Tom Brady may have left out a certain team in his retirement message, but Patriots superfan Mark Wahlberg doesn’t believe the quarterback meant to ruffle feathers.
During an appearance Wednesday on “People (the TV Show!),” the “Uncharted” actor addressed Brady’s viral post, in which he thanked loved ones and the Buccaneers organization, among others.
“No, no, I think this should be about Tom and his family, and letting Tom handle it the way he wants. He’ll always be a Patriot,” Wahlberg said when asked about Brady’s message.
“I don’t think one season, one championship, or two seasons in Tampa is going to take away from the legacy and his mark that he put on New England and in the NFL as a whole. So he’ll always be a Patriot.”
Brady spent the first 20 seasons of his legendary career with the Patriots before joining the Buccaneers in March 2020. He won a Super Bowl — his seventh overall — in his first year with the team. Although Tampa Bay reached the playoffs this past season, the Buccaneers were defeated by the Rams in the Divisional Round in late January.
In the days following the game, speculation regarding Brady’s retirement began to ramp up. On Tuesday, the 44-year-old quarterback officially called it a career after 22 seasons.
“This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention,” Brady posted on Instagram.
In response to Brady’s retirement news, Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a statement, which the quarterback later expressed gratitude for.
Wahlberg, who hails from Massachusetts, added Wednesday that he’s “very happy” for Brady and will let the dust settle a bit before reaching out to his former co-star.
“I haven’t reached out to him yet. I don’t want to bother him. He’s a busy dude,” Wahlberg said. “He’s got a lot going on, probably lots to do with the family, but you know, at the right time, I’ll reach out to him.”
Although Brady has branched out beyond football business-wise, Wahlberg has high hopes for what the seven-time Super Bowl champ may accomplish next.
“I think he’s done so much for football, certainly for New England, even for Tampa,” he said. “It’s nice for him to go out on his own terms and go and enjoy the rest of his life. And many, many great things to come from him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t go conquer the world and become the GOAT at something else.”
Brady has said in interviews ahead of his retirement announcement that he wanted to spend time with his family, including wife Gisele Bündchen, and his children.
“I’m gonna spend some time with them and give them what they need, because they’ve really been giving me what I need the last six months — to do what I need to do and I said this a few years ago. It’s what relationships are all about. It’s not always about what I want. It’s about what we want as a family,” Brady said on his SiriusXM podcast, “Let’s Go!”
“I’m gonna spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what’s next.”