Sports

Tom Brady Retires At 45, Insisting This Time It’s ‘For Good’

Published

1 year ago

2023-02-01

TAMPA, Florida — Tom Brady says he’s done for good this time.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion with New England and Tampa Bay announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, exactly one year after he first said he was done playing. He did this with a short video on social media that was just under one minute long.

Unlike last winter, the most successful quarterback in league history and one of the best athletes in team sports said that his decision was final.

“Good morning, gentlemen. “I’ll get right to the point,” Brady says as the message begins. “I’m calling it quits. For the long haul.”

He briefly retired after the 2021 season but returned to the Buccaneers for one more season. He is 45 years old, and in his 23-year NFL career, he has set nearly every important passing record.

Brady Has Announced His Retirement A Couple of Times

He announced his retirement in a lengthy Instagram post a year ago. Six weeks later, he came back for one more run, saying that he had “unfinished business” after leaving the playoffs early.

The Buccaneers, with whom he won a Super Bowl two seasons ago, made the playoffs again but were eliminated in the first round. And it begged whether Brady would play again at the time.

He answered only a few weeks later.

“I know it was a big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning, I figured I’d just press record and let you guys know first,” Brady says in the video. “I won’t go on and on. You get one super emotional retirement essay per year, and I used mine last year.

“I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone for your support. My family, friends, teammates, and rivals. I could go on and on. There are far too many. Thank you for letting me live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a single thing. “I adore you all.”

Brady’s Legacy Is Unparalleled

Brady has the most yards passing (89,214) and touchdowns in NFL history (649). He is the only player to have won more than five Super Bowls and been named MVP of the game five times. He also has records for regular-season wins (251), Super Bowl appearances (10), playoff games and wins (48, 35), and playoff yards and touchdowns (13,400). (88).

“In the history of this game, Tom’s legacy is unparalleled. “All of the Super Bowls and statistical records speak for themselves, but it’s the impact he had on so many people over the years that I value the most,” Buccaneer’s general manager Jason Licht said.

“His imprint on this organization helped us reach the summit. We’ll miss him as our quarterback, but I’ll miss him more as a leader and friend,” Licht added. “Our entire organization is grateful to him for what he has done for us over the last three years. We will never forget his victories or accolades, and his influence will be felt for many years.”

Brady announced his retirement one day after attending the Los Angeles premiere of “80 for Brady,” which will be released on Friday. The film follows four lifelong friends, played by Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field, who attend a Super Bowl to watch Brady play.

He was asked Tuesday night if he felt a connection working with women who don’t want to retire — the four stars’ ages range from 76 to 91.

More Super Bowl Victory

“They’re working hard and enjoying themselves. “It’s fantastic for them,” Brady said. “You know, that’s just what life is about. You have to, you know, get out of bed every day with a purpose. And when you find something you enjoy doing, it isn’t easy to stop. You’re really into it. And there are many aspects that you enjoy. So they bring it even at this age. Watching them on set and seeing how much energy they have is incredible. And I was certainly inspired by them, and I learned a lot from this entire experience.”

Brady was notoriously underrated entering the NFL, having been selected 199th overall by the Patriots in the 2000 draft, ahead of six other quarterbacks, three kickers, and a punter. As a rookie, he appeared in one game and completed one of three passes for six yards.

Everything changed the following year.

Brady took over as the Patriots’ starter, the team won the Super Bowl against the St. Louis Rams, and he and New England coach Bill Belichick were on their way to becoming the most successful coach-QB duo in football history.

He Was As Good As Any Coach Could Hope For

More Super Bowl victories followed the 2003 and 2004 seasons. A decade later, the Patriots won the Super Bowl for the fourth time in Brady’s career to cap the 2014 season, kicking off three more titles in five years.

In his first season with his new team, he added a seventh Super Bowl ring to his collection after signing as a free agent with Tampa Bay in 2020. With Brady at quarterback, the Bucs won 37 games (including playoffs), ranking third in the league over the last three seasons behind Kansas City (46) and Buffalo (41). (41).

“I think I’ve been on the record dozens of times saying there’s no quarterback I’d rather have than Tom Brady, and I still feel that way,” Belichick said in 2021, shortly before Tampa Bay, led by Brady, visited New England and defeated the Patriots in “The Return.” “I was very fortunate to have Tom as the quarterback and to coach him, and he was as good as any coach could hope for.”

In his final season, Brady set league single-season records for completions (490) and pass attempts (733) while throwing for 4,643 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. On the other hand, the Buccaneers finished dead last in rushing offense and struggled to get the ball into the end zone after being forced to rely almost entirely on Brady’s arm.

