Tom Brady's father suggests media caused rushed retirement announcement

The NFL world was shocked to learn on Jan. 28, less than a week after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were eliminated from the postseason by the Los Angeles Rams, that seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady was allegedly "preparing to retire" as an active player. 

Such rumors became full-blown reports the following day, but Tom Brady Sr., father of the future Hall of Famer, denied those claims to media outlets before the GOAT seemingly called time on his career on Feb. 1. That retirement didn't last until spring, however, as Brady confirmed via social media outlets this past Sunday he's returning for a 23rd NFL season. 

"They were announcing his retirement before he even retired," Brady Sr. explained about the situation during Tuesday's appearance on ESPN's "Greeny," per JoeBucsFan.com. "You know, the media made the news. He was not ready to make any decision and didn’t make any decision but [Adam] Schefter and [Jeff] Darlington stated it as fact. You know, he hadn’t made any decision on that.

"After [retiring,] he had time to reflect with his family, you know, [on] what gives him the greatest joy in his life, and they all agreed that this is the path forward that works best for the Brady family. … He is happy as can be. … It just took a little bit of time to sort this thing out. I mean, he’s kind of in uncharted territory. So if people might seem to think he took a misstep, hey, welcome to our world. Not very many people get to make this decision at 44 years of age and going on 45." 

Perhaps Brady merely changed his mind after supposedly stepping away from football for a portion of the offseason. Maybe he and his camp wanted to spark interest in what may or may not be the final episode of his ESPN+ "Man in the Arena" project. Outsiders may never know. 

With at least one sportsbook suggesting "educated bettors" had inside information about Brady's return approximately 72 hours before he broke the news on Selection Sunday, this story could potentially become about far more than a veteran seemingly in the twilight of his playing days simply having second thoughts about riding off into the sunset after proving he can still perform at an MVP level.