‘It’s best I leave the field now‘

AS Tom Brady called time on his 22-year, record-shattering NFL career, he said he could no longer give “100 percent competitive commitment”.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, who won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and a seventh last year with the Bucs, was on holiday in Europe when he confirmed rumours that started almost two weeks ago.

He had always said he would play for only as long as he felt he could compete at a title-winning level, and with his 45th birthday coming five weeks before the start of next season, he finally accepted that time was up.

Brady said: “I have always believed football is an ‘all-in’ proposition – if a 100 percent competitive commitment isn’t there, you won’t succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game.”

He added: “My team-mates, coaches, fellow competitors and fans deserve 100 percent of me, but right now, it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation.”