Brady’s Divorce Changed Things For The Player

After scoring 61 touchdowns in 2021, Tampa Bay fell to 31 last season and averaged just 18.4 points per game, down from more than 30 in Brady’s first two seasons with the Bucs.

With an 8-9 record in Brady’s only losing season as an NFL starter in over two decades, the Buccaneers became just the fourth team in league history to earn a postseason berth despite a losing record in a non-strike year. The offensive struggles continued in a lopsided NFC wild-card round loss to Dallas.

Brady won three NFL MVP awards, was a three-time first-team All-Pro and was selected to the Pro Bowl 15 times.

Brady and model Gisele Bündchen divorced last fall during the Buccaneers’ season. It marked the end of a 13-year marriage between two football and fashion superstars who had reached the pinnacle of their respective careers.

Last year, it was announced that Brady would join Fox Sports as a television analyst in a 10-year, $375 million contract when he retires from football.

SOURCE – (AP)

Sports

LeBron James Rants At NBA’s Replay Center For Calls, Lakers Lose On Buzzer-Beater, Trail Denver 2-0

Published

13 hours ago

2024-04-23

Kiara Grace

AP - VOR News Image

DENVER — LeBron James was upset after the Los Angeles Lakers squandered a good opportunity.

His annoyance wasn’t so much over losing a 20-point lead. Or his late missed 3-pointer, which rimmed out with the game tied. Or Jamal Murray’s fadeaway buzzer-beater that lifted the Denver Nuggets to a 101-99 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of their first-round series on Monday night.

James’ rage came from a greater distance: the NBA’s replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey. At the center of his rage was a second-half foul on Michael Porter Jr. that was reversed by the league because MPJ made only minor contact on D’Angelo Russell.

AP – VOR News image

LeBron James Rants At NBA’s Replay Center For Calls, Lakers Lose On Buzzer-Beater, Trail Denver 2-0

“I don’t understand what’s going on in the replay center, to be honest,” said James, whose team returns to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Thursday, behind 2-0. “D-Lo was certainly smacked in the face during the drive. What the (expletive) do we have a replay center… it makes no sense. It doesn’t make sense. “It bothers me.”

James was not his normal talkative self in his postgame interview after the Lakers saw Murray and the Nuggets come back from a 68-48 deficit to win their 10th straight game against the Lakers.

With about 16 seconds remaining, James had a wide-open 3-pointer that could have given the Lakers the lead.

“Rimmed out,” bemoaned James, who had 26 points and 12 assists.

Porter collected the rebound, setting up Murray’s game-winning fadeaway shot over Anthony Davis as time expired.

AP – VOR News Image

LeBron James Rants At NBA’s Replay Center For Calls, Lakers Lose On Buzzer-Beater, Trail Denver 2-0

James got straight to the point after the game.

— On Denver’s comeback, which featured a 32-20 fourth-quarter loss: “We missed shots. We still had terrific looks, we just missed them. “They made it.”

— On Russell shooting seven three-pointers after going one for nine from deep in the series opener: “We never lost faith in him.” “D-Lo is D-Lo.”

— On whether the Lakers can carry any momentum from this victory into victory 3 in Los Angeles: “Every game is its own challenge.”

— On the difficulties of a painful loss: “Of course, it’s a heartbreaking game, and you don’t want to lose in that way.”

That’s when James started expressing his dissatisfaction with the replay center. Earlier in the game, Murray was called for a foul when James drove to the basket, but the Nuggets successfully challenged the ruling.

AP – VOR news Image

LeBron James Rants At NBA’s Replay Center For Calls, Lakers Lose On Buzzer-Beater, Trail Denver 2-0

In his replay-center diatribe, James referred to Monday’s previous game, in which the New York Knicks rallied in the final 30 seconds for a thrilling 104-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Donte DiVincenzo hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 13 seconds left, capping off a drive that began when they stole the ball from Tyrese Maxey. Joel Embiid said Maxey was fouled, and that coach Nick Nurse and several players tried to call a timeout before the Knicks got the ball.

“What are we doing?” James stated as he concluded his postgame interview.

SOURCE – (AP)

Tech

FIFA Nears $1 Billion Deal with Apple TV Plus

Published

1 day ago

2024-04-23

Geoff Thomas

FIFA Nears $1 Billion Deal with Apple TV Plus

FIFA is close to sealing a deal with Apple: CTN News Image

FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, wants to stage a World Cup-style event with 32 top club clubs from around the world. If talks between Apple and FIFA are successful, it might be shown on Apple TV Plus.

