By: Elijah Campbell—Correspondent

On the morning of February 1st, 2023, Tom Brady told his fans through an Instagram video that he would be hanging up the cleats once and for all. 

The former University of Michigan graduate, 7x Super Bowl champion and 3 time NFL League MVP after a disappointing last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In Tom Brady’s last season with the Buccaneers he went 8-9 giving them a 47% win rate, for 4694 yards, 25 touchdowns, and just 9 interceptions. Brady explained his decision on the Let’s Go podcast via PFT, “I think it’s just a decision that it’s time to do other things,” said Tom Brady.

At the University Of Michigan he was a backup quarterback and had to split time with quarterback Drew Henson, who sang Brady’s praises. “I learned a ton from him – He made me better and I hope I made him better.” Henson said.

Tom Brady would go on to be a bowl winner for the University of Michigan. He would enter the 2000 NFL Draft and be the last pick, 199, by the New England Patriots. He wasn’t a popular choice in the draft whatsoever. “I don’t like him,” an NFC scout had said about Brady.

Brady wouldn’t play seriously in an NFL game until week 2, September 23rd, of the 01-02 NFL season, a year after he was drafted. when the current starting quarterback for the Patriots, former 1st overall pick Drew Beldsoe, would suffer a near fatal injury. Brady would come from behind and win the game. 

SPED instructional assistant  Mr. Everett was at that game. “It felt surreal because I had followed college football and because of that when I saw him come off that bench I knew he would be special… He just marched down the field and didn’t look back… I felt honored to be there and watch that.” 

Brady would go on the rest of that season having a record of 11-3 and throwing for 2843 yards and 18 touchdowns. 

That 01-02 Patriots team would go on to win the Super Bowl 20-17 after a clutch field goal by Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri.

 Brady would keep the starting role of the New England Patriots Winning 2 Super Bowls and going to 3. Until the 2008 NFL Season where Tom Brady would tear his ACL and MCL after getting hit by defensive back Bernard Pollard. 

“Tom Brady took a tremendous hit as he released that ball right on his left leg,” Color commentator Gino Cappelletti would say on the national broadcast of that game. He would make a Miraculous return the next season throwing for 4398 yards and 28 touchdowns, winning the Comeback Player of The Year.

The Patriots wouldn’t win another Super Bowl for a 10 year period stretching from 2006-2015 where they would finally win in one of the most dramatic fashions a team has ever won the super bowl. A last second interception on the 1 yard line…  “I made a play to help my team win. I’ve worked so hard in practice and I just wanted to play so bad and help my team out. I got out there and did exactly what I needed to do to help my team win. …” 

Said cornerback Malcolm Butler after the surreal play to win the game via CBS. That intercepted pass was thrown by superstar quarterback Russel Wilson and would seal the 28-24 victory for the New England Patriots.

Brady and the Patriots would return to the Super Bowl once again in 2017 against the Atlanta Falcons and MVP Matt Ryan. The Atlanta Falcons would go up 28-3 with only 2:12 left in the third quarter. But with the power of the strong Patriots team led by Donta Hightower and Tom Brady along with his longtime running mate, tight end Rob Gronkwoski, the team would have one of the most improbable comebacks in sports history in the fourth quarter and overtime. Winning the 2017 Super Bowl 34-28 shocked fans and players worldwide, “The game is never over, the game is never over,” Pro Bowl wide receiver of the Atlanta Falcons Julio Jones had to say about the devastating loss.

In his tenure with the New England patriots Brady would win 3 MVPs, 6 Super Bowl Victories, 3 Best NFL Player Awards and has many winning records. He would leave the New England Patriots organization and sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March of 2020. After Brady left the Patriots organization the New England Patriots tweeted this, “Tom Brady’s legacy is one word: champion.” Which shows the impact he left on the NFL and sports in general for New England.

It was in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which he would throw for the most yards in a season in his career, 5316 and a league high 43 touchdowns. He would go onto the super bowl and win 30-9, dethroning the former super bowl winners, superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers superstar wide receiver, Mike Evans, had this to say, “It all paid off,” Evans said, “And Tom is a great leader,” Via Insider.
“Brady is unbelievable. Brady is the greatest quarterback I’ve ever seen,” Accomplished and Hall of Fame NBA All Star Lebron James said per CBS Sports. And it’s backed up by Brady’s stats and accomplishmentsBrady ranks number one in regular season passing yards(89,214), most regular season passing touchdowns(649), most postseason passing yards of all time(13,400) and the most postseason touchdowns of all time(88) because of all this and so much more he will be remembered as one of the best, if not the best, NFL players of all time.