NFL Network: Leaks Threw Off Tom Brady
January 29th, 2022
What’s going on?
Either this is the greatest smokescreen since Operation Overlord or this is sports journalism’s “Dewey Defeats Truman” moment.
Nearly every credible TV network NFL insider claims Tom Brady is going to retire. Adam Schefter, Jason La Canfora, Jeff Darlington, you name it.
Then Brady’s agent Don Yee issues a non-denial, cold-water splash that sure seems like his client is peeved at the timing of the leak(s).
Now add NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport to say multiple sources are telling him Brady is done with playing quarterback, it’s just the timing of the news that has his handlers with their briefs bunched up (and maybe Brady’s too?).
Guys like Schefter and Rapoport and La Canfora are rivals. All three would love nothing more than to put out a confirmed story that says the other two are dead wrong. Instead, all three (four if you include Darlington) are reporting the same thing — that Brady will retire.
And none have backed off their stories one bit.
So, a world history-changing smokescreen like the Allies pulled off with Operation Overlord that had the Germans totally caught with their pants down, or a mistake like “Dewey Defeats Truman” that will live on forever as one of the industry’s darkest errors?
From @NFLNetwork: Tom Brady does intend to retire, per several people close to him. The pushback appears to be based on timing, rather than his eventual decision. pic.twitter.com/GSTqDkKcjF
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 29, 2022
January 29th, 2022 at 5:38 pm
No surprise. The flip flop is because of how the news broke, not the actual news itself.
January 29th, 2022 at 5:39 pm
Tom will win his 8th ring as a buc, with ridley Evans and Godwin as receivers. Put the house on it. Book it!!!
January 29th, 2022 at 5:39 pm
Tom Brady could have stopped all this, with a simple statement.
That is all it would have took, so why no statement coming from him ?
January 29th, 2022 at 5:41 pm
if bitcointom is right, he should be president
January 29th, 2022 at 5:41 pm
Cos Brady loves the media attention. He wants to go back home to CA in break into the TV, movie business. Good luck to him.
January 29th, 2022 at 5:42 pm
Chris, he wants to control the narrative. The narrative got away from him with multiple leaks. Hopefully he engages in a spite tour next year, but it seems more likely that he wants to control his retirement narrative.
January 29th, 2022 at 5:42 pm
You leaked his moment. Now he is pissed and right now is convincing Giselle that he has to come back for one more year just out of spite. To go out when he says not all these talking clowns that are like mock draft professionals. Who are always wrong. He is wired differently and is now going to make them look bad and come back. I bet Mike,Godwin, and Gronkowski already got the text train hard were winning the fu#*£#% super bowl next year. Then I ride off into the Florida sunset.
January 29th, 2022 at 5:43 pm
“Planning” to retire…. lol
January 29th, 2022 at 5:44 pm
Jeffbuc… AGREED! Bardy Sr and Giselle are fighting for Tom’s future!
January 29th, 2022 at 5:46 pm
Starting to get pissed!!
Tom please say sometiing you are behaving like TMZ, and you are a gentleman!
January 29th, 2022 at 5:49 pm
Like John Travolta’s character (Vinnie Barabarino) used to scream out: “I’m so confused”!
January 29th, 2022 at 5:50 pm
Well the Bucs have not put out a statement yet and neither has Tom so this is all just speculation at this point. I bet the NFL is loving this so much for the we don’t want Tom Brady retiring to take attention of the NFL Championship games and Super Bowl. Tom Brady is trending all over and no one is talking about the games tomorrow.
January 29th, 2022 at 5:50 pm
Yeah I mean if he’s ultimately planning on retiring, just say so at this point.
Even more ridiculous to say nothing and then announce it days later, just so that it’s on “your terms”.
January 29th, 2022 at 5:51 pm
This really sounds like a leak that is likely correct…..and Tom really wanted to make the announcement himself…..same thing just happened to Justice Breyer
January 29th, 2022 at 5:51 pm
GOAT deserves to go out on his own terms. Screw the media. It’s has been been a privilege to have him wear our colors!
