playTom Brady's Super Bowl highlight reel through the years (1:05)
Tom Brady has seven Super Bowl wins. The time is 1:05.
6:00 PM ET
Thank you, Tom.
Thank you. These were the first words that came to mind.
They are not too profound. It seems to do it in the clearest, most concise and compelling manner when it comes to covering the bases for all in the NFL community.
Thank you for taking us all on a magical, memorable 20-year ride, for those who followed you from the initial days with the New England Patriots as a longshot sixth-round draft choice, when your agent told you it might be smarter for pick No. 199 to rent than buy. Many feel a connection to you because of that.
The past two years have been great for those connected with the greatness. You helped restore the franchise, which had not been to the playoffs in five years.
Thank you still applies to those who view you differently. They are thankful that you plan to call it a career. When you win as much as you did, it didn't always make you the most popular.
It was equally important to you being a good son as it was to you being the best quarterback, that is what this letter-writer would highlight to those curious about what stood out most from covering the first 20 years of your career.
After a prime-time game, you would always sign off by saying hello to your parents, Tom and Galynn. They made a lot of sacrifice to allow you to do what you love.
Soon you will have the chance to do the same for them, and whenever you decide to officially announce your plans, it will be no surprise to learn that is at the heart of any decision.
To some reporters who were allowed to get close to you, it was always admirable to film a video of you walking through the tunnel at Gillette Stadium before a game or have the chance to chat with you.
People would ask, "Is he really that perfect?" or "What is he really like?"
The way he looks you in the eye when talking to him makes you feel like the most important person; rare humbleness combined with the most lethal is what the response would be for those who do what we do for a living.
You chatted up my kids when you drove by on the way into the stadium in December of 2019. They still talk about it. Even though someone is at the top of their profession, it doesn't excuse them from showing common courtesy and respect.
Thanks for that, because kids don't always listen to their dad enough. It's important to be able to pull out the Tom Brady card.
More stories? You painted a picture of this journey when you were 40, from the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Rochester, New York, to the sixth hole at Pebble Beach.
When Joseph Perez was 7 years old, he asked you who your hero was, and Trent Dilfer was on his shoulders. You were emotional as you talked about your dad. There weren't many times when raw emotion bubbled to the surface in your interviews. That one was correct.
The last Super Bowl you lost, to the Eagles, is one of the highlights of your life. They were crushed. You told them that sometimes we try our best and it doesn't always go as we want.
Then there was the time you were on sports radio WEEI in Boston for your weekly interview and talked about a book, "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz, which helped you at a time of vulnerability. It was a struggle to keep it on the shelves in New England bookstores for a short while after that, and it seemed like you tried to live by those four agreements.
1. Don't be careless with your word.
2. Don't take anything personally.
3. Don't make assumptions.
4. Do your best.
There are many stories like that, combining football and life, which created a powerful link between you and those who followed you closely.
We will be glad to hear from you when the time is right. Thank you, until then, on behalf of many, let's leave it here.
