“I won’t be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year so. Really, thank you guys so much to every single one of you for supporting me: my family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors — I could go on forever, there’s too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”
Brady, 45, appeared in a record 10 Super Bowls and won six titles with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during his 23-year career. He is also the only player to be named Super Bowl MVP five times.
He leaves the gridiron as a certain first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible for enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.