Tom Brady admits that retirement is ‘coming sooner rather than later’

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has shown no signs of slowing down on the field, but that doesn’t mean retirement hasn’t crossed his mind.

The all-time great admitted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Sunday that ‘there’s definitely an end coming sooner rather than later.’

‘I think about it more now than I used to,’ Brady said when asked about retirement.

This is a startling admission by Brady, 40, who once said he wanted to play at least until his mid-40s, possibly beyond.

But he admitted to Oprah that family life is giving him second thoughts about prolonging his career to the extent he originally thought.

‘I think what I’ve alluded to a lot in the [“Tom vs. Time”] docuseries was there’s other things happening in my life, too,’ Brady said.

Tom Brady was speaking to Oprah about whether he has thought of retirement

The all-time great admitted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Sunday that ‘there’s definitely an end coming sooner rather than later’ 

The all-time great admitted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Sunday that ‘there’s definitely an end coming sooner rather than later’ 

‘I do have [three] kids that I love, and I don’t want to be a dad that’s not there driving my kids to their games.

‘I think my kids have brought a great perspective in my life because kids just want the attention.

‘You better be there and be available to them or else they’re going to look back on their life and go, “Dad didn’t really care that much”.’

This is not the first time since Brady’s Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the most recent Super Bowl that the former MVP has hinted strongly that retirement is on the horizon.

Brady has shown no signs of slowing down on the field, but that doesn’t mean retirement hasn’t crossed his mind, he said. He is seen above during the Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Minneapolis this past February

Brady has shown no signs of slowing down on the field, but that doesn’t mean retirement hasn’t crossed his mind, he said. He is seen above during the Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Minneapolis this past February

During an appearance on Good Morning America in March, Brady said that his goal was to play until he reached the age of 40 – a feat he accomplished last August.

In January, one of the quarterback’s closest friends, former NFL placekicker Jay Feely, revealed that Brady’s wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, asked him to help persuade the quarterback to retire.

‘[She] was trying to get me to convince [Tom] to stop playing,’ Feely told Sports Illustrated, adding, ‘she was dead serious.’

‘Play as long as you can,’ Feely told Brady, who responded by smiling and winking in return, according to Sports Illustrated.

‘For years he wanted to prove he belonged in this league,’ Feely says. ‘He won three Super Bowls and still used perceived slights to motivate himself. And he’s still finding ways to motivate himself.’

Brady has two children with Bundchen and one child from a previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynihan.

Not only does Brady have his children to think about, but he is also closely monitoring the status of his mother, who has been diagnosed with cancer.

In January, one of the quarterback’s closest friends, former NFL placekicker Jay Feely, revealed that Brady’s wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, asked him to help persuade the quarterback to retire. Brady and Bundchen are seen above at the Met Gala in New York last month

In January, one of the quarterback’s closest friends, former NFL placekicker Jay Feely, revealed that Brady’s wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, asked him to help persuade the quarterback to retire. Brady and Bundchen are seen above at the Met Gala in New York last month

Brady said that during his four-game suspension over the Deflate-gate controversy at the start of the 2016 season, he took his wife on a honeymoon.

‘I just said, “You know what, I’m going to use this as an opportunity”,’ Brady said.

‘I had the month of September off for the first time in 21 years, and I’m going to take advantage of this.

‘The first thing I did, my wife and I and our kids, we flew out to see my parents.

‘My mom was just starting treatment for cancer, and I said, “We’re going golfing and we’re going to Pebble Beach”.

‘We never went on a honeymoon, my wife and I, so we said, “Look we’re going to go to Italy in September”.

‘So I said, “Man, that was the best month off I think I’ve ever had”.’

Winfrey also asked Brady about his relationship with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

There were reports during last season which indicated that Brady and Belichick clashed over a number of issues related to the football team.

‘I mean, I love him,’ Brady said of Belichick.

Brady admitted to Oprah that family life is giving him second thoughts about prolonging his career to the extent he originally thought. Brady is seen with his wife and his three children - one of whom is from a previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynihan

Brady admitted to Oprah that family life is giving him second thoughts about prolonging his career to the extent he originally thought. Brady is seen with his wife and his three children – one of whom is from a previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynihan

‘I love that he’s an incredible coach, mentor for me, and he’s pushed me in a lot of ways.

‘Like everything, we don’t agree on absolutely everything, but that’s relationships.’

According to an ESPN report, Brady and Belichick were at odds over the coach’s desire to elevate Jimmy Garoppolo to the starting quarterback position in the near term.

But Belichick was instead forced to trade Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers.

He did so on the orders of his boss, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who formed a bond with Brady.

But now Brady seems more open to retiring. Still, the competitive fire appears to be burning strong.

‘I am what I am,’ Brady said.

‘I know my strengths. I’ve improved on some of the weaknesses.

‘And I still think I want to go out there and compete and play with a bunch of 22-year-olds.

‘It’s still a lot of fun.’ 



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