TAMPA, Fla. — After rumors swirled over the weekend, Tom Brady officially announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday.
And now that the G.O.A.T. is hanging up his cleats for good, the sports world is sharing memories, well wishes, and thanking Brady for allowing us to witness his legendary career over the past two decades.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, of course, had nothing but thanks for Brady who led the team to a Super Bowl win in his first year as the Bucs quarterback.
The team also shared statements from Buccaneers owners, The Glazer Family, and General Manager Jason Licht, who thanked Brady for setting a standard of hard work and accountability throughout the organization.
In a statement on Twitter, Bucs Head Coach Bruce Arians shared what an honor it was to coach the quarterback the past two seasons and wished his family well "in this next chapter of life after football."
Robert Kraft, the CEO of the New England Patriots, where Brady played for 20 seasons and won six Super Bowls, shared in a statement how much the quarterback meant to sports fans, the Patriots and the Kraft family.
Of course, you can't mention Brady's legacy in New England without talking about his mentor and long-time coach Bill Belichick. The duo is the winningest coach-player combo in NFL history.
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper talked about the G.O.A.T's career during a pre-game conference where he called him "The Man" and shared what it meant to have Brady in the Tampa Bay area.
Countless players who played with and against Brady during his career that stretched more than two decades had nothing but respect to share for the legendary quarterback.
The reaction messages from big NFL names like Patrick Mahomes, Julien Edelman, Richard Sherman, Brett Favre and J.J. Watt started pouring in on Saturday when the news of Brady's potential retirement was first reported.
City leaders shared their thanks for Brady for helping turn Tampa Bay into "Champa Bay."