January 29th, 2022 at 5:56 pm
Obviously it is Putin and the Russians.
January 29th, 2022 at 5:56 pm
Wow. Just when I thought TB12 couldn’t get any more free publicity this happens…
How much free advertising is TB12 getting right now?
4 out of 10 stories on PFT are TB12…
January 29th, 2022 at 5:57 pm
It got leaked before he could notify the Bucs brass. Of course he’s pissed off. Now he has to play the undecided thing for a little bit, and then do it the way he wanted. Hope I’m wrong though, he’s got another decade of football left in him.
January 29th, 2022 at 5:57 pm
How about we wait until this 44 year old 7x superbowl champion release HIS statement one way or another. I mean he has EARNED that right to do so. Stop trying to force him or steal his thunder. This is really stupid at this point
January 29th, 2022 at 5:58 pm
He deserves to retire on his own terms. Not when the babbling BS sports media bobbleheads say.
January 29th, 2022 at 5:59 pm
And Gronk…He lay low.
January 29th, 2022 at 6:04 pm
TB12 is in not in any obligation to satisfy ones curiosity. Only in TB12’s time he will talk and other than that everything is just speculation and rumors. I know there’s nothing much to talk about the NFC and AFC games. No one is interested unless there is Brady or Rodgers playing.
January 29th, 2022 at 6:08 pm
I fear we are gonna get stuck with BA, Bl, Bowles and Gabbert.
January 29th, 2022 at 6:09 pm
And Plan 9, Darden, and Howard.
January 29th, 2022 at 6:10 pm
The dessert fox awakens at dawn to edy fudge trax. No phone calls before noon.
January 29th, 2022 at 6:10 pm
Wow a hour ago i thought he officially retired. This is like 3 years of Brett Favre drama condenced into a few hours.
January 29th, 2022 at 6:17 pm
Pay the man.
January 29th, 2022 at 6:41 pm
Lol … needs to bold typeface himself
January 29th, 2022 at 7:03 pm
Tom’s dad said he is back…
January 29th, 2022 at 7:05 pm
Super hard to hype Rams/49ers or Chiefs/Bengals….Brady is waaay easier
January 29th, 2022 at 7:05 pm
LOL!
January 29th, 2022 at 7:11 pm
Bucs are on the hook for 15M after Feb 4th, I really think that’s weighing heavily on Brady’s mind. At least I hope so. He’s still under contract, and I hope he decides to honor that.
I just can’t believe he walks away in a season where he was joking about playing till 50. He has had a rejuvenation here, football is fun again. I just hope Gisele will let him play out his contract, or he’s seriously pissed off with the rug pull on his retirement announcement that he decides to take back control by playing.
Brady has played better each of the last 2 seasons and hasn’t even hit a plateau, let alone a decline.
Jason Licht hopefully is reassuring him that he’ll get the pieces in place to make another run.
January 29th, 2022 at 7:12 pm
The man deserved to make his own announcement. Sadly, when you reach the status and level of fame he has, it doesn’t always go down that way. He’s retiring. Brady isn’t one for fan fair, or sentimentality. He would’ve preferred to make the announcement in a simple tweet or Facebook post. This changes nothing though. People, including Ben are simply reading tea leaves. Ben knows this for sure, superior G is done with Tampa, and the NFL. That makes this a foregone conclusion. Happy wife, happy life. The man has another 50 plus years on this rock, and playing QB in the NFL is always a finite endeavor. If he doesn’t retire, the man maybe jeopardizing his marriage. That’s something most of us can relate to. Ben’s wife made the decision for him, and I’m healthier and happier than I would’ve been playing another two or three years. Get on with your life Tommy. Sell concussion water and fifty dollar bags of nuts. It beats getting divorced.
January 29th, 2022 at 7:20 pm
Enjoy that beautiful wife of yours Tom.To hell with Buc fans. They don’t cae if you leave the field on crutches or a stretcher. You got nothin left to prove. Ride off into the sunset..Just like the movies my man.
