At 2:29 p.m. Saturday the combination of Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington reported for ESPN that Tom Brady was planning to retire.
In the hours that followed, the likes of Tom Brady Sr., Brady's agent, Don Yee, and members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' coaching staff and front office insisted the quarterback hadn't made up his mind.
But since then, not only have the ESPN reporters stood by their story, but the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport has also echoed the same sentiments.
So, how did this report come about? Chris Curtis of The Greg Hill Show has gleaned some insight as to how the ESPN report was born despite not talking to Brady or the Buccaneers.
Curtis said, "It turns out that one of the people editing the final episode of 'Man In The Arena' told Adam Schefter, as I predicted, the final episode of 'Man In The Arena' will be a retirement announcement from Tom Brady which is why they felt so confident to go with this without checking with Tom Brady or the Tampa Bay Bucs."
Listen to Curtis' entire report ...