Tom Brady tweeted for the first time on Monday, and the message sent shockwaves through the Patriots fan base – at least until they realized that the tweet had come on April Fools’ Day.
Brady’s first ever appearance on Twitter began with a brief message saying that he would be retiring, a statement he later clarified was a joke for anyone who may have taken it a bit too seriously.
Brady an Instant Hit on Twitter
At 41 years old, the New England quarterback could decide to retire at any time he lies without truly stunning the world, though it would come as a big surprise given the level of play he has maintained even in his later years. So when Brady posted his first tweet, it quickly provoked a reaction.
I'm retiring. In my spare time, I'll be tweeting #LFG
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) April 1, 2019
“I’m retiring,†the tweet read. “In my spare time, I’ll be tweeting.â€
By Tuesday morning, that short post had garnered 49,000 retweets and over 190,000 likes. Brady waited a couple hours to confirm that he was not, in fact, looking to replace touchdown passes with viral social media posts.
Was this a bad joke?
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) April 1, 2019
Most of the sports world caught on pretty quickly that Brady was just joking, with many of his contemporaries posting humorous responses to the “announcement.†Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman told his quarterback to stay right where he was, while Donte Stallworth gave Brady a less than encouraging welcome to Twitter.
— Julian Edelman (@Edelman11) April 1, 2019
Welcome to hell, @TomBrady.
— Donté Stallworth (@DonteStallworth) April 1, 2019
While Brady may be new to Twitter, he has been on social media for a while, even if he has always been a bit late to the party. The quarterback has been on Facebook since 2013, and made an Instagram account in early 2017. It hasn’t taken him long to amass a following on Twitter, though: after just two tweets, he already has more than 300,000 followers.
Brady Not Contemplating Retirement Just Yet
A 19-year NFL veteran, Brady has won six Super Bowls with the Patriots, most recently doing so in February, when New England beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII. He is a three-time league MVP and has made 14 Pro Bowls in his career. Last season, he led the Patriots to an 11-5 record while throwing for 29 touchdowns and 4,355 yards.
All joking aside, Brady has previously indicated that he plans to come back for 2019, and may play well beyond then. He has consistently talked down talk of his retirement despite his age, saying that he would be interested in playing until he is about 45 years old as long as he remains healthy.
If he does so, he could break one more record in his illustrious career. Steve DeBerg is the oldest quarterback to ever start an NFL game, having done so when he was 44 years and 279 days old. To break that record, Brady would have to continue playing into the 2022 NFL season.
