Tom Brady makes it official: He's retiring after 22 seasons and 7 Super Bowl wins

Tom Brady retired from football on Tuesday, this time in his own words, using social media platforms that did not exist when he arrived in the NFL in 2000.

At 44 and coming off one of his best statistical seasons, he wrote that he simply lacked the "100% competitive commitment" required to succeed in professional football.

"This is difficult for me to write, but here goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore," Brady wrote. "I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention."

Among those is his family, including his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, and his three children. Last week, Brady hinted that he might be through playing, in part to focus on his family more than on himself.

Brady’s departure from the game as arguably the best player in its history was not as tidy as he had hoped.

On Saturday, ESPN reported that he would not return for a 23rd season, which led to a flurry of confusing stories that did not quite refute the story but did suggest Brady was not ready to make it official – especially not on NFL Championship Game weekend.

Brady himself said on his SiriusXM podcast on Monday that he still was deliberating. But he ended the suspense on Tuesday morning.

"My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors and fans deserve 100% of me, but right now, it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes," he wrote.

Of course, Brady already has spanned several normal NFL generations with his remarkable longevity.

His resume includes seven Super Bowl victories – six with the Patriots and one with the Buccaneers last season – 10 conference championships and 18 division titles.

Two of his Super Bowl losses came against Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning and the Giants, following the 2007 and ’11 seasons, the first of those coming after the Patriots had won their first 18 games.

"Tom Brady will be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play in the NFL," commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. "An incredible competitor and leader, his stellar career is remarkable for its longevity but also for the sustained excellence he displayed year after year.

"Tom made everyone around him better and always seemed to rise to the occasion in the biggest moments. His record five Super Bowl MVP awards and seven Super Bowl championships set a standard that players will chase for years.

"He inspired fans in New England, Tampa and around the world with one of the greatest careers in NFL history. It has been a privilege to watch him compete and have him in the NFL."

Brady is the NFL career leader in passing yards (84,520) and touchdowns (624). He won three NFL MVP awards and was selected for the Pro Bowl 15 times. He went 243-73 in the regular season and 35-12 in the playoffs.

Brady joined the Buccaneers in 2020 and promptly led them to their second championship. In 2021, he led the NFL in passing yardage (5,316) and touchdown passes (43), but the Bucs lost to the Rams in the divisional round.

Brady went out in style even in the 30-27 loss, leading Tampa Bay back from a 27-3 deficit. He got them within a touchdown on a 55-yard scoring pass to Mike Evans, then led a drive to tie the score with 42 seconds left.

"To my Bucs teammates the past two years, I love you guys, and I have loved going to battle with you," he wrote.

Brady went on to thank Buccaneers management, coaches and fans, his personal trainer, Alex Guerrero, his agents and his extended family.

Of his wife and children, he wrote, "You are my inspiration. 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."

The statement made no mention of the Patriots or their coach, Bill Belichick, prompting much discussion on social media. But Brady eventually did respond to a statement from Patriots owner Robert Kraft with a quote tweet on Twitter that read: "Thank You Patriots Nation (HEART EMOJI). I’m beyond grateful. Love you all."

Kraft had written this statement on Brady beforehand: "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. ... As a fan of football, it was a privilege to watch. As a Patriots fan, it was a dream come true."

The Jets’ official Twitter feed initially responded to the news by posting, "this better be real."

A followup post read, "But seriously, congrats on a first-ballot, Hall of Fame career, @TomBrady. We may not miss seeing you on the field, but the entire football world will."

Brady was not interested in a farewell tour, and he avoided it with the timing of his announcement. In five years, he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, in a class that likely will include the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger played in the NFL for 18 seasons, and yet when Brady came into the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick of the Patriots out of Michigan – the 199th pick overall – Roethlisberger had not yet appeared in a college game.

Brady was a little-known backup when, two games into the 2001 season, he was thrust in the starting job when the Jets’ Mo Lewis tackled and injured Drew Bledsoe.

That season ended with the Patriots shocking the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, the first and most surprising of Brady’s postseason triumphs.

"My playing career has been such a thrilling ride, and far beyond my imagination, and full of ups and downs," he wrote. "When you’re in it every day, you really don’t think about any kind of ending.

"As I sit here, however, I think of all the great players and coaches I was privileged to play with and against – the competition was fierce and deep, JUST HOW WE LIKE IT.

"But the friendships and relationships are just as fierce and deep. I will remember and cherish these memories and re-visit them often. I feel like the luckiest person in the world."

Brady called his future a "work-in-progress," and said he will take it day by day.

"I know for sure I want to spend a lot of time giving to others and trying to enrich other people’s lives," he wrote, "just as so many have done for me. With much love, appreciation, and gratitude. Tom"

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.