'Hold the phone!' Statement from Tom Brady's agent puts viral retirement talk on pause

Doug P. | 4:06 PM on January 29, 2022

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady’s name started trending immediately after ESPN reported that he would retire from the NFL after 22 seasons. The Associated Press also picked up on it:

Tom Brady wraps up an unprecedented NFL career. His TB12sports Twitter account wrote: “7 Super Bowl Rings. 5 Super Bowl MVPs. 3 League MVP Awards. 22 Incredible Seasons." Still at the top of his game, he had cited a desire to spend more time with family. https://t.co/PplQcwpIZt

— The Associated Press (@AP) January 29, 2022

However, the tweet cited by the AP has apparently been deleted, and Brady’s agent has put out a statement:

Statement from Tom Brady’s agent Don Yee: pic.twitter.com/vbUhSToYtT

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 29, 2022

I thought when @TB12sports gave their tribute to Tom Brady, it was official. Guess not. They just deleted their tweet.

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 29, 2022

Brady may well be retiring, but so far there’s nothing on his Twitter feeds and his agent won’t make it official.

At the moment, Tom Brady is out of the country and plans to be abroad next week as well. While he may intend to retire, it seems like a final, final, FINAL decision hasn't been rendered or articulated.

So this isn't exactly "at ease" on the Brady front but "stand down for now."

— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) January 29, 2022