Tom Brady and Julian Edelman.Photo: Tom Brady/Instagram
Tom Bradyis giving his friend and former teammate,Julian Edelman, a heartfelt send-off following the latter’s announcement thathe is retiring from professional football.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, 43, posted a gallery of photos of himself and Edelman during their time together on the New England Patriots,beginning the captionof his Monday post with a sweet story about the wide receiver’s bond with Brady’s 8-year-old daughterVivian Lake.
“As I was writing this note, Vivi saw the first picture and said ‘daddy, tell Julian to cut his beard, I don’t like it’ … which of course Jules, she never did like it … but you know who did … Me!!” Brady wrote. “Because it meantyou were locked in andit was playoff time. That was when you shined the most. On the biggest stage and in the biggest moments, you always came through.”
The reigningSuper Bowlchampion went on to praise the “journey” Edelman, 34, has taken throughout his career, which Brady said he was honored to bear “witness” to.
“[I] am so proud of you and how you grew from 7th round underdog to an older 7th round underdog. The truth is, you never really grew up 😂😂!” Brady joked. “You never lost that chip on your shoulder. You never let anyone define you as a person or player.”
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Julian Edelman and Tom Brady.Tom Brady/Instagram
Julian Edelman and Tom Brady.Al Bello/Getty
Brady told Edelman in his message that he has “so many teammates that admired your work ethic and will to win, and I am at the top of the list because when I was down and feeling sorry for myself at times, youwere right there to pick me up.”
“You were as tough as could be and I love you for all that you did to make our teams as great as they could possibly be,” he continued.
“You had an amazing football journey, an amazing life journey in New England, and I have no doubt you will succeed in anything you choose to do next! LFG ❤️❤️❤️,” Brady said, joking, “P.S. the bestMet Gala date crasherin the world! 🤣”
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Edelman announced his retirement with avideo shared on Instagramand Twitter Monday. The footage began with a 360-degree shot of the athlete sitting in the middle of the field at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, as audio of his career highlights played in the background.
“Due to an injury last year, I’ll be making myofficial announcement of my retirementfrom football,” Edelman said in his message. “It was a hard decision, but the right decision for me and my family.”
His announcement came hours afterESPN reportedthat his contract had been terminated following a failed physical exam. Last season, he only played in six games due to a knee injury.
Edelman added that he was “honored” and “proud” to be concluding his playing career as a Patriot, before thanking his former coaches, family and fans: “It’s beenthe best 12 years of my life. It’s a helluva run. I can’t forget you, Patriot Nation. You guys have welcomed me and my family to a region we do not know, we didn’t know. But now, I’m one of you. I’m a leave you guys with two words: Foxborough Forever.”
source: people.com
