Tom Brady is coming out of football retirement, making his return with a sports event hosted by Saudi Arabia. The event is scheduled to be held next year and will see the participation of the biggest football stars. For context, Brady announced his retirement twice in the past years, once in 2022 and then in 2023. Now, he’ll be returning to the field, but not in the NFL.
On September 15, it was announced that Brady is returning to the football field at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic. Hosted by Saudi Arabia, it will take place on March 21, 2026. The tournament is a part of Riyadh’s Season program, arranged by Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.
In a press release, Tom Brady expressed his enthusiasm for coming out of retirement and participating in the flag tournament. He said, “I couldn’t be more excited to return to the field, get the competitive juices flowing alongside some of the game’s brightest stars and iconic legends, and bring a truly unique global sports event to fans everywhere during Riyadh Season.”
Reportedly, the biggest names in football are likely to grace the event, which includes CeeDee Lamb, Maxx Crosby, Rob Gronkowski, and many others. Brady further added, “I have always admired the power of flag football and how it connects fans of all ages, and it’s awesome to be able to showcase the sport on such a global stage while joining together so many incredibly skilled athletes.” The tournament will air on Fox Sports and Tubi. (via New York Post)
Tom Brady had earlier announced his retirement in 2022, but was back in the sport 40 days later. In the following year, he again took to X (formerly Twitter) to share that he’s retiring from the NFL for “good” this time. He had stated, “Good morning, guys. I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring. For good, I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning, I figured I’d just press record, and I’d let you guys know first. It won’t be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay, and I used mine up last year.”
“So I really thank you guys so much. To every single one of you for supporting me: My family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors I could go on forever. There’s too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. I love you all,” Brady had written, expressing his thanks to fans, friends, and colleagues.
Originally reported by Shazmeen Navrange on Mandatory.