Tom Brady’s father responds to retirement reports

The story of Tom Brady’s retirement grew stranger on Saturday as those close to Brady continued to dispute that the quarterback had made a decision on his future.

The latest rebuttal came from Tom Brady Sr., who strongly disputed an ESPN report stating that Brady has decided to retire. Brady Sr. told NFL Network’s Mike Giardi that the story was “total conjecture,” and that the Tampa Bay quarterback had yet to decide on his future.

Brady’s father added that any other suggestion is “absolutely wrong.”

Checked in with Tom Brady Sr. who tells me, and I quote, "This story Mike is total conjecture. Tommy has not made a final decision one way or the other and anybody else that says that he has is absolutely wrong." #TomBrady #Buccaneers

— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) January 29, 2022

Brady himself has reportedly told the Buccaneers in private that no decision has been made on his future. The organization was also apparently unaware of any announcement before the report came out.

Brady may still be legitimately undecided, or he may simply have not wanted word of his decision to come out the way it did. ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who was first to report the news, generally isn’t wrong about such big stories and has a history of spoiling retirement news. ESPN’s Jeff Darlington also was out front with information in the past about Brady possibly leaving the Patriots and turned out to be right.

Photo: Jan 16, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) drops back to pass in the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles in a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports