- On Tuesday, Tom Brady announced his retirement via Instagram.
- Brady stated that he cannot physically give up football.
- He’s been hit the most times of any NFL quarterback.
Tom Brady considers it a career.
On Tuesday, the 44-year-old NFL legend posted an Instagram post announcing his retirement. He said that he was leaving because of the commitment required to continue playing.
“There is a physical, mental, and emotional challenge every single day that has allowed me to maximize my highest potential,”Brady wrote. “I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore.”
Brady was one of 21st-century’s most dedicated athletes, having played in the NFL 22 times and following a very strict diet to maximize his career. This is what he wrote in his 2017 book. “The TB12 method.”
Brady’s devotion to football, however, has meant that he has had to endure physical punishment over two decades. Brady says he is unable to do so at this time in his life.
Brady has taken more sacks in NFL history than any other player
Brady has had many accomplishments over the course of his professional career. taken 543 sacks — more than any player in NFL history.
Despite all the hits, Brady has avoided injuries for the most parts. Since 2008, when he was injured in the last 15 games of the season, Brady has not missed a single game. This means that he’s been able to play more hits.
Research on NFL players has drawn a link between that repetitive mid- to lower-body hits and osteoarthritis which could cause complications for Brady years down the line.
Other retired quarterbacks have shared their own experience with pain in retirement, including San Francisco 49ers Hall-of-Famer Joe Montana, and Green Bay Packers Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre.
Montana told USA TodayAfter playing in the NFL for 15 years and winning four Super Bowls each, he developed arthritis. He can’t even run anymore because it is so severe. Favre was the NFL’s record holder for most sacks, before Brady. He shared his story Sports IllustratedThe pain made him addicted to painkillers.
Brady has seen three generations of quarterback hits, despite having played in different decades.
Brady’s hits are likely to have been more difficult than Montana’s or Favre’s. These days, players are often subject to greater force. NPRSource: “Football Physics: The Science of the Game.”It’s partially due to the increased size, speed and agility of players, as documented by Trends in NFL Scouting combine.
Although Brady may not have had as many hits in his early career, they could have been more damaging because the rules back then were different.
Before the NFL created rules to protect quarterbacks, defenders were able to hit quarterbacks in their knees and other vulnerable areas. They could then roll them over after the play was finished. Moves were madeIn 2006, and 2009. Brady had won his first three Super Bowls before the rules were changed. He started his career in 2000.