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Patriots fans brand Tom Brady 'traitor' after he ignores team in 962-word retirement statement

Tom Brady won six Super Bowl titles for New England Patriots during his 20-year long stint with the team

Following weeks of speculation, NFL legend Tom Brady finally announced his retirement on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. The 44-year-old has played in the NFL for over 22 years, including his last two seasons with Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady posted a lengthy 962-word retirement statement where he showered praises on the Buccanneers. However, he did not mention a single word about his former team New England Patriots, leaving Patriot fans disheartened and angry.

Brady also left out Patriots coach Bill Belichick or owner Robert Kraft in his statement, despite their immense contribution to his career. Brady spent 20 years with the Patriots and won as many as six Super Bowl titles with them. However, his shocking snub to the team after retirement prompted angry fans to dub Brady a 'cheating traitor'. Many Patriots fans took to social media to blast the NFL icon, who later admitted that he was "beyond grateful" to his previous team. 

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Tom Brady started his career as a quarterback with Michigan Wolverines Football way back in 1995. He then joined the New England Patriots in 2000 and played with the team for 20 seasons till 2020. His stint at the Patriots attributes to most of his success, as he bagged six Super Bowl titles with them. In fact, his first-ever Super Bowl title came in 2002, on his second season with the Patriots. He trained under longtime Patriots coach Bill Belichick for over two decades but gave him the cold shoulder in his retirement post. 

Meanwhile, furious fans of New England Patriots slammed Tom Brady left and right, as one fan tweeted, "Tom Brady announcing his retirement with a ton of thanks to everyone but neglecting New England, Belichick, the Patriots franchise, etc is really stinging. I knew he was a traitor but damn."

Another Patriots fan wrote an emotional note to Brady saying, "For 22 years I watched you. I defended you when everyone called you a traitor for going to the BUCS. So to not even mention your Patriots fans in your retirement speech is an absolute travesty. For 22 years I've watched you and now it's like I don't even matter."

"That cheating traitor doesn't care a thing about his supporters and has betrayed them again and again. Of course, I am talking about Tom Brady who did not even thank Patriot fans in his retirement announcement," a third fan lashed out.

Brady also earned backlash from noted sports journalists as Dave Kluge tweeted, "Did anyone else notice that Tom Brady’s retirement announcement doesn’t mention the Patriots or Bill Belichick at all?"

Patriots writer Ryan Hannable wrote, "First takeaway from Tom Brady's retirement statement: No mention of anyone with the Patriots."

Many fans are also speculating that Brady's retirement post was particularly dedicated towards Bucs and that he still has something special in store to thank the Patriots fans.