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Even for New England fans saddened by Brady's
announcement, the news was a respite from the daily deluge of
postponements and cancellations by leagues and events as the
pandemic decimates the sports landscape.
At a time when basketball, hockey and baseball spring training
would normally dominate U.S. sports headlines, Brady put the
dormant National Football League in the spotlight, bringing some
of the chatty fun back to a sports world reeling from the doom
and gloom of a global pandemic.
Moments after his tweet, Brady was trending on social media. CNN
cut into its 24/7 coronavirus coverage with the breaking news
that the three time NFL most valuable player and four-time Super
Bowl MVP was leaving New England.
"Although my football journey will take place elsewhere, I
appreciate everything that we have achieved and am grateful for
our incredible TEAM accomplishments," Brady wrote on his social
media accounts.
For North America's all-sport television and radio stations
starved for content that post was nothing short of pure gold
providing days of endless analysis, discussion and dissection
while the future Hall of Famer decides where he will play next.
Brady's departure would normally be a hot topic in sports bars
across the United States. But many fans had to communicate
electronically since the coronavirus has forced a shutdown of
taverns and restaurants in much of the country.
Facebook, Twitter, sports talk radio and fan websites were full
of chatter about how NFL free agency begins on Wednesday;
speculation about where the 42-year-old quarterback will land
and who is to blame for Brady's departure.
Sportsbetting.ag labels the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Brady's next
stop, followed by the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas
Raiders.
The smart money is on the Buccaneers, who have an elite
receiving corps, a top defense and may give Brady the best
chance to join Peyton Manning as the only quarterback to win
Super Bowls with two different teams.
While amateur and professional sports leagues around the world
have spent days dispensing nothing but unwelcome news suspending
tournaments and schedules, the out-of-season NFL has skated by
virtually untouched by the pandemic.
The football season does not start until September. So other
than the April draft which will go on without fans, it has not
yet had to deal with any major coronavirus fallout.
Fans cannot bet on games, because none are being played, but
they can wager on where Brady will end up.
Turning 43 in August, Brady has a lot of miles on him for an NFL
quarterback but plenty of teams are still kicking the tires of
the iron man who last season became the only 42-year-old to
start all 16 games on an NFL team's schedule.
Apparently Brady's wife super model Gisele Bundchen has let her
husband know she would prefer somewhere with a warm climate.
"When I look at a possible landing for Tom, and it is kind of
crazy I'm not talking about Tom Brady being the Patriots
quarterback for the rest of his life, I look at teams like the
Tampa Bay Bucs or maybe the LA Chargers," said former-Patriots
wide receiver Randy Moss, now ESPN NFL commentator. "Between the
two of them I like the wide receiver corps of Tampa Bay.
"Tom Brady has always wanted a weapon to have, he Gronk (Rob
Gronkowski), he had myself, he Julian Edelman and I think Tampa
Bay would be a good fit."
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto. Editing by David
Gregorio)
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