"Imagine him playing an entire season at 45 out of spite" - NFL fans feel retirement talk could fuel Tom Brady's desire to return
Will he or won't he? That's a question that's been on the world's mind since ESPN prematurely reported Saturday that Tom Brady was retiring from the NFL.
Reports emerged Saturday that Brady was upset and furious that someone in his inner circle leaked the information to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington.
NFL fans and media members took to Twitter to state their shared opinion of Brady returning in 2022 out of spite alone. NFL analyst Warren Sharp was one of the most recognizable names, wondering if at the age of 45 Brady could choose to play out of spite.
"[I]magine Tom Brady playing an entire NFL season at age 45 out of spite," Sharp wrote on Twitter.
imagine Tom Brady playing an entire NFL season at age 45 out of spite
With a confusion of this magnitude, social media was full of memes surrounding Brady's potential return. One meme included WWE legend, The Undertaker, resurrecting from the dead, if you will.
Tom Brady unretiring just to spite Adam Schefter https://t.co/kcibLnLVnN
The president of Burke Communications, Timothy Burke, claimed that if Brady came back for another year, it would make him the greatest of all time in all professional sports, not just the NFL. Tom Brady is already celebrated by many as the greatest of all time, but playing at a high level at age 45 would certainly help add to his legacy.
Tom Brady coming back just to spite Adam Schefter would make him the GOAT in all sports for all time
Another fan said Brady's return out of spite for ESPN won't be surprising at all. Over his 22-year career, Brady has traditionally enjoyed it when the spotlight is on him.
If you don’t think Tom Brady would play another season out of spite for whoever leaked his retirement plans you haven’t been paying attention the past 22 years
One of the classic scenes in cinema history was used in a meme by one fan. Leonardo DiCaprio's scene where he refused to quit in The Wolf of Wall Street serves as a prime example to encapsulate Brady calling off his retirement.
Tom Brady on Monday, just to spite @AdamSchefter… 😂😂 #GOAT https://t.co/7ijxzdTlP4
Former NFL player Geoff Schartz agreed with one fan who made a sarcastic remark that Tom Brady's not the kind of person to be motivated out of spite.
Tom Brady spite season 2022 twitter.com/robertmays/sta…
Another meme was created by a fan with the belief that Brady, out of spite, would return after Schefter and Darlington ruined his announcement.
#TomBrady doesn't get to announce his retirement, and instead it is leaked by #AdamSchefter
Tom Brady, out of spite: https://t.co/hh8rrmtXn3
Comeback Player of the Year award? One NFL fan said Tom Brady is the favorite to win it next season. His entire 45-minute retirement is easily the most short-lived in NFL history.
Tom Brady is now the favorite to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year after ending his 45-minute retirement to play one more season out of spite.
The greatest of all-time in the NBA, Michael Jordan has been a victim of memes for his The Last Dance documentary. One fan imposed Tom Brady's face over Jordan's with the most quoted line in the documentary.
Tom Brady cancelling the retirement to spite NFL Media https://t.co/w0ri1e5B0a
One fan believes Brady's ego can't stand taking this hit. Because of that and social media's initial reaction to the news, the supporter believes Brady is returning.
So, this is what I think happened.
1 - Tom Brady make the decision, and his company made the announcement
2 - the public responded w “thank god”, and not the “thanks Tom” he expected.
3 - He is now backtracking for his ego
4 - Result? He gone play next year out of spite.
Tom Brady's retirement decision should come soon
While the internet is speculating and entertaining itself in the meantime, Brady's decision shouldn't take long. Brady is currently traveling abroad while contemplating his options, according to the New England Patriots' beat reporter Tom Curran.
At the moment, Tom Brady is out of the country and plans to be abroad next week as well. While he may intend to retire, it seems like a final, final, FINAL decision hasn't been rendered or articulated.
So this isn't exactly "at ease" on the Brady front but "stand down for now."
Brady is also due for a $15 million signing bonus on February 4. With that in mind, his decision isn't imminent. But it shouldn't take overly long as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need to plan according to whether he's their quarterback or not.
Until Brady's decision is made, social media will continue to talk about one of the biggest botches in sports reporting history.