Record-breaking quarterback Tom Brady looks set to retire from the NFL.
The quarterback won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots before adding a record seventh with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season and appears set to leave, aged 44, top of the charts in almost every major passing statistic.
The NFL Twitter account posted the news, crediting NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport.
A post on the Twitter account of TB12 Sports, the fitness and training company set up by Brady and his personal trainer Alex Guerrero, listed his achievements and finished: “22 Incredible Seasons. Thank you for it all, TomBrady.”
That tweet has since been taken down, however, while there has been no comment from Brady himself or the Buccaneers.
Brady had hinted at retirement in recent days when he noted that the feelings of his wife — supermodel Gisele Bundchen — and their family would play a part in his decision.
“I have kids now and I care about them a lot,” Brady said on Monday on his Let’s Go podcast, following Tampa’s play-off exit against the Los Angeles Rams the previous day.
“My wife is my biggest supporter. It pains her to see me get hit out there. And she deserves what she needs from me as a husband and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad.”
Brady led the league in passing yards (5,316), touchdowns (43) and completions (485) in his final season, and set career records in all three categories in his 22 years in the league.
He was named league MVP on three occasions and Super Bowl MVP in five of his wins, while his statistical marks are sure to stand for years to come.
In 318 regular-season games he threw for 84,520 yards and 624 touchdowns, completing 7,263 of 11,317 passes along the way.
His 12,449 yards and 83 touchdowns in the post-season are also records, while he is one of only two starting quarterbacks to win Super Bowls with two different teams — the other being his long-time rival Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos.
