Brady: Leaving Patriots For Buccaneers Not About Legacy
Brady said he wasn't concerned with how his move from the Patriots to the Buccaneers would impact his legacy
Tom Brady knew his time with the New England Patriots was coming to an end before the start of last season and insists he has no concern for his legacy after signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady left the Patriots last month after winning six Super Bowl titles in a storied 20-year spell that saw him established as the greatest quarterback of all time.
He subsequently signed a two-year contract with the Buccaneers after finally entering free agency at the age of 42.
Appearing on The Howard Stern Show on Wednesday, Brady was asked why he did not simply retire with his legacy secured after the Patriots' playoff defeat to the Tennessee Titans in January.
"I never cared about legacy, I could give a s*** about legacy," Brady replied. "It's just not me, it's not my personality.
"It was just time, I don't know what to say other than that. I accomplished everything I could in two decades with an incredible organisation.
"I probably knew before the start of last season that it was my last year. I knew our time was coming to an end."
New England head coach Bill Belichick was reportedly keen to move on from Brady and go with Jimmy Garoppolo as the Patriots' starting quarterback before the latter was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in October 2017.
Quizzed on whether he felt any lack of loyalty from Belichick when he heard that speculation, Brady said: "I think he has a lot of loyalty.
"So many wrong assumptions were made about our relationship or how he felt about me. I know how he felt about me.
"I got into uncharted territory as an athlete because I started to break the mould of what so many other athletes had experienced as an older athlete. He started to plan for the future, I don't fault him for that."
There are doubts as to whether the 2020 NFL season, due to start in September, will even take place as the United States battles the coronavirus pandemic.
Asked about the possibility of playing games without any fans, he responded: "I would play [behind closed doors].
"I don't think anyone has any great predictions for how this is going to turn out."
