Robert Kraft Was Reportedly Fuming Over Tom Brady's Goodbye Post Snub
One thing we know for sure is that Tom Brady is calling time on his career. The legendary quarterback — who's largely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time — officially announced on February 1 that he would be retiring by sharing a lengthy post on Instagram in which he explained he wasn't going to make the "competitive commitment" to playing professionally any longer.
"I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention," he wrote, before thanking his teammates at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and everyone associated with the team. "I love you guys, and I have loved going to battle with you," he said. Brady headed to Florida in 2020 after spending a whopping 20 seasons playing for the New England Patriots, taking the Bucs all the way to win the Super Bowl in February 2021.
One thing we don't know for sure, though? If there's some kind of Patriots problem for Brady. Despite spending around two decades playing in New England, Brady's Instagram message failed to acknowledge his former team, teammates, or co-workers in any capacity. And that reportedly did not sit well (like, at all) with the team's CEO and Brady's apparent friend, Robert Kraft, who hit the headlines in October 2021 for a sweet chat he had with the athlete before the Bucs took on the Patriots.
Robert Kraft's 'temper tantrum'
Former New England Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson revealed Robert Kraft's apparent reaction to Tom Brady's big news, and, well, it sounds like he really wasn't happy.
Johnson claimed that Kraft "was very upset" after reading Brady's retirement announcement on Instagram and was supposedly "screaming" and "yelling" over it. But that wasn't all. Johnson explained on NBC Sports Boston that Kraft was supposedly so unhappy that he went on to have a "significant temper tantrum." Yikes!
Kraft hasn't yet publicly responded to the claims, though he seemed to gain his composure enough to wish the best to his former co-worker shortly after the announcement went public. Kraft responded to Brady's news in a statement posted to the Patriots' Instagram, in which he wrote he had "the greatest respect" for Brady "and always will." Kraft also claimed that the two have a "close bond" and "will always consider him an extension of [his] immediate family."
As for Brady's take on that, he shared a copy of the statement to his Instagram Stories and wrote, "Thank you @patriots and Patriot Nation ... Beyond grateful and love you all." He shared the same sentiment on Twitter.
As for why Brady seemingly snubbed his former co-workers at the Patriots, we hear you ask? Well, he hasn't publicly addressed the speculation, though his former teammate Antowain Smith told TMZ Sports he didn't think he "did anything intentionally," noting, "I know he has a place in his heart for Patriot nation."