LOS ANGELES (KNX) — The question on everyone’s mind on Feb. 1, when Tom Brady announced his retirement, was “will he pull a Michael Jordan and come back to the game?”
It only took 40 days for Brady to say yes. He’s back.
Following the major announcement NFL Hall-of-Famer Jackie Slater joined KNX In Depth to discuss the move every Brady fan was hoping he’d make.
“I marvel at this guy. When I think about what I went through - I thought I was just a little bit crazy but here’s a guy that's potentially going into his 23rd season with the [NFL], pretty much is a starter for the entire time,” Slater, a former L.A. Rams player, said.
“This guy has dealt with the rigors of the sport like few others guys in his position have done.”
Brady announced his return to the NFL on Twitter Sunday, saying over the last few months he’d realized that his place was not in the stands just yet and he’d be returning for his third season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
When asked if he thought Brady’s mind would change after retiring, Slater said absolutely not, but that he understands how Brady might have come to the decision to return to the field.
“I know what it feels like to be out of the game that first year after so many years…I felt for a period of time…it was just so unfamiliar to me,” Slater said.
“I can imagine that Tom sort of dealt with that at some point…and probably thought to himself, ‘Hey, there’s no reason why I should let age dictate whether I should or shouldn't be playing football.’”
Brady isn’t short of accolades in the football world. The 44-year-old is a seven-time Super Bowl champion who led the Buccaneers to success in 2020 and won six rings during his 20 seasons with the New England Patriots.
“It really is amazing and it’s a testament to the way he does his training…this guy has never settled for mediocrity, never been mediocre in anything that I’ve seen him do,” Slater said.
“This guy probably wants to go and go and run it back to a couple of years ago — and thinks he has the potential to,” Slater said.
“Because if you think about it, he was pretty much rendered unarmed for the post part. He lost a couple of key guys in his running game, in his passing game…so to get guys back on board with him…I dont think that's going to be a major chore at all.”
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Related
