Tom Brady Snubbed Patriots in Retirement Post, and Robert Kraft Was Reportedly Fuming

When Tom Brady announced his retirement, he made no mention of the New England Patriots, which didn’t sit well with Patriots owner Robert Kraft since Brady was with the team for 20 seasons. Former Patriots player Ted Johnson appeared on NBC Sports Boston and said Kraft had a “temper tantrum” after learning that Brady left the Patriots out of his retirement announcement. 

“I was told earlier tonight that … it was an unpleasant day today at the executive offices in Foxboro and that Robert Kraft initially when he first heard the news was very upset,” Johnson said, per CBS Sports. “He was screaming and he was yelling and there was a temper tantrum that he threw after he read this IG post. So, he was not happy about it in Foxboro, and I’m not surprised. But to hear about the outward emotion that he showed regarding this post was a little bit surprising.”  

After Brady made his announcement, he showed a little love to his former team on social media while responding to Kraft’s statement. “Thank you Patriots Nation. I’m beyond grateful. Love you all.” In the retirement post, Brady thanked everyone from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers along with his family and others. Brady had success in his two seasons with the Bucs as he won a Super Bowl in 2020. However, he made a name for himself in New England, leading the team to nine Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl wins. 

“Words cannot describe the feelings I have for Tom Brady, nor adequately express the gratitude my family, the New England Patriots and our fans have for Tom for all he did during his career,” Kraft said in his statement. “A generation of football fans have grown up knowing only an NFL in which Tom Brady dominated.

“He retires with nearly every NFL career passing record, yet the only one that ever mattered to him was the team’s win-loss record. In his 20 years as a starter his teams qualified for the playoffs 19 times. He led his teams to 10 Super Bowls, winning an NFL-record seven championships. In a team sport like football, it is rare to see an individual have such a dominant impact on a team’s success. You didn’t have to be a Patriots fan to respect and appreciate his competitiveness, determination and will to win that fueled his success.”