January 29th, 2022 at 7:20 pm
Joe – we may need a another new post on managing the trauma after this. Even if we knew this eventual day would happen I am so sad. Go buccaneers forever! Not even big storm beer can be enough to get through tonight can it?
January 29th, 2022 at 7:28 pm
Until I hear it from Brady, from Arians, or from Licht, I will wait to get depressed, LOL.
January 29th, 2022 at 7:29 pm
Or hear it from his agent.
January 29th, 2022 at 7:49 pm
Just the setup for TB and Gronk’s next T Mobile commercial.
January 29th, 2022 at 7:52 pm
@ lambchop
I agree. I just hope he didn’t look at our roster/salary cap situation and said “it’s time to go”…
We face the reality of losing Godwin, Jenson, Cappa, Gronk, Fournette, Howard, C. Davis, JPP, Suh, Whitehead and Gholston… Not to mention about 20 other quality depth free agents.
January 29th, 2022 at 7:54 pm
Don’t retire. Brady loves the game too much. He will regret walking away when he’s the league mvp knowing he can still go. Play two more years brady
January 29th, 2022 at 7:56 pm
Yeah Yah Ya Ya
January 29th, 2022 at 7:58 pm
He just needs his right tackle back. Tristan is his man until he got hurt Brady stayed clean he just needs to convince his wife that that was a fluke injury that Tristan will be backup to full steam to protect her man this coming season… end of story
January 29th, 2022 at 8:08 pm
I think the shot in the chops by Miller sent Giselle into a frenzy. She ain’t prancing around with no Hansen brother missing his teeth.
January 29th, 2022 at 9:45 pm
Tom’s dad sad no such thing…drama queens
January 29th, 2022 at 9:53 pm
All day all these people saying goodbye …..BUT who did NOT say bye …. GRONK which to me means it’s all Bullspit LFG Brady year 3
January 29th, 2022 at 10:26 pm
Operation Bodyguard was the smokescreen.. Operation Overlord was the real deal. 🙂 That said, fingers crossed we keep the Goat one more year.
January 30th, 2022 at 12:13 am
Gronk knew it wasn’t true my guess is he texted Brady and asked are you done lol ? When the news broke
January 30th, 2022 at 4:08 am
Until Brady says it, thats when I’ll believe e it. Until than they can all pound sand.
January 30th, 2022 at 4:55 am
Was it his wife,Gisele?
January 30th, 2022 at 2:51 pm
Brady’s contract is through 2022 I believe and he’s not a quitter. Also, his dad said he’s playing. I hope we get one more year. Either way all these people who have put “TB12” is retiring took that big announcement away from him and none of you are worthy of your jobs!
January 30th, 2022 at 3:06 pm
Think it is time for him to go. Anything less than a SB win will be considered a “failure”. With the loss of AB already, and probable loss of coaches and free agents, Bucs could easily regress next season. Not to the schedule is brutal.
January 30th, 2022 at 7:57 pm
Sure would be nice if they respected the players design to make the announcement. But they can’t do that because they ate to busy trying to one up each other. So screw the respect.
January 31st, 2022 at 10:37 am
The reason Brady has not put out any statement either confirming or denying these reports is he wants to do it in person. He is out of the country enjoying some time away from everything. He doesn’t want to issue a statement through his Agent or anyone else. He wants it to come from him.
January 31st, 2022 at 3:58 pm
Hey everyone. After all that Tom has given this community for the past 2 years, how about we show our gratitude by allowing this man the right to make a life altering decision without feeling like he owes us anything more than what we have already received. He has changed the culture not only of the team but of the community as well. He is first and foremost a man with a family and think all of us would want the opportunity to make the decision how and when we were comfortable doing it. Thank you Tom for everything. I would be overjoyed to see you in pewter and red next year, but will be eternally grateful for what you have given me as a Bucs fan and will rejoice for you in whatever decision you make. God bless you and your family.