NFL legend Tom Brady was seen engaged in an angry phone conversation Wednesday, just after posting an emotional retirement announcement, and a forensic lip reader thinks he knows at least some of what the quarterback had to say.
A bystander caught the end of Brady’s conversation on video as the seven-time Super Bowl winner attended his daughter’s horse riding lessons near their Florida home. While it was unknown who was on their other end receiving Brady’s bombs, it was clear the future Hall of Famer was incensed.
“Stop calling me,” an animated Brady began, according to Jeremy Freeman, a forensic lip reader certified by the Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre at University College London, The Daily Mail reported.
“You say that today and that’s stupid,” Brady continued, adding, “I’ve advised you to stay away from her, she’s hard work.”
“What am I supposed to do?” he asked, according to Freeman, before concluding, “This has to stop.”
Freeman acknowledged the angle of the video made it difficult to translate the whole conversation.
After the phone call, Brady returned to looking calm as he watched his daughter.
It was all part of a highly emotional day for Brady, who insisted in the earlier retirement announcement that he was done for good with playing football.
“Good morning, guys; I’ll get to the point right away,” Brady stated in the video in which he announced his retirement. “I’m retiring. For good. I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured, I’d just press record and let you guys know first. I won’t be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year, so I really thank you guys so much.”
He started getting emotional as he continued. To every single one of you for supporting me: my family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever. There’s too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”
Truly grateful on this day. Thank you 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/j2s2sezvSS
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) February 1, 2023
Brady and his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, with whom he has two children, divorced in late 2022 after being married for 13 years. That followed a tumultuous year in which Brady announced his retirement in January 2022 but then backtracked 40 days later.
Reports indicate Brady may join Fox Sports, which offered him a 10-year, $375 million contract in 2022, according to The New York Times.
Brady’s record playing for the New England Patriots and the Buccaneers includes a record seven Super Bowl victories with five Super Bowl MVP awards, also a record. He holds the record for career completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. He was the oldest player in the NFL when he retired, after a season in which he still threw for the third most passing yards in the league.