Tom Brady’s initial retirement Instagram post created widespread debate, with many across New England wondering why the quarterback omitted the Patriots from his lengthy message Tuesday.
It’s possible Brady and the Patriots are planning something bigger to celebrate his career, during which he spent 20 seasons with New England and two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But there’s also a chance Brady still is frustrated about the details surrounding his 2020 departure from the Patriots.
“It also could be the old Occam’s razor, the most obvious answer, the simplest answer’s probably the right one,” Nick Wright said Wednesday’s on FS1’s “First Things First.” “And that is, he’s still pissed and is angry that he ever had to leave New England: ‘I was the greatest player ever when you guys pushed me out the door, when you made me move to Florida’s fourth-best city to continue my career, when you made me uproot everything, when you made me learn a new system and you made people question how good I was really. And, not only did you make me do all that. But then we got proof-positive evidence by my performance, my team’s performance — versus the Patriots’ performance and the Patriots’ quarterback performance over the last two years — that I was right and you were wrong.’ “
It’s worth noting that both Patriots owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick have released glowing statements about Brady in the days since his retirement. And Brady has responded with gratitude, expressing love for the Patriots and calling Belichick the “greatest coach in NFL history.”
Still, it is a bit strange that Brady didn’t mention the Patriots once in his initial signoff. Perhaps there’s a little bit of underlying angst, even if the sides remain amicable and time eventually heals the scars.
“I think he’s still angry,” Wright said. “Do I think the wound will never heal? No, I’m not saying that. But do I think this is evidence there is still quite the wound? And it is not directed at Sully from the North Side or the South End or whatever silly little enclaves of Boston there are, or (Kevin) Wildes or any of his old drinking buddies. It is directed at the organization, at all, most notably Belichick and I think a little bit, as well, for Kraft — because even though Kraft loved Brady, Kraft OK’d it. Kraft always had veto power and didn’t execute it.
“So I think it is that he is still a little upset and maybe — now this is just me postulating — maybe if he had never left New England, there would not have been as much pressure internally from his family to walk away one year short of his age-45 goal. Maybe part of the deal was, ‘OK, hunny, if you’re going to make us move, we’re going to uproot everything, you’ve got to give something, as well. You don’t have three years left; you have two years left.’ Again, that’s total speculation. But I don’t think it was that Tom Brady is doing a long tease of Patriots fans, only to come through the back door at the end and be like, ‘Ah, I always had you.’ I think he’s upset. And by the way, I don’t blame him for being upset.”
Of course, it’s also possible we’re all reading way too much into one social media post. But hey, that’s what happens when you’re one of the most accomplished athletes ever and you casually leave out the team with which you spent two decades and won six Super Bowl titles.
