Drew Brees, who announced his retirement from football on Sunday after 20 NFL seasons, including 15 with the New Orleans Saints, will join NBC Sports, he announced on Monday at the ‘TODAY’ show.
“I’m going to work for NBC,” Brees said. “I’m part of the team now! A good team.”
“I’m excited about that trip, I’m excited to stay very closely connected to the football game. It was such an important part of my life, and I can still talk about it, show passion for it and bring my kids for that ride too. go there and let them be a part of some of those special moments, ‘Brees said.
“To let them participate and know that there are memories and hopefully to know moments of inspiration for them that will last a lifetime, that’s what it’s about,” he said of his football career.
Brees shared his somewhat anticipated decision to retire Sunday night on Instagram.
“Every day, I poured my heart and soul into being your quarterback. Until the end, I exhausted myself to give everything I had to the Saints organization, my team, and the great city of New Orleans,” Brees said. writing. “I’m just retiring to play football, I’m not retiring from New Orleans. It’s not goodbye, rather a new beginning. Now my real life work begins!”
The report was accompanied by a video of his four children declaring: ‘Our father is finally going to retire so he can spend more time with us! Yay! ”
Brees’ announcement comes 15 years after he signed with the Saints shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in August 2005.
He said when he and his wife, Brittany, toured the city before deciding to join the Saints, they knew after seeing the destruction that they belonged in New Orleans.
‘Brittany and I look at each other and say,’ It’s so much more than just football. ” It’s part of the resurrection and revival of one of America’s largest cities, ” Brees said.
He added that he was “excited” about the upcoming philanthropic efforts in New Orleans and across the country.
“Life is full of defining moments, and life is full of subsequent chapters,” Brees said Monday. “When you leave one chapter and go on to the next, I think you hope you left a legacy where you left it better than you found it.”
“I want to be able to look back with incredible memories and know I gave it my best,” Brees added.
Saints coach Sean Payton said Brees gave his all, even when he was injured.
‘Over the years, its durability and availability have been incredible. I can remember so many of these different injuries, “said Payton. “He’s as brave and tough a player as I have ever been.”
Brees dropped hints about his intentions, saying he considers himself a ‘borrowed time’. After his last game in January, he returns to the Superdome field in street clothes, embraces his wife, Brittany, and plays nearly two hours of fishing with his children. When Tom Brady saw them on their way to the Tampa Bay bus, he stopped, chatted, threw passes at Brees’ children and hugged Brees before leaving.
Brees is the NFL’s provisional leader in the meter who passes with 80,358, though the point will be threatened next season by 44-year-old Tom Brady, who passes 79,204 careers. Brees’ 571-run career is second behind Brady’s 581.
“Congratulations to my friend on an incredible career,” Brady said in a social media message Sunday. “Thank you for the inspiration and dedication on and off the field! Looking forward to seeing what’s next. ”
