It seems there are a few professional athletes out there that seem to have a difficult time separating themselves from the sport they love, their life’s passion, and just can’t help but continue competing.
Legends like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and even Roger Clemens, all managed to keep playing their respective sports will past the time they should have called it a day, unable to deal with their competitive drive.
And it seems the same can now be said for legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady, although, we are yet to see whether or not he might have hung on a year later than longer he should have.
“At the end of the day, I just love the competition on the field,” Brady stated during an interview with ESPN. “And last year was a very bitter ending to a season and we’ve got to make a lot of corrections to try to improve and put ourselves in a better position to succeed moving forward.”
According to a report from The Daily Wire, “On February 1, Brady officially announced his retirement from football — days after rumors swirled that he was hanging up his helmet — saying that he was ‘not going to make that competitive commitment anymore.’”
“This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore,” Brady originally posted on social media. “I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.”
Check out more details about Brady’s comeback via Daily Wire:
Following the announcement, there were still many who weren’t sure that Brady’s time on the field had really come to an end. In 2021, Brady threw for the most yards of his career (5,316) and the second most touchdowns of his career (43), as Tampa Bay won 13 regular season games. There was a feeling that Brady still had something left in the tank, calling it quits with more to give.
The feeling was validated 40 days after Brady’s retirement announcement, with the GOAT informing the football world that he would be returning for his 23rd NFL season.
“These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands,” Brady posted in a tweet. “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 LFG.”
Brady then spoke with ESPN where he said that he knows he has more to give to the sport, though he’s also aware that his career is quickly approaching its end.
“I knew my body, physically, could still do what it could do and obviously I have a love for the game, I think I’ll always have a love for the game,” Brady said during the interview with ESPN. “I do think physically I’ll be able to do it. I just felt like there was still a place for me on the field.”
“I know I don’t have a lot left, I really do. I know I’m at the end of my career,” Brady added. “I wish you could go forever, but it’s just not and football comes at too high of a cost now. My kids are getting older and it’s just getting harder and harder to miss these things.”
“But, I wanted to give myself and my teammates and our organization another incredible opportunity to accomplish something that we’d all be very proud of,” he then added.
This story syndicated with permission from Chad Prather
This story syndicated with permission from The Blue State Conservative