And so it begins! Tom Brady joined Twitter on Monday, April 1, and came in hard with the dad jokes.
“I’m retiring. In my spare time, I’ll be tweeting,” the New England Patriots quarterback, 41, wrote in his first-ever tweet. Hours later, he followed it up with, “Was this a bad joke?”
I'm retiring. In my spare time, I'll be tweeting #LFG
— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) April 1, 2019
Though many of his more than 120 thousand followers were quick to point out that Brady wasn’t serious, some unsuspecting loyal fans didn’t catch on so fast. “Every NFL defense got so happy reading this until they realized he was joking,” one Twitter user wrote. Another added: “Oh You got US Tom Brady ….Happy April Fools to all !”
Brady’s subtle prank comes on the heels of a real retirement announcement from his teammate Rob Gronkowski. The 29-year-old tight end revealed in an Instagram post on March 24, that he was taking a step back from the game following the Patriots’ 2019 Super Bowl win in February.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity that Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick gave to me when drafting my silliness in 2010. My life experiences over the last 9 years have been amazing both on and off the field,” Gronkowski wrote in part. “The people I have meet, the relationships I have built, the championships I have been apart of, I just want to thank the whole New England Patriots organization for every opportunity I have been giving and learning the great values of life that I can apply to mine.”
The former athlete concluded the post: “It was truly an incredible honor to play for such a great established organization and able to come in to continue and contribute to keep building success. To all my current and past teammates, thank you for making each team every year special to be apart of. I will truly miss you guys. Cheers to all who have been part of this journey, cheers to the past for the incredible memories, and a HUGE cheers to the uncertain of whats next.”
Brady, for his part, reacted to the announcement with a heartfelt Instagram post alongside a picture of the former teammates.
“What an honor and privledge (sic) to play with you these past nine years @gronk! You accomplished so much and our team was almost unbeatable when you were on the field! Your fun-loving, inspiring, and positive energy made an impact on everybody you came into contact with!” Brady wrote at the time. “Not just that, but for as great as a player you are, you are a better teammate and person. The NFL was a better place with you in it! But I have no doubt you will be a success in anything you do!!! Love you pal!”
Brady — who is married to model Gisele Bündchen — began his career with the Patriots in 2000 and has helped lead the team to six Super Bowl championships. The couple share son Benjamin, 9, and daughter Vivian, 6. Brady is also father of 11-year-old son John, whom he shares with ex Bridget Moynahan.
