
“Our family is my greatest achievement. I always came off the field and home to the most loving and supportive wife who has done EVERYTHING for our family to allow me to focus on my career. Her selflessness allowed me to reach new heights professionally, and I am beyond words what you mean to me and our family,” he said.
Brady’s former teammates comment on him ‘un-retiring’
Brady spent 22 years in the NFL, mostly with the New England Patriots, and played his final two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning a seventh Super Bowl last season.
Despite announcing his retirement, he recently teased the idea of a comeback using the words “never say never” during his Let’s Go! Podcast with Jim Gray.
“You know, I’m just going to take things as they come,” Brady said on the show. “I think that’s the best way to put it and I don’t think anything — you know, you never say never.”
In the days since he used those words, several former teammates have weighed in on Brady’s retirement, with Julian Edelman bringing up his possible return.
“My answer for, ‘Were you surprised (that) he retired?’ was, ‘No, I’m not.’ And that’s the same answer if he comes back,” Edelman said on NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots Talk podcast. “You wouldn’t be surprised. I don’t know how he’s going to feel in six months when he’s sitting there.”
Edelman played with Brady in New England for 11 seasons, winning three Super Bowls during that time. Last April, he officially retired from the NFL due to a “banged up body.”
However, he said players get into a routine that they become used to, and Brady’s been doing that routine longer than he has.
“I did it for 12 (years), he did it for 22. So like, it’ll hit him in some form or another. But it wouldn’t surprise me… I mean, it’d make for a hell of a documentary that I’m sure he would make,” Edelman said.
Mike Evans, who caught Brady’s last touchdown pass, appeared on the NFL Network to talk about his former quarterback leaving the team. He didn’t say he thought Brady would come out of retirement, adding that he trusts “the front office and the coaching staff” to find a good quarterback for the team moving forward.
“It was an unbelievable pleasure and honor to play with Tom Brady. Best to ever do it. He will be missed for sure,” Evans said.
While he hasn’t ruled out returning to the football field, it seems Brady is now working to become the Tom Brady of Parenting as he enjoys that retired life with his family.