The insanely ironic thing about this whole thing? When Tom Brady officially announced his retirement a few minutes ago on his Instagram page, I was writing a headline for an article where I was going to actually apologize to him.

Speculation of Tom Brady's retirement started on Saturday

The only thing that could upstage the biggest blizzard we've seen in New England in a while this past Saturday, was news of Tom Brady retiring. That first broke Saturday afternoon in a tweet posted by sports writer Adam Schefter.

Tributes started pouring out for Brady all across social media, including from his own company, TB12sports, which was deleted shortly after. However, considering this "news" first "broke" a day before both Conference Championships were going to be played to determine who plays in this year's Super Bowl -- well, it rubbed one person the wrong way.

Me.

And I was actually going to write an apology article for maybe making a quick snap judgment since he himself didn't actually address anything about retiring, until...

Tom Brady officially announced his retirement on Instagram less than an hour ago

Look, the retirement was inevitable. But it's what he said -- rather, what he didn't say -- which stands out the most and makes me double down on how I ended the above-posted tweet.

In his official statement, which seems like more of a 400-chapter storybook, the following thanks and love is given:

"To my Bucs teammates the past two years, I love you guys, and I have loved going to battle with you."

 

"To all the Bucs fans, thank you."

 

"To the city of Tampa and the entire Tampa-St. Petersburg region, thank you."

 

"To the Glazer family (who owns the Bucs), thank you for taking a chance on me and supporting me."

 

"To Jason Licht (the GM for the Bucs), thank you for your daily support and friendship - I will never forget it."

 

"To my head coach Bruce Arians, thanks for putting up with me!"

 

"To all the Bucs coaches, my sincere thanks for all the hard work, dedication, and discipline that goes into creating a winning team."

 

"To every single Bucs staffer and employee, thank you."

He goes on to thank more people as well like his agent, his parents, Gisele -- but you know who he doesn't mention once?

New England.

And fine. There were rumors that things ended insanely badly between he and the Pats brass. Whether it was an issue with Bob Kraft, Bill Belichick, someone in between -- fine. We all come across those bosses and ownership we disagree with and part ways with.

BUT HOW DO YOU NOT THANK THE FANS OF NEW ENGLAND WHO BASICALLY LICKED THE GRASS YOU WALKED ON? And how do you not thank the teammates that wore the same uniform you did for the first 20 years of your career that made you what you are? That helped make you the GOAT?

You want to leave us after two decades? Fine, Tom. You're entitled. You're entitled to tell the Pats brass to shove it, and go find success at a different team. And for as many New Englanders who turned on you when you left, that many more supported you when you did. Rooted you on as if you were still a member of our local team. Still celebrated you and hyped you up when you took a real "meh" team and brought them all the way to the Super Bowl Championship in your first year.

And we don't even get so much as a thank you? Two words? Not even a social media abbreviated "TY?"

We were looking forward to the day, and assumed the day would come, where you eventually would retire and hopefully sign a one-day contract to retire as a member of the New England Patriots. New England always considered you at home here, even if you hate the cold temperatures.

But now -- who knows. And honestly? Who cares.

Brady may forget about New England, but these celebrities are proud to call New England home

These celebrities all have ties to New England in some way, shape, or form!

LOOK: 50 images of winning moments from sports history

Sometimes images are the best way to honor the figures we've lost. When tragedy swiftly reminds us that sports are far from the most consequential thing in life, we can still look back on an athlete's winning moment that felt larger than life, remaining grateful for their sacrifice on the court and bringing joy to millions.

Read on to explore the full collection of 50 images Stacker compiled showcasing various iconic winning moments in sports history. Covering achievements from a multitude of sports, these images represent stunning personal achievements, team championships, and athletic perseverance.

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