Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady has addressed the reports that emerged over the weekend about his retirement.
It was a “nice quiet weekend” for Tom Brady, Jim Gray joked.
On his SiriusXM show Let’s Go with co-host Gray, Brady disputed Saturday’s report from ESPN that he’s decided to retire.
Last week, the Buccaneers quarterback said he wasn’t sure either way. Gray asked if anything had changed in light of the rumoured retirement.
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“No, it was a good week for me and I’m still going through the process that I said I was going through,” Brady said.
“Sometimes it takes some time to really evaluate how you feel, what you want to do. I think when the time’s right, I’ll be ready to make a decision one way or another just like I said last week.”
Gray asked the 44-year-old if he was surprised to see all the reports start flying, a week after the Buccaneers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Rams in the NFC divisional round and his pursuit of an eighth Super Bowl championship ended.
“It’s a good line that I’m responsible for what I say and do, and not responsible for what others say or do,” Brady said.
“So, again I think one thing I’ve learned about sports is you control what you can control. What you can’t, you leave to others.”
For Brady, that means taking his time to figure things out.
“We’re in such an era of information and people want to be in front of the news often, and I totally understand that. I understand that’s the environment we’re in. I think for me it’s literally day-to-day with me,” he said.
“Trying to do the best I can every day, and evaluate things as they come. And, trying to make a great decision for me and my family.”
Last week on Let’s Go, Brady was noncommittal about whether he would retire, insisting he had not made a decision.
On Saturday, ESPN and NFL Network reported Brady’s retirement from the NFL after 22 seasons. Conflicting reports soon followed.
ESPN, which is in business with Brady on his Man in the Arena docuseries, has steadfastly stood by its report and operated all of its news and opinion programming as though Brady’s retirement is a forgone conclusion.
Regardless of when he decides to officially call it a career, Brady is Canton-bound with a Hall of Fame career that includes seven championships, five Super Bowl MVPs, three NFL MVPs and multiple league records.
This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission