06 July 2023 , 13:22
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Tom Brady enjoyed an NFL career like no other, with his mentality among the skills that set him apart from the rest.
Perhaps no moment summed up the seven-time Super Bowl champion better than in his final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring "for good" in February.
While Brady developed immense self-belief over the course of his glorious career, which included lifting the Lombardi Trophy six times across 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, he also set incredibly high standards and he was never afraid to criticise himself.
After an overtime loss to the Cleveland Browns in November which left the Bucs languishing at 5-6, Brady assessed his performance in trademark blunt style.
"There are times when I go in and think I'm the worst quarterback who has ever played," Brady said. "That's the way things are when you're losing, you think everything is horrible, although it's probably not all like that. You try to go out the next day and do a better job and bounce back.
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"That's how this sport is; when you're losing everything is horrible and when you win you think everything is great, although it's neither extreme. There is still a long season ahead for us. There is still a lot of football to be played and we hope the best is ahead of us."
Many NFL players have been able to throw the ball like Brady, but few have shared the same kind of clarity and fortitude which made him a formidable leader and one of the game's greatest quarterbacks.
(Getty Images)The 45-year-old called time on his career in February, 12 months after he first retired before returning for one more year in Tampa Bay, which ended with a disappointing exit in the Wildcard round of the playoffs at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys.
Although Brady insisted his career was done after the 2022 season, speculation had swirled that he could be tempted back for one more season, having held a long-standing interest in playing for the Miami Dolphins.
But his investment in the Las Vegas Raiders, acquiring a minority stake from owner Mark Davis, has brought an end to any suggestion that Brady could be seen on an NFL field again.
Instead, Brady is focused on family life, his investments – which include WNBA franchise the Las Vegas Aces as well as the Raiders – and his upcoming broadcast role with Fox, which is set to begin in 2024 and will net Brady $375m ($294m) over 10 years.
Brady told Sports Illustrated last month : "I'm looking forward to my broadcasting job at Fox next year. I am looking forward to the opportunity I have with the Raiders and we are in the process of that. Along with the other different things I'm apart of professionally and in my personal life.
"Just spending as much time as I can with my kids and seeing them grow up, and support the different things they have going on. That is a very important job and I take them all pretty seriously.