Veteran teammate posts heartfelt message to Tom Brady on telling Instagram post

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady posted a lengthy message to Instagram on Wednesday in which he thanked fans, lamented the end of his 2019 season and addressed rumors regarding his future in the league. 

Though the heartfelt photo caption was largely directed at loyal Patriots supporters, the words also resonated with several of Brady’s teammates, opponents around the league and even a few superstar celebrities. 

One player in particular who was struck by Brady’s message was veteran Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson, who played alongside the quarterback in 2019 as well as from 2004 to 2009, a span during which the Patriots appeared in two Super Bowls, winning one.  

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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.

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While Brady used his platform to send his thanks to Patriots fans, Watson commented that it was Brady himself who actually deserved a thank you. 

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Teammate Sydney Leroux reveals mistake she made officiating Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger’s wedding

The stunning nuptials of USWNT stars Ashlyn Harris and Ali Krieger received a well-deserved standing ovation — and then some. 

Sydney Leroux, a teammate of Harris and Krieger’s from the 2015 World Cup and currently with the Orlando Pride, officiated the wedding last month and revealed on Instagram on Tuesday that a small mistake she made led to guests standing throughout the entire ceremony. 

“Remember when I forgot to tell everyone to sit down after I said ‘all rise’ so everyone stood for the entire ceremony?” she said alongside a photo of herself with the two brides. “Whatever. We stand for the queens.”

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Seahawks’ Jadeveon Clowney calls Eagles fans ‘worst in the world’ after hit on Carson Wentz

The Philadelphia Eagles were forced to play the majority of their wild-card round matchup against the Seattle Seahawks without starting quarterback Carson Wentz after he suffered a hit to his helmet that caused him to be removed from the game on Sunday.

The perpetrator from Seattle was defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, who said after the game that the incident came on a “bang-bang play” and that he had no intention of injuring Wentz. 

Intention aside, the damage was done, and Seattle ultimately won the game 17-9 to advance in the postseason while the Eagles, behind backup quarterback Josh McCown, were sent packing. 

After the game, Clowney had some harsh words for supporters watching the Eagles both at Lincoln Financial Field and at home. 

“Worst fans in the world,” he said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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Drew Brees shares sweet photo of his daughter that he ‘could not post’ during season

Drew Brees and his New Orleans Saints were shocked in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday when they were upset by the Minnesota Vikings and knocked out of the postseason. 

As has been the norm with the Saints’ losses lately, the game didn’t come without its fair share of controversy, specifically regarding the overtime touchdown by Minnesota that won the game. 

While New Orleans fans continue to stew over the perceived mistake (and another against their NBA team, the Pelicans), it appears Brees is moving on and choosing to enjoy his offseason with his family. 

On Tuesday, Brees shared multiple photos to Instagram to commemorate the end of the season: one with his teammates, and one of his daughter, Rylen. The latter photo Brees noted that he “could not post” during the season — because the sweet snap is of Rylen studying her father’s call sheet. 

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Texans’ J.J. Watt slams coverage of fiancée Kealia Ohai’s trade to Chicago Red Stars: ‘Be better than this’

The Houston Dash of the National Women’s Soccer League traded forward Kealia Ohai to the Chicago Dash on Monday, a move Ohai said she is “extremely excited” for. 

Her fiancé, Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, is excited, too — but not necessarily about the coverage his future spouse is getting. 

While Watt said on Monday that he is “very proud” and “excited” for Ohai, his attention on Tuesday turned instead to a local Houston news outlet that neglected to use Ohai’s name in a tweet announcing the news of her trade. The post only referred to Ohai as “J.J. Watt’s fiancée,” causing the NFL star to respond on his own Twitter page. 

“This headline is trash,” he began, before explaining that Ohai is “incredible entirely in her own merit and deserves to be treated as such.”

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Backup Eagles quarterback Josh McCown tearful but ‘thankful’ after loss to Seahawks

Backup Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Josh McCown was thrust into the spotlight on Sunday when starter Carson Wentz was knocked out of the team’s wild-card round game against the Seattle Seahawks. 

It was an emotional moment for McCown, a 40-year-old NFL veteran who has played for 11 teams since being drafted in 2002, who was making his postseason debut. He led the Eagles to three field goals but no touchdowns as the team fell at home to Seattle, 17-9.

