Patriots

Morning sports update: Tom Brady says ‘I still have more to prove’ in Instagram post

"You can, however, learn from that failure, pick yourself up with great enthusiasm, and place yourself in the arena again."

Tom Brady during the Patriots' playoff loss to the Titans. Elise Amendola/Associated Press

By Hayden Bird

The Bruins defeated the Predators 6-2 on Tuesday night. The win halted Boston’s three-game losing streak.

Tonight, the Celtics host the Spurs at TD Garden. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

And in men’s college basketball, Boston College defeated the defending national champions, Virginia, 60-53.

Tom Brady posted a message on Instagram: Patriots quarterback Tom Brady appeared to hint at a return to football in 2020 with an Instagram post he made on Wednesday morning.

The 42-year-old’s future with the Patriots is up in the air after New England’s loss in the playoffs on Saturday, as he is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career in the offseason. Yet the question of whether Brady would retire or not is also unanswered.

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In the Instagram post, Brady finished by saying “I know I still have more to prove.” It seems to signal a return to the NFL in 2020.

“After a few days of reflection, I am so grateful and humbled by the unconditional support you have shown me the past two decades,” Brady wrote. “Running out of that tunnel every week is a feeling that is hard to explain.”

Brady also expressed his thoughts on the Patriots organization.

“I have been blessed to find a career I love, teammates who go to battle with me, an organization that believes in me, and fans who have been behind us every step of the way,” said Brady.

It was in Brady’s closing message that he placed a possible hint at his future. Noting that the defeat to the Titans is part of an “inevitable” process in which he can’t always win, Brady said that he’s motivated to try again.

“In both life and football, failure is inevitable,” Brady explained. “You don’t always win. You can, however, learn from that failure, pick yourself up with great enthusiasm, and place yourself in the arena again.

“And that’s right where you will find me,” Brady concluded. “Because I know I still have more to prove.”

View this post on Instagram

I just wanted to say to all of our fans, THANK YOU! After a few days of reflection, I am so grateful and humbled by the unconditional support you have shown me the past two decades. Running out of that tunnel every week is a feeling that is hard to explain. I wish every season ended in a win, but that’s not the nature of sports (or life). Nobody plays to lose. But the reward for working hard is just that, the work!! I have been blessed to find a career I love, teammates who go to battle with me, an organization that believes in me, and fans who have been behind us every step of the way. Every one of us that works at Gillette Stadium strived to do their best, spent themselves at a worthy cause, and prepared to fail while daring greatly (h/t Teddy Roosevelt). And for that, we’ve been rewarded with something that the scoreboard won’t show – the satisfaction of knowing we gave everything to each other in pursuit of a common goal. That is what TEAM is all about. In both life and football, failure is inevitable. You dont always win. You can, however, learn from that failure, pick yourself up with great enthusiasm, and place yourself in the arena again. And that’s right where you will find me. Because I know I still have more to prove.

A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady) on

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Trivia: Tom Brady holds the record for touchdown passes thrown to the greatest number of different NFL players (77). Who held the record before him?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: He was the first overall pick in the 1987 NFL draft after playing for the University of Miami.

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On this day: In 2001, Rick Pitino resigned as coach of the Celtics. Having won everywhere else that he’d coached, failure in Boston was a sharp setback for the former college coach. His record with the team finished at 102-146 through three and a half seasons.

“They really don’t understand what makes a winner,” Pitino told Peter May of the Boston Globe. “Some of them don’t understand the concepts of winning, and that’s going to take time.”

And in 2015, Boston was selected by the United State Olympic Committee as its choice for the US bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. After several contentious months, Boston eventually gave up on its bid, which passed to Los Angeles (now set to host in 2028).

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Daily highlight: Sekou Doumbouya threw down a thunderous dunk on Tuesday night.

Trivia answer: Vinny Testaverde

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