Tom Brady Doesn't Mention Patriots in NFL Retirement Post Despite 6 Super Bowl Wins

Tom Brady's lengthy retirement post included a thank you to everyone who helped him get through his final two NFL seasons.

The first 20? Not so much.

Brady's retirement post on Instagram did not feature a single mention of the New England Patriots, coach Bill Belichick or Patriots fans. 

While it's likely that New Englanders clutched their cups of Dunkin' a little harder this morning as they read the post and didn't see even a scant mention of them, it is worth noting Brady penned a farewell that ran two years ago in the Players' Tribune: 

"'Tomm-eeee! Tomm-eee!' I would hear that echoing through the stands, and it always meant so much to me. The support sometimes went deeper than that. Recently a friend told me that her sister was pregnant with her first child, a boy — and that she planned on naming him Brady. She was telling me this, she said, so that I'd realize the impact my playing for New England had had on so many people's lives. Hearing that, I felt so humbled by the idea that when some people think of me, it's with a warmth in their heart or their spirit. There's no better legacy I can think of than that."

In the world of Brady, perhaps that sufficed as his farewell to the region that he called home for two decades. He also had an Instagram post at the time that was captioned "FOREVER A PATRIOT."

That's unlikely to provide solace for Patriots fans—or those who want to needle Pats fans about their lack of being mentioned. It's equally worth noting that Brady's Players Tribune column expressed a need to leave New England and the shadow of Bill Belichick to strike out on his own.

He did just that for the last two seasons, remaining at an MVP level longer than any quarterback in NFL history while New England worked to rebuild without its franchise stalwart.

It seems unlikely this was a purposeful slight on Brady's part. Even as tensions brewed late in his Patriots tenure, there was always a healthy respect between Brady and the organization with which he won six Super Bowls. Brady's post was mostly a goodbye to Tampa and a reflection on his last two seasons, rather than anything that encapsulated his whole career.

That said, there are undoubtedly some hurt feelings today.