Look For Super Bowl LVI’s Total (48.5) To Be On The Move
After a long and illustrious NFL career, seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady is officially hanging up his cleats. The news was originally reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington on Saturday. However, on Tuesday morning, Brady confirmed the announcement himself via a series of social media posts.
In his statement, Brady spent a considerable amount of time thanking various people from the Tampa Bay organization, teammates, and other supporting staff members.
Shortly after Brady made the announcement himself, longtime rival on the field and former Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning also used social media to make a statement regarding the news. And while, yes, fans do love the Manning/Brady rivalry, it has seemed as though both legendary quarterbacks are more than good friends at this point.
“Congratulations to my friend Tom on an unbelievable football career,” Hall of Fame quarterback Manning said in a statement. “To do it as long as he did, at the highest of levels is absolutely incredible. It was an honor & priviledge to compete against him on the field, and I truly appreciate his friendship off the field.”
See Also from RTI: Peyton Manning Thanks Tennessee in Hall of Fame Speech
In 17 all-time meetings between Manning and Brady, the former New England and Tampa Bay quarterback has the lead on Manning, 11-6. Additionally, the two quarterbacks matched up against each other in every year of their careers except for 2008, 2011, and 2015 due to injury.
“I have always admired & respected his competitiveness, his dedication, his discipline, and his commitment to being the best,” Manning continued on to say about Brady. “I wish him the best in his next chapter. Congratulations again, pal!”
With his retirement coming earlier than Brady’s, Manning was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame while Brady was still playing in Tampa Bay. However, that gave Manning the opporiunity to land a joke on his friend during his Hall of Fame acceptance speech.
Peyton Manning couldn't resist sneaking in a Tom Brady joke during his acceptance speech 😂
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/NlGESKUPNO
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 9, 2021
“And speaking of rivals, my good friend Tom Brady is here tonight,” Manning said in his HoF speech, but was forced to wait as the crowd laughingly boo’d Brady. “By the time Tom Brady is inducted in his first year of eligibility, in the year 2035, he’ll only have time to post his acceptance speech on his Instagram account.”
"It was an honor and a privilege to compete against him on the field, and I truly appreciate his friendship off the field."
Peyton Manning on @TomBrady's retirement: pic.twitter.com/yuGQwCCn6B
— Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) February 1, 2022
