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A16 SPORTS
Wednesday 18 January 2023
After playoff dud, Brady faces choice of whether to continue

By ROB MAADDI had no chance for a come-
AP Pro Football Writer back against Dallas (13-5).
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — If Tom Parsons and Co. dominat-
Brady retires in the offsea- ed Brady from start to finish.
son, he’ll walk away follow- “It was typical of the way
ing one of the worst playoff we played all year, ineffi-
games of his career. cient in the pass game, not
The seven-time Super Bowl very good in the run game,
champion had a tough so it’s hard to beat good
night against Micah Par- teams like that,” Brady said.
sons and the Dallas Cow- The Bucs finally found the
boys, tossing his first red- end zone when Brady con-
zone interception with the nected with Julio Jones
Buccaneers in a 31-14 loss on a 30-yard TD pass right
that ended Tampa Bay’s before the end of the third
up-and-down season Mon- quarter. But Tampa’s de-
day night. fense gave a TD right back
Brady won’t be returning and the Bucs couldn’t
home to the Bay Area for score after reaching the
a rematch against Brock Cowboys 2 on their next
Purdy and the San Francis- drive.
co 49ers in the NFC division- Brady’s worst playoff loss
al round. He may be going was 33-14 to the Baltimore
home for good, however. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) stands on the field during the second half of Ravens on Jan. 10, 2010.
The 45-year-old, five-time an NFL wild-card football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in Tampa, This one came close.
Super Bowl MVP already re- Fla. Associated Press It was a tumultuous season
tired once after last season personally for Brady. His
only to return 40 days later. for welcoming me. ... Very New England against San end zone where the closest marriage to Gisele Bünd-
He said he’ll take more grateful for the respect and Francisco on Dec. 16, 2012. player was Cowboys safety chen ended when they an-
time to make his decision hopefully I gave the same After the Buccaneers went Jayron Kearse, who made nounced in October that
this time around. thing back to you guys.” three-and-out on their first the pick. “Not the way we their divorce was finalized.
“It’ll be one day at a time, Brady had been 7-0 against two possessions, Brady led wanted to end it but we He had the first losing sea-
truly,” Brady said. Dallas before this game, in- a long drive before things didn’t deserve it,” Brady son of his 23-year career,
Brady waved his cap to the cluding a 19-3 road win in fell apart. said. “Give them credit. though the Buccaneers
crowd as he jogged off the Week 1. On first down from the They played a good game, won the woeful NFC South
field for perhaps the final Though he was only sacked Cowboys 22, Brady rolled made a lot more plays than and earned the No. 4 seed.
time and stopped to kiss twice, the Cowboys pres- to his right and had open we did.” Brady is set to become a
his parents before heading sured him into several field in front of him but Brady hadn’t been shut out free agent, so he could
into the tunnel. throwaways and forced a threw incomplete across his in the first half of playoff choose to continue his un-
Before leaving the podium, bunch of ill-advised passes. body into quadruple cov- game since his first one in precedented career with
Brady thanked reporters, He threw a career-most erage in the left corner of 2001, the Tuck Rule game another team.
saying: “Hopefully, you 66 passes, completing 35 the end zone. A few plays on Jan. 19, 2002. The Patri- There will be plenty of inter-
know, I love this organiza- of them for 351 yards, two later from the Cowboys 5, ots rallied to beat the Raid- est in a player who turns 46
tion. It’s a great place to be TDs and one interception. Brady threw the ball up for ers in that game. in training camp next sea-
and thank you everybody Brady had 65 attempts for grabs in the back of the Brady and the Bucs (8-10) son. q

Record-chasing Cavendish extends career by joining Astana

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN tinue winning are as bright like Cavendish’s to its roster
AP Sports Writer as ever,” Cavendish said in is a welcome move for the
BRUSSELS (AP) — Veteran a statement provided by team following the retire-
sprinter Mark Cavendish Astana on Tuesday. “As al- ment of Vincenzo Nibali,
might still get a chance to ways, the objective will be and the firing in December
claim the outright record for us to stand on the top of Miguel Angel Lopez for
for stage wins at the Tour podium.” his alleged links with a doc-
de France. Cavendish equaled Mer- tor suspected of drug traf-
Cavendish has joined As- ckx’s record at the 2021 ficking.
tana-Qazaqstan to extend Tour de France, 13 years af- “He is the best sprinter of
his storied career by one ter his first stage win. Cav- all time,” Vinokourov said
season and will be hoping endish who has never won about Cavendish. “The ar-
to ride for the Kazakh team the Tour, unlike five-time rival of a top sprinter in our
at cycling’s biggest race in champion Merckx was team is kind of a challenge
July. The 37-year-old British not selected for last year’s for us, but we are ready for
road champion and cy- edition by his former Quick- it. The goals however are
Britain’s Mark Cavendish, wearing the best sprinter’s green jersey, cling great Eddy Merckx Step Alpha Vinyl team. still the same victories in
celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the thirteenth stage
of the Tour de France cycling race over 219.9 kilometers (136.6 currently top the all-time list Astana is managed by for- any kind of race: classics,
miles) with start in Nimes and finish in Carcassonne, France, on with 34 stage wins. mer Olympic road cham- stages in different stage
July 9, 2021. “The joy of riding my bike pion Alexander Vinokou- races and, of course, in the
Associated Press and the hunger to con- rov. Adding a big name Grand Tours. q