In discussing rumors of potentially retiring, Tom Brady made a point of saying he didn’t want a farewell tour.
Perhaps he’s being honest, but knowing what we know about him, that seems hard to believe.
What we’ve learned about Brady in recent years is that the guy loves attention. That’s not a criticism, just reality — or, at least the reality that he presents. He’s made a bunch of documentaries about himself, and founded a production company (199 Productions, which points to his draft slot), which suggests even more documentaries about games we’ve revisited ad nauseam are forthcoming.
For someone who preaches about how much he loves football and how that’s his primary focus, he also has a lot of side ventures that he’s more than happy to peddle on his Instagram. Books, non-FDA-approved supplements, sweatpants most people need a second mortgage to afford, you name it.
There’s no doubt that Brady loves football and is one of the greatest competitors many of us have seen and will ever see. At the root of it, we genuinely believe him when he says he doesn’t want to be a distraction for his teammates. But the guy simply loves attention, so it’s difficult to take him at face value.
Assuming that if Brady continues his career it would be with the Buccaneers, Tampa Bay’s road opponents next season include the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers.
You mean to say Brady wouldn’t eat up a five-minute pregame ceremony in Atlanta where they crack jokes about blowing a 28-3 lead to him in the Super Bowl, and kiss Brady’s rings?
Or the 49ers talking about how, even though he never played for them, they were so thrilled to see the pride of the Bay Area have such an illustrious career. Hey, maybe if Jimmy Garoppolo still is there he would come out for the presentation.
Then, in the journey to Pittsburgh, the Steelers would bow at the alter of Brady, lamenting the fact that could never beat him in the playoffs. Maybe Ben Roethlisberger, fresh off his retirement, comes out to Heinz Field so he can join the ceremony, and it just becomes a back-slapping good time.
Hell, you can’t even fault Brady if he wanted any of that, it would be incredibly amusing.
Few players admit they want a farewell tour. Brady obviously doesn’t want to admit it, and maybe it’s because he genuinely doesn’t want one. But that simply is challenging to believe considering the source.
