Just when we thought we were out, Tom Brady pulls us back in.
In January, Brady retired from the NFL, after doing so last year but changing his mind relatively quickly and returning to the Bucs, and he’s been adamant that he plans to stay retired this time.
So it was that the 46-year-old Brady posted an eyebrow-raising joke on his Instagram stories on Saturday morning, overlaid against a photo in which he certainly appears to be in game shape.
“Side effects of @tb12sports protein … mid august rolls around and you start thinking about finding a training camp to show up to,” Brady wrote, adding two laughing emojis.
There has been speculation at various points this offseason that Brady could again un-retire, but he has been resolute that that will not be the case.
“I’m certain I’m not playing again, so I’ve tried to make that clear and I hate to continue to profess that because I’ve already told people that lots of times — but I’m looking forward to my broadcasting job with Fox next year,” Brady told Sports Illustrated in June.
Nevertheless, a season or two will have to go by before all speculation gets laid to rest.
In July, Brady’s former teammate, Antoine Winfield Jr., said openly that he thought the team was still trying to lure him back.
“I’m sure we’re still reaching out to him, trying to see if he’s trying to come back to the team,” Winfield said during an appearance on the Richard Sherman Podcast. “Hey, it could happen. Anything’s possible.”
Brady has repeatedly cited a desire to spend more time with his three kids after concluding his 23-year NFL career that included seven Super Bowl championships.
“There is nothing I love more than football,” he said in March. “But I have young children and they watched enough of their dad’s games and it’s time for me to watch their games.”
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