Here's What Robert Kraft Said About Tom Brady's Retirement

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft issued an official statement in response to Tom Brady's official retirement announcement on Tuesday (February 1).

Brady spent his first 20 seasons (2000-2020) with the Patriots, leading the franchise to an NFL record six Super Bowl victories (tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers), before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020.

"Words cannot describe the feelings I have for Tom Brady, nor adequately express the gratitude my family, the New England Patriots and our fans have for Tom for all he did during his career," Kraft said in a statement shared on Patriots.com. "A generation of football fans have grown up knowing only an NFL in which Tom Brady dominated. He retires with nearly every NFL career passing record, yet the only one that ever mattered to him was the team's win-loss record. In his 20 years as a starter his teams qualified for the playoffs 19 times. He led his teams to 10 Super Bowls, winning an NFL-record seven championships. In a team sport like football, it is rare to see an individual have such a dominant impact on a team's success. You didn't have to be a Patriots fan to respect and appreciate his competitiveness, determination and will to win that fueled his success. As a fan of football, it was a privilege to watch. As a Patriots fan, it was a dream come true.

"I have the greatest respect for Tom personally and always will. His humility, coupled with his drive and ambition, truly made him special. I will always feel a close bond to him and will always consider him an extension of my immediate family."

The seven-time Super Bowl champion confirmed his decision in a lengthy post shared on his verified Instagram account Tuesday (February 1) morning.

Brady's confirmation comes hours after hIs appearance on his Let's Go! podcast Monday (January 31) night alongside co-hosts Jim Gray in which he addressed conflicting reports regarding his retirement decision over the weekend and said he was still contemplating his decision, as he'd said during his previous appearance on the show one week prior.

Brady, 44, who confirmed he was out of the country over the weekend, also said he understood the people wanting "to be in front of the news often," but reiterated that he was taking his decision "day to day" and planned to "make a great decision for me and my family" during his Let's Go! appearance prior to his official announcement.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported "Brady is retiring from football after 22 extraordinary seasons, multiple sources tell @JeffDarlington and me."

Brady's company, TB12Sports, shared a since-deleted tweet listing the legendary quarterback's accolades, seemingly acknowledging the report minutes later.

However, Brady's agent, Don Yee, responded to the reports clarifying that Brady himself "will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy," although noting that he wasn't "getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what's being reported."

Bally Sports' NFL reporter Michael Silver initially reported that Brady had contacted Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht and told him "he has not yet made a final decision on retirement," disputing Schefter and Darlington's report.

"Licht is respecting Brady's process and waiting for a definitive answer, whenever it comes, from the QB," Silver tweeted, adding that he had "100% faith" in Darlington and his reporting and knew "that he and @AdamSchefter are extremely plugged in on this."

Additionally, Brady's father, Tom Brady Sr., denied the report of his son's retirement on Saturday, which he referred to as "an unsubstantiated rumor," according to KRON sports anchor Kylen Mills.

Last Friday (January 28), CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported "several sources who are within Brady's inner circle anticipate" his retirement announcement in the coming weeks.

Brady immediately faced questions about his NFL future after the team's NFC Divisional Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams on January 23.

"Truthfully guys, I'm thinking about this game," Brady said after the 30-27 loss, which came on a last-second field goal after the Bucs rallied back from a 27-3 second-half deficit, via ESPN.

On January 23, sources told ESPN's Schefter and Darlington that the 44-year-old quarterback was undecided about his NFL future and planned to take time after the season ends to asses how he feels mentally and physically, as well as his family's desires, before making deciding on his 23rd NFL season.

Brady's postgame comments reiterated that report following the Bucs' elimination loss.

"I haven't put a lot of thought into it, so you know, we will just take it day by day and kind of see where we are at," Brady said.

Brady is the NFL's all-time passing leader for yards (84,520) and touchdowns (624), as well as quarterback wins (243).