Tom Brady Retires to Focus on Family, NFT Startup

The legendary quarterback retires after a 22-year career in the NFL, with seven Super Bowl rings and a startup, Autograph, that just raised $170 million.

AccessTimeIconFeb 1, 2022 at 4:10 p.m. UTC
Updated Feb 1, 2022 at 9:14 p.m. UTC
Daniel Alegre
CEO
Yuga Labs
Hear from Yuga Labs new CEO in his first public appearance since assuming the position.
Daniel Alegre
CEO
Yuga Labs
Consensus 2023 Logo
Hear from Yuga Labs new CEO in his first public appearance since assuming the position.

Nikhilesh De is CoinDesk's managing editor for global policy and regulation. He owns marginal amounts of bitcoin and ether.

Daniel Alegre
CEO
Yuga Labs
Hear from Yuga Labs new CEO in his first public appearance since assuming the position.
Daniel Alegre
CEO
Yuga Labs
Consensus 2023 Logo
Hear from Yuga Labs new CEO in his first public appearance since assuming the position.

National Football League star quarterback – and NFT startup founder – Tom Brady officially announced his retirement Tuesday, saying he planned to spend more time with his family and working on his businesses.

Brady played for the New England Patriots for 20 years, winning a record six Super Bowls with that team before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and winning a seventh in 2021. ESPN reporter Adam Schefter first reported Brady's retirement on Saturday.

"The future is exciting," Brady wrote in an Instagram post. "I'm fortunate to have cofounded incredible companies like [Autograph, BRADY and TB12 Sports] that I am excited to continue to help build and grow, but exactly what my days will look like will be a work-in-progress."

The quarterback announced Autograph, his non-fungible token (NFT) platform, in April, saying the company would help athletes and other famous individuals create and market their own digital collectibles. The company partnered with DraftKings and Lionsgate to create NFTs based on film franchises as well as sports stars.

Autograph raised $170 million earlier this month with backing from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, Katie Haun and Kleiner Perkins. But Brady said he's been interested in crypto for far longer than just the past year.

He told CoinDesk's Consensus 2021 conference that he wanted to be part of the crypto industry after discussing it with one of his coaches heading into the 2020 season.

"It's really been a crash course in this offseason. All these things happen pretty quickly," he said at the time. "But obviously the more I learned about crypto and blockchain technologies, I really was wanting to be a part of building a great platform that could create opportunities for myself, other artists, other entertainment brands to create great collectibles."

While Brady at that time said he did not think the NFL would pay its athletes in crypto directly, he does believe an increasing number of football players may choose to invest in digital assets, saying he had invested in some crypto.

On football, Brady said during Consensus that he enjoyed playing with teammates "half [his] age" because he felt he could mentor these younger players. Brady is 44 years old.

"It's not about me going, 'Wow, I've accomplished this in comparison to what everyone else has, in my particular career,'" he said. "It's really about 'what were the opportunities that were presented to me, and based on all the things and experiences that have happened in my life the people that have come into my life, how do I make the most of my opportunity?'"

At the time he had just won his seventh Super Bowl, setting a record for having more NFL championships than any player or team in the league.

"Competition, I think brings out the best in all of us," Brady said.

DISCLOSURE

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.

CoinDesk - Unknown

Nikhilesh De is CoinDesk's managing editor for global policy and regulation. He owns marginal amounts of bitcoin and ether.


Learn more about Consensus 2023, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.


CoinDesk - Unknown

Nikhilesh De is CoinDesk's managing editor for global policy and regulation. He owns marginal amounts of bitcoin and ether.