Before getting to my insights into the future of one future Hall of Fame quarterback, a few words—among the hundreds of thousands written and spoken about him in the past day—about the retirement of Tom Brady.
Brady's retirement seemed to be coming after the Bucs lost last week, with comments from Brady revolving around family and the realization of years going by without dedicated time with them. I can certainly relate to that, as someone who left the NFL (when I was a couple of years older than Brady) to be around my sons more as they grew up.
While there will be much fanfare about his career and his accomplishments, what sticks out to me is Brady's amazing longevity while competing at the highest level of the game. In a sport that has an average lifespan of less than three years, Brady was at the top of the game for most of the 22 years he played. Brady, along with other athletes like LeBron James, has changed the narrative on age and aging of not only elite athletes but everyone. As someone now much older than Brady and very diligent about healthy aging, I appreciate that.
Brady's name is prevalent in my classes on sports law as well. He was the name plaintiff in the 2011 case against the NFL that challenged the legality of the league lockout (the case was moot after a new CBA was reached). And, as we all know, Brady sued Roger Goodell—winning in the district court and losing in the court of appeals—over his suspension for allegedly deflating footballs.
Now Brady, approaching age 45, goes from being an old man in his profession (football) to a young man in his new profession (retirement). I, like everyone, am thankful for all the memories he provided.
