All-star quarterback Tom Brady has reversed his decision to retire and announced on Sunday that he will go for a 23rd season in the NFL.
“These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business,” he tweeted on Sunday.
The Tamba Bay Buccaneers immediately confirmed Brady’s announcement.
Tom Brady’s big announcement comes two months after he formally retired from the NFL after 22 stellar seasons in which he racked up seven Super Bowl titles.
“This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore,” Brady wrote in February. “I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.”
“The competition was fierce and deep, JUST HOW WE LIKE IT,” he added. “But the friendships and relationships are just as fierce and deep. I will remember and cherish those memories and re-visit them often. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.”
ESPN originally reported Tom Brady’s upcoming retirement before he announced it, leading to speculation that it might have been a rumor. In lead up to his final decision, the quarterback hinted at an internal struggle with the idea.
“I’m still going through the process I said I was going through. Sometimes it takes some time to really evaluate how you feel, what you want to do. I think when the time is right, I’ll be ready to make a decision one way or another like I said last week,” he said in lead up to the announcement.
Exactly what sparked Tom Brady’s stunning reversal remains to be seen.