League reacts to Brady’s comeback

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Dani Heba, Sports Editor

He’s back.

Just about a month after announcing his retirement from the National Football League on Feb. 1, Tom Brady shared on March 13 that he had a change of heart and is returning to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 23rd season.

“These past two months I’ve realized that my place is still on the field and not in the stands,” Brady tweeted. “That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG .”

The moment was reminiscent of National Basketball Association All-Star Michael Jordan’s “I’m back” moment, although it was a month break rather than a two-year one.

It was hard to believe that Brady would end his career while playing at an elite level. Despite being 44 years old, Brady was a frontrunner for MVP last season after leading the league in touchdowns and passing yards, while boasting the second-highest QB rating.

Celebrations have rung across the league following the announcement.

The Bucs tweeted “LFG” followed by a meme with a picture of Brady captioned “Oh, this is really good by the way.”

Teammate Mike Evans tweeted “LFG!” while Tristan Wirfs, also Brady’s teammate, tweeted “LFG!!! Just unreal.”

“We are thrilled that Tom has decided to come back this season,” Jason Licht, owner of the Bucs, said in a press release. “With this decision now made, we will continue to move forward with our offseason plans to reload this roster for another championship run.”  Head coach Bruce Arians also shared the excitement.

“We are ecstatic that he decided to keep playing and working toward winning another championship,” Arians said, along with tweeting his own “LFG!”

Jalen Ramsey, star cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams, had a hilarious reaction to the news.  “THANK YOU!” Ramsey tweeted. “Throw that last touchdown on somebody else [laughing emoji]” referencing his involvement during Brady’s last touchdown in the NFL Divisional Round.

However, not everybody is excited about Brady’s decision.

The New York Jets had tweeted “this better be real” on Feb. 1 in response to Brady’s retirement. On March 13, they replied back to that tweet with “guess not.” Brady is 30-7 against the Jets in his career.

The Carolina Panthers tweeted a GIF of Mr. Krabs from the Nickelodeon-animated show “SpongeBob SquarePants” twitching one of his eyes. It’s understandable, given that they share the NFC South with Brady and the Bucs.

While the memes and reactions are sure to keep rolling in, anticipation looms ahead of what’s sure to be an exciting 2022 season with Brady back in action and ready to complete unfinished business.