The GOAT of the NFL Tom Brady has left fans in shock as he announced he is making a comeback to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next season.
Less than two months after retiring, Brady posted on Twitter to tell the world he is back.
“These past two months I have realised my place is still on the field and not in the stands,” Brady said on social media.
“That time will come. But it’s not now.”
“I love my teammates and I love my supportive family. Without them, none of this is possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. We have unfinished business.”
But could that unfinished business be something to do with Brady filing 26 applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in early March?
These patents range from food delivery services to bottled water, jewellery to gym equipment – all the kinds of things somebody would be interested if they were to launch, say, a sports brand?
Brady, who turns 45 in August, is a legend of the NFL and has won seven Super Bowl titles – six with the New England Patriots and one with the Buccaneers.
Last season with the Buccaneers, Brady finished second in the MVP voting with 5,316 passing yards and 43 touchdowns.
Brady recently visited Old Trafford to watch Manchester United play in the English Premier League and sent fans wild when he shared a video on social media of him talking to football legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
In the video, Ronaldo asked Brady: “You’re finished, right?”
Brady replied: “Probably”.
However, a grimace and smirk had fans believing Brady would make a quick return to the NFL.
But is There a Hidden Reason for Brady’s Return?
As rumours of an NFL comeback for Brady were circulating on social media in early March, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians told reporters at the NFL combine that Brady was not returning to the team.
“He slammed it shut when I talked to him,” Arians said.
In February, a week after his retirement, Brady was asked about a comeback and he told the Let’s Go! Podcast with Jim Gray: “I’m just gonna take things as they come. I think that’s the best way to put it and I don’t think anything, you know, you never say never. At the same time I know that I’m very, I feel very good about my decision. I don’t know how I’ll feel six months from now.”
The reaction to Brady’s retirement sent social media into overdrive.
USA Today’s Celina Tebor tweeted: “Tom Brady’s retirement was shorter than Kim Kardashian’s marriage with Kris Humphries lol.”
Actor Jeff Cannata wrote on social media: “Tom Brady realized quickly what spending more time with your family is really like.”
“What’s with Tom Brady? The guy’s married to a supermodel and doesn’t want to stay home,” writer Paul Thompson said.
In an ironic twist of fate, the ball from the last career touchdown pass Tom Brady threw recently sold for $518,000 ($A712,000) at auction.
The touchdown was thrown in the fourth quarter of the NFC divisional playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams, coming after a 55-yard pass from Brady to Mike Evans.
Twenty-three people placed bids on the ball, with the first bid starting at $100,000.
With Brady’s 26 patent applications currently being processed, and his string of massive earnings recently, could his return to NFL have something to do with building a personal sports brand?
The hype surrounding his return could definitely boost any business plans he is planning on announcing very soon, and what better avenue to promote them than right there on the field.
We will never see a quarterback like Tom Brady who is a seven-time Super Bowl champion, a five-time Super Bowl MVP, a three-time NFL season MVP and has a record 243 regular-season victories – fans should feel privileged to see the NFL GOAT play another season.
Watch this space.
