“Seems to be wanting a lot of attention now” - Shannon Sharpe isn't too pleased with how Tom Brady has been handling retirement
Tom Brady sent shockwaves through the NFL in the latest episode of his podcast Let's Go! with co-host Jim Gray. When Gray asked Brady if there was a chance of him returning to the gridiron, Brady said, "Never say never."
Brady's quote gave all sports-talking heads around the world a juicy topic to discuss on Tuesday. Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe were quick to talk about this on Tuesday's Undisputed.
Sharpe, in particular, voiced his exasperation with Brady. He brought up a very legitimate point that Brady's family, who pushed for him to retire, are still in the picture.
"On a scale of one to ten I'm already over Tom Brady?" Sharpe said. "A 1700. This is ridiculous, Skip. I’m over it. I’ll give it a two. Two to come back. Because I look at it like this Skip. The things that drove him away from the game are still in place if he were to try to come back from the game. He mentioned the people that's been so supportive of him over the last decade, mainly his wife and kids. Will they not need any more support if he were to come back? So what changed?"
Sharpe continued by calling out Tom Brady for leaving the door open on his return for attention's sake. TB12 officially announced his retirement seven days ago, and he's already saying "never say never."
"I mean, the man’s been retired a week," Sharpe said. "Normally, we let this thing go, you know, you ask him two months or three months from now. Well, you never say never. Hell, we get 72 hours from his retirement, his announcement. And he's already talking about never say never. For a guy that didn't want a farewell tour. For a guy that didn't want that kind of attention. He seems to be wanting a lot of attention now.”
What are the chances Tom Brady returns to the NFL?
"I'm already over Tom Brady. A guy that didn't want attention, seems to be wanting a lot of attention now. I don't think he makes a comeback." — @ShannonSharpe https://t.co/hn24YqHw2y
Could Tom Brady follow the same path as Michael Jordan and Mike Tyson?
Tom Brady has drawn comparisons to the likes of Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. All four individuals are among the most accomplished athletes in the history of their sports.
Brady's potential return to the NFL is similar to Jordan, Ali and Tyson coming out of retirement in their respective sports.
Many have expressed their concerns at the thought of Brady calling off his retirement. Jordan, Ali and Tyson struggled to regain their previous form after returning, as Chris Broussard of Fox Sports brought up in Tuesday's episode of First Things First.
Chris Broussard compares Tom Brady’s potential return to Michael Jordan in Washington I FIRST THINGS FIRST: Tom Brady is seemingly leaving the door open for a comeback, saying "never say never" when asked about a potential return. Kevin Wildes might be… foxsports.com/watch/first-th… https://t.co/CmxMsdPXG5
If any athlete can come out of retirement and pick up where they left off, it's Tom Brady. The former quarterback walked away from the game at the age of 44 after an MVP-caliber season.
He's one of the biggest competitors in NFL history, and he's very likely to have the itch to come back once training camp starts.
However, Sharpe's point about his family being a crucial factor in his initial decision is one that could likely keep him from returning for what would be his 23rd season.