According to the New York Times, FIFA is close to sealing a deal with Apple for global rights to the event. According to the Times, an agreement might be revealed by the end of the month.

According to reports, the purchase could be worth $1 billion, significantly less than FIFA‘s expectation of $4 billion. It is unclear whether this club tournament will be shown solely on Apple TV Plus or with free-to-air rights.

VOR News

Nonetheless, given Apple’s interest in live sports for its streaming service — Apple TV Plus presently features Major League Soccer events as well as a monthly Major League Baseball doubleheader — one would expect Apple TV Plus to be the exclusive home for the Club World Cup.

The 32-team tournament is slated to begin in June 2025. The competition would include club teams from Africa (4 teams), Asia (4), Europe (12 teams), North America/Central/Caribbean (4), Oceania (1 team), and South America (6 teams).

FIFA has been attempting to launch a version of this competition for some years. The final big stab was scheduled to take place in China in 2021. COVID delayed and ultimately ended that iteration of the event.

VOR News

Supposedly, both broadcasters and sponsors have been hesitant to agree to FIFA’s asking fees. So, this could be the last chance for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to make this event a reality.

If this agreement is completed, it will be the first time FIFA has entered into a single global contract for viewing.

Soccer has proven to be a popular source of content for streaming services aiming to attract viewers (and subscribers). Peacock presently has the streaming rights for English Premier League fixtures. Paramount Plus presently holds the rights to the UEFA Champions League.

Sports

Scottie Scheffler Wins the RBC Heritage Taking Home $3.6M Prize

Published

1 day ago

2024-04-22

Geoff Thomas

Scottie Sheffler Wins the RBC Heritage: Getty Image

PGA Golfer Scottie Scheffler has won the 2024 RBC Heritage on Monday in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with a 19-under 265 score. The world number one has won four of his past five contests.

Scheffler shot a 3-under 68 in his final 18 holes at Harbor Town Golf Links. The final round was postponed due to rain on Sunday afternoon and ultimately halted due to darkness.

“I got off to a slow start on Thursday, but played some really nice golf in the middle of the tournament,” Scheffler said on the Golf Channel. “Yeah, it’s nice to be done.”

Scheffler entered Monday’s round at 20-under par, with three holes to play. He made pars on 16 and 17 before finishing with a bogey on 18 to win the event and $3.6 million.

Scheffler has won $16.25 million in the last 44 days, including $3.6 million from winning the 2024 Masters Tournament last week.

He began his rich run by winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational — and the $4 million first-place prize — on March 10 in Orlando, Florida. A week later, on March 17, he won the Players Championship at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, earning $4.5 million.

RBC Heritage his 10th career PGA Tour victory

He won his green jacket and second Masters title two weeks later at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

Scheffler recorded 20 birdies and an eagle during his 36-hole victory at the RBC Heritage. A double bogey on Thursday, along with a bogey on Monday, resulted in his lowest scores of the event.

On March 31, Scheffler tied for second at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. The world number one won $553,735 from the five-way tie.

Sahith Theegala shot a 16-under 268 to finish second at the RBC Heritage, three strokes behind Scheffler. Wyndham Clark and Patrick Cantlay tied for third place after shooting 15-under 269s.

Scheffler, who made his professional debut in 2018, currently has ten career PGA Tour victories. He won his first tournament in 2022.

Zurich Classic in New Orleans

The PGA Tour’s next tournament is the 2024 Zurich Classic in New Orleans. The competition will take place from Thursday to Sunday at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, Louisiana. Scheffler is not included in the team event field.

Scheffler’s wife, Meredith, is expecting their first child later this month. The second major of the season, the PGA Championship, will take place in Louisville, Kentucky, from May 16 to 19.

The RBC Heritage is an annual PGA Tour event that takes place at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. It’s one of the tour’s must-see events, taking place in April immediately following the Masters.

Pete Dye developed the course, which is known for its tight fairways, overhanging trees, and short greens, giving it a true challenge for professional golfers.

The tournament has drawn elite players since 1969, because to its gorgeous setting and tough layout. Harbour Town’s renowned 18th hole is a beast, with a shot over Calibogue Sound to a tiny green.

Every year, fans gather there to witness the drama unfold. The winner receives the renowned plaid jacket, making the RBC Heritage one of golf’s most prestigious non-major tournaments.

Source: Yahoo Sports