Page 26 - Florida Sentinel 2-11-22

Sports
Minnesota Vikings
Tom Brady Signed One Day Contract With Patriots
Tom Brady Retires: As a New England Patriot; with Robert Kraft; with wife, Gisele Bünd- chen; as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.
Hire Kweisi
Odofo-Mensah As New GM
The NFL is gaining diver- sity in its executive ranks with the hire of Kweisi Odofo- Mensah as the new Min- nesota Vikings’ general manager.
Mensah will be the sixth Black NFL GM, joining his former boss Andrew Berry of the Cleveland Browns, Chris Grier of the Miami Dolphins, Martin Mayhew of the Washington Football Team, Terry Fontenot of the Atlanta Falcons and Brad Holmes of the Detroit Lions.
If you don’t keep up on professional football org charts, GM is at the top of the pyramid as football’s equiva- lent to the president of a com- pany. They usually report directly to team owners and
KWEISI ODOFO-MENSAH
have responsibility for hiring coaching staffs, constructing rosters and the team’s overall success on the field.
Odofo-Mensah didn’t play college or professional football unlike many other GMs but his background out- side of football is in part what’s made him valuable as an exec inside the sport.
Tom Brady signed a one-day contract with the New England Patriots and re- tired with the franchise with which he played for 20 years.
He spoke with Robert Kraft this morning and will fly to Massachusetts for a cer- emony.
Statement From Robert Kraft On Tom Brady's Retirement
Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft issued the following statement on Tom Brady's retirement.
"Words cannot describe the feelings I have for Tom Brady, nor adequately ex- press the gratitude my family, the New England Patriots and our fans have for Tom for all he did during his career. A generation of football fans have grown up knowing only an NFL in which Tom Brady dominated. He retires with nearly every NFL career pass- ing record, yet the only one that ever mattered to him was the team's win-loss record. In his 20 years as a starter his teams qualified for the play- offs 19 times. He led his teams to 10 Super Bowls, winning an NFL-record seven champi- onships. In a team sport like football, it is rare to see an in- dividual have such a domi- nant impact on a team's success. You didn't have to be a Patriots fan to respect and appreciate his competitive- ness, determination and will to win that fueled his success. As a fan of football, it was a privilege to watch. As a Patri- ots fan, it was a dream come true.
"I have the greatest re- spect for Tom personally and always will. His humility, cou- pled with his drive and ambi- tion, truly made him special. I will always feel a close bond to him and will always con- sider him an extension of my immediate family."
Gisele Bündchen Reacts To Husband Tom Brady's NFL Retirement With Touching Tribute
Gisele Bündchen is speaking out after her hus- band, Tom Brady, an- nounced his official retirement from the NFL.
The supermodel, 41, is- sued a statement on Twitter and Instagram Tuesday ad- dressing Brady's retirement.
"What a ride my love!" Bündchen captioned the Twitter post, adding a heart emoji and a tag for her foot- baller husband, 44.
In the attached statement, written in both English and Portuguese, Bündchen con- tinued, "So many memories! When I met you over 15 years ago, I didn't know the first thing about football. But cheering for you and seeing you do what you love most made me learn about this wonderful game to the point that I seriously believed I knew more than the referees!
"We always had a special champions playlist for every drive on our way to the game," she added. "As a fam- ily, we always prayed for you, celebrated and supported you in every game, cheered every win and suffered with every loss.
"I'm so proud of you, and of everything you have had to overcome physically and emotionally over the years. I am in awe of your dedication, and of everything you have achieved. You love what you do, and you leave behind a legacy that is a beautiful ex- ample for future genera- tions."
She also called her hus- band "the most dedicated, fo- cused and mentally tough person I have ever met," going on to mention how he "never once complained over the years about all the bruises and aches and pains. You just kept focusing on your goal to go out there and be the best leader there was to all your teammates."
"I know how excited you are about the next chapter of your life. Watching you work so hard in your football career and seeing the dedication you are now putting into all your new endeavors is incredibly inspiring," Bündchen added.
"There is nothing you can't achieve. I have always been here for you, you know that, and I'm as excited as you are for what the future holds!" she concluded, before writing, "Words can't really express how grateful I am to everyone who has been so supportive of my husband and our family for so many years."
Bündchen, who wed Brady in 2009, shares two children with her husband: 12-year-old son Benjamin Rein and 9-year-old daugh- ter Vivian Lake. Brady is also dad to son John "Jack" Edward, 14, with ex Brid- get Moynahan.
PAGE 14-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022