Tom Brady shuts down any comeback talk by playing the family card

BOSTON — Some folks will doubt Tom Brady’s retirement from football until the seven-time Super Bowl champ actually enters a retirement home. But Brady is doing his best to dispel any conspiracy theories that he’ll be coming out of retirement for a second time.

Brady’s retirement announcement in February felt a lot different than his first retirement last offseason, when he came back after just six weeks. This time around, Brady made it clear that he’s retired “for good” when he made his own announcement, and his media tour in the days and weeks after gave it a real feeling of finality.

That won’t stop some media people from endlessly speculating that Brady will eventually return to the football field. But on Thursday night, at a retirement party in Tampa thrown by Autograph, Brady once again did his best to make it clear that this retirement is for real.

“There is nothing I love more than football. But I have young children and they watched enough of their dad’s games and it’s time for me to watch their games,” Brady said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Playing the family card is a big step up from saying he’s too busy being a cat dad. This retirement felt real back in February, and it continues to feel real in mid-March.

Brady will eventually get back into football, when he starts his career as an analyst for Fox. That has been put on hold for now, but it’s not on hold because Brady is considering a comeback. Brady is the proud father of three children who frequently attended his games throughout his playing career. Now he’s going to return the favor. 

Football may have been Tom Brady’s life for 45 years, but now his main focus is his family.