Tom Brady’s agent Don Yee has issued a statement in response to reports from ESPN and others on Saturday afternoon that his client is retiring after 22 NFL seasons.
Yee does not deny the reports that Brady has decided to retire from the game, but also doesn’t confirm them. He said that Brady is the only person who can make an announcement about his future and that the quarterback should be doing so in the near future.
“I understand the advance speculation about Tom’s future,” Yee said in a statement given to multiple reporters. “Without getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what’s being reported, Tom will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy. He knows the realities of the football business and planning calendar as well as anybody, so that should be soon.”
Brady’s TB12 Sports tweeted about Brady’s imposing football legacy while paying tribute to him in a farewell message that was later deleted. A number of Brady’s current and former teammates have done the same since the word broke, but the Buccaneers have told multiple reporters that they had not heard anything from Brady at this point.
The lack of a forthright denial still makes retirement look like the path he’s on, but final word is going to still have to come from Brady himself.