Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL today after spending 22 seasons in the league. It was a huge moment for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback as many were anticipating the day he would finally hang up his cleats. After all, Brady is one of the best players to ever do it, and his absence will certainly be felt over the next year or so.
With that being said, Brady issued a statement today that did not include a single word about the New England Patriots. Despite this, the Patriots decided to pay homage to Brady anyway. In fact, team owner Robert Kraft penned an emotional letter to Brady as he detailed the superstar's accomplishments, all while saying that he feels like Brady will always be family.
Per Kraft:
"Words cannot describe the feelings I have for Tom Brady, nor adequately express the gratitude my family, the New England Patriots and our fans have for Tom for all he did during his career. A generation of football fans have grown up knowing only an NFL in which Tom Brady dominated. He retires with nearly every NFL career passing record, yet the only one that ever mattered to him was the team's win-loss record. In his 20 years as a starter his teams qualified for the playoffs 19 times. He led his teams to 10 Super Bowls, winning an NFL-record seven championships. In a team sport like football, it is rare to see an individual have such a dominant impact on a team's success. You didn't have to be a Patriots fan to respect and appreciate his competitiveness, determination and will to win that fueled his success. As a fan of football, it was a privilege to watch. As a Patriots fan, it was a dream come true.
"I have the greatest respect for Tom personally and always will. His humility, coupled with his drive and ambition, truly made him special. I will always feel a close bond to him and will always consider him an extension of my immediate family."
Today is a bittersweet day for a lot of people, and this is especially true when it comes to Patriots fans. Either way, it's clear there is a lot of respect towards Brady, especially from the team that drafted him.