The beloved longtime quarterback of the New England Patriots, Tom Brady, made an unforeseen decision about his NFL career. Shock swept the nation when he chose to leave the Patriots after twenty years and six Super Bowl championships in March of 2020. He chose to go to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coached by Bruce Arians. Then, on February 1, 2022, he retired, a move that was not unforeseen. In an unexpected turn of events, Brady decided to come back to his position in Tampa Bay after only 39 days. 

Coach John Griffith, the girls’ track coach at the high school, “I am not surprised TB came back, he has the mental toughness and the ability to still play at a high level. I am a father and multi-season coach and work in the summers as well, so I understand the importance of being with your family more. It’s hard to relive those memories lost. Six weeks after retirement he wanted back in so being a full-time family man just wasn’t what he truly wanted yet. I think TB has a huge ego and leaving the game with the loss last season was probably eating at him,” said Griffith

Coach Griffith says he has not been keeping up with Tom Brady, “​​I have not been following TB much, considering the way he left, it definitely upset a lot of people around here.” 

Students had some similar ideas about Brady, maybe even more harsh opinions than Coach Griffith. Darren Jimenez ’24, a varsity football player at the high school and longtime fan of Brady said “I thought he was gonna retire just because he’s old, though I kind of get it, I mean it’s hard to retire from a sport you love. Then again, he kinda fooled the public about it all.” 

Another player at the high school, Preston Ssempala ’24, said “I think he was playing with everyone’s emotions”.  
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Photo by Maddie Meyer from Getty Images.

It’s evident that students and staff alike are finding Brady’s decision surprising, but also have come to understand his reasoning. Then again, he did bring the Patriots and their fans six championships and a lifetime of team pride. Spending 20 years on one team is also infrequent for an NFL quarterback, which makes the loyalty among fans so much more powerful. Many will still be following Brady’s career in the future years, no matter where he is playing or who he is playing for.
This leaves the fans with one big question, When is Tom Brady leaving for good? All we know for certain is that Tom Brady has more to prove before he commits to retiring.

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