Tom Brady's career was one for the ages.
"He gave us so much entertainment," said Patriots fan Bruce Haas. "So much fun over the past 20 years."
After 22 seasons, seven Super Bowl wins and an armful of stats for the record books, Brady announced his retirement from the NFL Tuesday.
"I am going to miss him," said Haas. "I rooted for him when he went to Tampa Bay. Not when he played the Patriots, mind you."
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There may never be another one like the GOAT. Still playing at a top level at 44, he seemed to get even better as he got older.
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"It's everything he's done after 40," said Ben Volin, senior NFL writer for the Boston Globe. "That's what separates Brady from everyone else. Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, all the greatest athletes of all time, Brady's had a Hall of Fame career just in his 40s."
"He raised the standard of excellence every single day he stepped out on that field," said former teammate Matt Cassel.
It was Brady's early years that played a monumental role in turning around a team that had too often struggled in the NFL.
"It really changed the culture here when Brady was 24 and was MVP of the Super Bowl in 2002," said Boston Globe sports columnist Dan Shaughnessy.