Brady will not move into Fox announcing booth until 2024
LOS ANGELES » Tom Brady will not go immediately from the playing field to the broadcast booth.
Brady told Colin Cowherd during Monday’s episode of “The Herd” on FS1 and Fox Sports Radio that he will not start his broadcasting career with Fox until the 2024 season.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion — who retired last week after a 23-year career with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers — signed a 10-year deal with Fox last May to become the network’s top analyst when he decided to quit playing for good.
Brady said that he didn’t want to immediately rush into announcing and that he wanted to catch up on some other parts of his life.
“I think one thing about my career whether it was when I was drafted by the Patriots or signing agreements with the Bucs, I wanted to be fully committed and I never wanted to let people down,” Brady said. “I want to be great at what I do, and that always takes some time and strategizing and learning and growing and evolving. I have so many people to rely on that could support me in that growth too.”
Brady is expected to eventually join Kevin Burkhardt on Fox’s top team. Burkhardt and Greg Olsen will call their first Super Bowl on Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles.
Fox, which is carrying its 10th Super Bowl on Sunday, also has Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans after the 2024 season. Brady is still not expected to be a part of Fox’s pregame coverage on Sunday.
Seven-time Pro Bowl WR A.J. Green retires after 12 seasons
PHOENIX » Seven-time Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Green retired on Monday after 12 seasons in the NFL.
The 34-year-old spent a decade with the Cincinnati Bengals before signing with the Arizona Cardinals for the last two seasons of his career.
Selected by the Bengals with the No. 4 overall pick of the 2011 draft out of Georgia, Green was a Pro Bowl selection in each of his first seven seasons, topping 1,000 yards receiving six times.
The 6-foot-4, 207-pounder had a rare blend of size and speed and his low-key personality made him a favorite among teammates. He teamed with quarterback Andy Dalton to lead the Bengals to the playoffs every year from 2011 to 2015, though they never won a game in the postseason.
“I’ve never been a man of many words, so I’ll keep this short,” Green wrote in an Instagram post. “Thank you. Thank you to all who have supported, encouraged, and inspired me throughout my career.
“Special thank you to the University of Georgia, Cincinnati Bengals, and Arizona Cardinals for the opportunity to pursue my dreams. I’ve stayed true to the game and it owes me nothing. Be blessed.. Love y’all! The next chapter begins…”
Justin Rose wins at Pebble Beach to end 4-year drought
PEBBLE BEACH » Justin Rose had a different set of goals at the start of the year.
His back was starting to become bothersome. His world ranking sank to its lowest point in 13 years. And he had reason to wonder if he would spend the first full week in April somewhere other than Augusta National.
All that changed Monday morning when Rose capped off a long week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with three quick birdies and four steady pars that gave him a three-shot victory, his first in four years.
Along with the crystal trophy — his 11th on the PGA Tour, 23rd worldwide — and the $1.62 million prize comes an invitation to the Masters. Rose has been eligible for every major dating to St. Andrews in 2010, a streak he did not want to end.
“Augusta’s definitely been a big part of being on my mind,” Rose said after closing with a 6-under 66 in cool but pristine conditions at Pebble Beach. “I thought the simple way to approach it was try to play my way into the top 50 in the world ... claw my way up the world rankings and make it that way.
“Obviously this,” he said, tapping the crystal on a table next to him, “is a better way to make it by winning a tournament. So yeah, big relief from that point of view.”
The wind-delayed tournament forced a Monday finish, and Rose had staked himself to a twoshot lead Sunday night with an eagle-birdie-par stretch along the ocean.
And then he delivered a knockout punch early to as many as a dozen players who were within three shots of the lead at various points on the course.
After a good two-putt par on the 10th to resume his round, Rose holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 11th, a 20-foot birdie putt on the 13th and then hit a wedge to the back shelf on the par-5 14th to 8 feet for a third birdie.
From there, it was about playing it safe and soaking up the views.
For all the weather this week — and it was everything, all the time — the final three hours featured a stunning blue sky and big surf, waves crashing into the rocks and adding to a scenery that already is among the best in golf.
Rose finished three shots clear of Brendon Todd (65) and Brandon Wu (66).
“An incredible week from start to finish with so much happening in my favor,” Rose said.
The 42-year-old from England had not won since Torrey Pines in 2019, when he was No. 1 in the world. He finished last year at No. 76, his lowest point since early in 2010.
“Amazing how long it’s been,” said Rose, whose victory moved him to No. 35.