New England Patriots: Tom Brady Makes a Big Admission

The one subject New England Patriots fans hate being brought up is the one that grows more inevitable every day:  the retirement of Tom Brady.

They want this golden age to last forever. Chicago Bulls fans felt the same about Michael Jordan. Edmonton Oilers fans felt the same about Wayne Gretzky. Yet one thing is inevitable about life. Nothing lasts forever. Father Time is undefeated against football players and even the mighty Brady himself will have to bow to his will at some point. It’s just a matter of how much longer he can stave it off.

His father once said that “Tom wants to play until he’s 70.” Obviously, that’s unlikely. However, some were venturing the idea that Brady with his competitive fire might push to 50. No NFL player has ever reached that mark. It would be one last record he can add to his bursting Hall of Fame legacy. It would seem though that things have changed. While Brady wishes to keep playing, he acknowledges in earnest for the first time that he can see the end of the road.

The five-time champion appeared in an interview with Oprah Winfrey about his life and career. Inevitably the retirement question came up. For the first time, Brady didn’t dismiss it.

Brady facing a common issue most older players encounter

"“I think about it more now than I used to. I think I’m seeing that there’s definitely an end coming, sooner rather than later.But it’s also [that] 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. 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.'”"

Parenthood is often the thing that accelerates the end of a career, both for players and coaches. They’ve made enough money. Someone like Brady no longer has anything to prove to anybody. The longer he stays committed to the sport, one which demands huge amounts of time, it’s time he sacrifices getting closer to his children. If he’s not careful his connection to them may not ever reach a point some fathers hope for.

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Patriots fans might roll their eyes at this, but they have no right to complain at this point. Brady owes them nothing. He’s given them almost two decades of the greatest quarterback play in history. He could’ve retired years ago and still be able to say that. Instead he keeps sticking around to give them a little more. The best thing they can do is that whenever he does hang it up, sooner or later, they give him the deafening applause he deserves.