Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen.(Image via Getty Images)
When the seven-time Super Bowl champion finally stepped away in February 2023, attention quickly turned to what life would look like without the game that had shaped nearly his entire adult life. Former NFL receiver Cris Carter recalled meeting Brady Sr. before his son’s seventh Super Bowl victory in 2021. “He said the only thing he’s worried about is the kid, the kid won’t go home. He said ‘the kid is outside still playing, and he won’t come in. He said, ‘I am only afraid the kid won’t stop playing even if he wins.’”
“… Nothing will ever replace the joy Tommy had playing in football games, hanging with teammates, and joshing around in the locker room,” the elder Brady said. Brady’s father was less concerned about the game itself than whether his son would ever know when to stop, according to Carter. “The night before the game, I happen to meet up with Tom Brady’s dad and asked him what he thought about the game, the opportunity to win again,” Carter said.
Tom Brady’s retirement from the NFL was never going to be an ordinary goodbye. Around that time, Brady’s father shared a revealing concern: the quarterback might struggle to replace the purpose, routine and intensity that football had given him for more than two decades. For Brady, the game was much more than a job. It provided a strict routine, constant competition and a close bond with teammates. Walking away meant losing all of those things at once. His comments offered a glimpse into a side of retirement that often gets overlooked. Athletes can spend years preparing their bodies for the end of their careers, but finding a new sense of purpose can be just as demanding. It’s raining, everything.
The story, published in 2023, remains an interesting look at the personal challenge behind one of the biggest retirements in NFL history. For a player who spent 23 years chasing excellence, learning how to stop may have been his toughest challenge yet.