Tom Brady: NFL Retirement Coming “Sooner Rather Than Later”

The reigning league MVP talked about his career's eventual end in an interview with Oprah.

Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
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When exactly the end of Tom Brady’s football career will come still remains to be seen, but the soon-to-be-41-year-old quarterback believes it will be “sooner rather than later.”

Brady acknowledged that reality during an interview with Oprah Winfrey that aired on Sunday. “I think about it more now than I used to,” he said. “I think I’m seeing that there’s definitely an end coming, sooner rather than later.”

The New England Patriots quarterback had previously said he envisioned playing until he was 45, so his comment might constitute a rethinking of that timeline. Brady also told Oprah he would keep playing “as long as I’m still loving it,” but many have called into question whether he still cares about the game as much as he used to, as Brady has skipped New England’s voluntary OTAs this spring for the first time in years.

“As long as I’m loving the training and preparation and willing to make the commitment,” Brady said of his desire to continue to play. “But it’s also, I think, what I’ve alluded to a lot in the docuseries was there’s other things happening in my life too. I do have kids that I love, and I don’t want to be a dad that’s not there driving my kids to their games.”

In the interview, Brady also touched on his relationship with coach Bill Belichick, Deflategate, his alternative training methods and the national anthem controversy.

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