As reports emerged that the quarterback had not yet made his final decision, others said it was more of a matter of timing.
Within the span of a single afternoon, football fans are left with more questions than answers about Tom Brady and whether the legendary quarterback is retiring.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington, Brady is retiring after 22 years in the league, news that sent the internet into a frenzy early Saturday afternoon. But as reports emerged that Brady’s decision was not yet made in the hours following the report, several sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport that the pushback appears to be based on timing, rather than the eventual decision.
Here’s a timeline of what has happened since Schefter and Darlington broke the news at 2:29 p.m. ET that one of the greatest of all time was finally retiring.
2:34 p.m. ET—Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes responded to the report with a single emoji.
2:45 p.m. ET—Julian Edelman, Brady’s top target while at New England, tweeted, “Thanks for the memories, babe. @TomBrady”
2:48 p.m. ET—Brady’s company, TB12 Sports, tweeted a list of his accomplishments, congratulating the star on a storied career. However, the tweet was deleted within the hour of its posting.
2:50 p.m. ET—Reporters from the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic pumped the breaks on the news cycle, reporting that Brady had yet to tell the Bucs or coach Bruce Arians of his plans to retire. The coach said to the Tampa Bay Times’s Rick Stroud, “No, he hasn’t that we know of. Agent (Donald Yee) just told us he hasn’t made up his mind.”
2:51 p.m. ET—The NFL tweeted a graphic from its official account, adding that the seven-time Super Bowl champion was retiring, per Rapoport. It has since shared multiple videos about Brady with the hashtag #ThankYouTom.
3:02 p.m. ET—Despite reports that Brady had not informed the franchise about his reported plans, Tampa Bay players, like receiver Chris Godwin, and former teammates were tweeting their congratulations to the quarterback who led them to a Super Bowl title last season.
3:23 p.m. ET—Rapoport shared a video about Brady’s “coming retirement,” highlighting that the quarterback does have other opportunities with his clothing line and production company. “Tom Brady will not be bored in retirement, but he will be in retirement.”
3:28 p.m. ET—Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans tweeted, “Thanks for everything big bro it was an honor @TomBrady,” adding a goat emoji at the end. The tweet has since been deleted.
3:47 p.m. ET—Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer tweeted a text from Brady’s longtime agent, Don Yee, saying the 44-year-old quarterback will address the situation soon.
“I understand the speculation about Tom's future,” Yee said. “Without getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what's being reported, Tom will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy.”
4:00 p.m. ET—Bally Sports’s Michael Silver reported that the quarterback contacted Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht to say that he has not made his decision yet.
4:09 p.m. ET—Stroud confirmed Silver’s report, saying Brady called Licht “to inform him he has NOT made up his mind about retiring or playing in 2022.”
4:17 p.m. ET—The Athletic’s Greg Auman also confirmed Silver’s reporting, adding, “Doesn’t mean he won’t, but he hasn’t yet, by any normal standards for letting an employer know.”
4:39 p.m. ET—ESPN’s Jenna Laine shared what Arians told her concerning whether Brady has informed the Bucs about retiring: “He hasn’t. Not even close to making up his mind yet. He told us.”
4:51 p.m. ET—NFL Network’s Mike Giardi shared that Brady’s father told him, ”This story Mike is total conjecture. Tommy has not made a final decision one way or the other and anybody else that says that he has is absolutely wrong.”
5:18 p.m. ET—In a video from NFL Network, Rapoport pointed out that “no one actually has denied that Tom Brady plans to retire ... Everyone has said not ‘no’ but ‘not yet.’ My understanding confirming the initial report is that Tom Brady does plan to retire. Talked to several people close to him that they believe he has played his last down of football.”
He continued, later saying, ”This sounds to me, taking all of this together, to be an issue of timing more than anything.”
5:39 p.m. ET—ESPN said to the New York Post, “We stand by our reporting.”
7:08 p.m. ET—Mark Maske of The Washington Post reported that Brady "appears poised to retire," but is not yet ready to make an official announcement. "A person with knowledge of the matter said it was believed that Brady is indeed retiring. Saturday’s strange developments appear to be tied to the public announcement of Brady’s retirement more than to the decision itself."
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