A widely viewed clip on Twitter after the game showed a tearful McCown embracing Eagles tight end Zach Ertz after the loss, which eliminated Philadelphia from the playoffs: 

McCown was similarly emotional in his postgame press conference, during which he said he was “thankful” for the “special” moment of finally getting to play in the postseason. 

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Carson Wentz posts update on health after hit to head: ‘It’s the unfortunate part of this game’

Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Carson Wentz posted an update for fans on Instagram the day after he was knocked out of his team’s wild-card round matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. 

Wentz was removed from Sunday’s game, which Philadelphia ultimately lost 17-9, shortly after suffering a helmet-to-helmet hit by Jadeveon Clowney in the first quarter — though the Seahawks defender wasn’t penalized for the hit. 

On Monday, Wentz informed fans that he “will be just fine” in a post thanking fans for their “thoughts and prayers” after his injury. 

“So dang proud of this team and how we battled and overcame so much this season,” the quarterback began his message before addressing the play that caused him to be taken out of the game.

“Head injuries are a scary thing so I appreciate everybody’s thoughts and prayers,” he said. “Hate not being out there to finish it out with my guys because of a play like that, but it’s the unfortunate part of this game.”

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Tom Brady says his retirement is ‘unlikely,’ stops short of confirming return to Patriots

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady seemed as calm, cool and collected as ever as he took the podium following his team’s wild-card round loss to the Tennessee Titans on Saturday. 

While the NFL veteran’s press conference began with questions about his team’s struggles during the game and the entirety of the season, it quickly — and predictably — turned to questions about Brady’s future. Will he retire? Will he stay with the Patriots? What’s next?

Brady, who has likely become accustomed to hearing and deflecting such questions over the past few seasons, managed to say both nothing and everything at the same time in his calculated responses. 

“I love the Patriots,” he said while wearing a navy blue beanie that matches the team’s primary color. “Playing for Mr. Kraft all these years, and for coach Belichick, there’s nobody who’s had a better career, I would say, than me, just being with them.”

“I love playing football. I love playing for this team. I’ve loved playing for this team for two decades and winning a lot of games.”

“A lot of games” is certainly an understatement for Brady, whose 219 career regular season wins — a league record — and 64 career losses equate to a winning percentage of .774%, all with New England. 

But does his love for the team, owner and head coach he’s spent nearly two decades with overshadow his possible desire to play elsewhere, or to retire? While Brady called his retirement “pretty unlikely,” he declined to elaborate further on his upcoming career plans. 

“Who knows what the future holds?” he said. “We’ll leave it at that.”

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Alex Morgan gives glimpse of growing baby bump in sweet pics with husband Servando Carrasco

USWNT star Alex Morgan posted two adorable photos with her husband to Instagram on Sunday, but our attention went straight to her growing baby bump. 

Morgan uploaded two photos alongside Servando Carrasco, her spouse of 5 years, while the two were in Berkeley, California, over the weekend. Morgan and Carrasco met while they both were attending and playing soccer at UC Berkeley, and according to Morgan, this was the first time the two had been back to the city together since they graduated. 

“So many good memories!” she gushed underneath the snaps of the couple atop Grizzly Peak Vista Point overlooking the city. 

The second photo in the post gave fans a new glimpse at Morgan’s pregnant belly, roughly two months after the couple announced that they were expecting a baby girl. 

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Bill Belichick refuses to acknowledge loss to Dolphins as Patriots prepare for Titans

When Bill Belichick doesn’t want to talk about something, he doesn’t talk about it. 

This isn’t groundbreaking news for anyone who has ever listened to the New England Patriots head coach’s press conferences before. Belichick has become notorious for being tight-lipped, forward-thinking and maybe, at times, coming off a bit grumpy. 

So, when he was asked about his team’s Week 17 loss to the Miami Dolphins ahead of the playoffs beginning on Saturday, Belichick shrugged and quickly shot the question down. 

“I don’t know what we are or aren’t, doesn’t matter,” he responded to the notion that the Patriots may be underdogs this weekend. “We’re just trying to get ready for the Titans [and] play our best game on Saturday night. That’s it.”

When pressed, the coach continued by saying that the team is “past last week.”

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