Tom Brady reveals when he finally decided to leave the Patriots
In his first conference call since announcing he’d be joining the Buccaneers, Tom Brady didn’t reveal much in the way of what led to his departure from the Patriots. But he did shed more light on his ultimate decision to leave the Pats and join the Bucs.
EDEN PRAIRIE, MN – FEBRUARY 01: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots talks with Patriots owner Robert Kraft during the New England Patriots practice on February 1, 2018 at Winter Park in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.The New England Patriots will play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII on February 4. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Elsa/Getty ImagesBy Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
In his first conference call and public comments since announcing he'd be joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Brady didn't reveal much in the way of what led to his departure from the Patriots or what it would've taken to keep him in New England. But he did shed more light on when he made his ultimate decision.
He gave probably the least surprising answer possible, assuming he wasn't massaging the truth. He decided last Monday, presumably after having all of his conversations with the Bucs during the legal tampering period. He'd heard enough to finally say to himself that it was time to move on to a new chapter. Then, he visited the home of Patriots owner Robert Kraft to deliver the news.
“It was really the night that I had stopped by and spoke with Mr. Kraft and asked if I could go over and see him,” Brady said. “We spoke and had a great conversation. I just wanted to express what he’s meant to me in my life. And we spoke with Coach [Bill] Belichick - we were in different locations - so we talked to him, and it was a great conversation, and got a chance to talk to [Patriots president] Jonathan Kraft as well. All three of those guys have been involved in so many important decisions in my life, career-related, personal-related.
"I leave there with great admiration for the people in that organization. It’s a world-class, first-class organization in every way, and I wanted to leave it that way too.”
GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 01: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots celebrates with team owner Robert Kraft after defeating the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Brady pulled a Mark McGwire when asked about questions on his final years with the Patriots and decision to leave them for Tampa Bay. He's not here to talk about the past. But if it's true that he didn't make his final decision until the night he visited Robert Kraft, then he was likely holding onto one final thread of hope that he, the Krafts, and Belichick could have worked something out.
Robert is ostensibly blaming Bill, based on this doozy of a comment he gave to Mike Giardi: "Think about loving your wife & for whatever reason, there’s something - her father or mother - that makes life impossible for you & you have to move on but you don’t want to." But regardless of blame or whose actions led to what, the reality is the breakup is done. Time for everyone to move on.
Brady has cut his final thread with the Patriots, and it appears that he took as long as he could to do it.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
