Super Bowl 53: Tom Brady has no intention of retiring after sixth triumph
- Published
Tom Brady says he has no intention of retiring after claiming a record sixth Super Bowl ring with the New England Patriots in Atlanta.
The quarterback, 41, said before Super Bowl 53 that there was "zero" chance of Sunday's game being his last and that he wants to play till he is 45.
Brady then helped the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams to equal Pittsburgh Steelers' record of six titles.
"It doesn't change anything," he said after the hard-fought 13-3 win.
"I can't wait to just spend some time with my family and my kids and my wife. I couldn't do it without their support.
"It's just been a great year. I'm so happy for my team-mates. This is a dream come true for all of us."
Brady has now won more Super Bowls than any other player in NFL history, having led the Pats to six titles in 17 years alongside head coach Bill Belichick.
Belichick, who at 66 became the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl, was asked about the possibility of his own retirement and planning for a future without Brady.
"You always have to plan ahead for your football team," he said. "Right now we're totally focused on this game.
"I'm not going to worry about next year until at least Monday."
Another Patriot whose future was under scrutiny was tight end Rob Gronkowski, 29, who said in the build-up to the game that he "didn't know" whether it would be his last amid speculation he would instead move into acting or wrestling.
"As of right now, that's one of the last things I'm thinking about," he said. "I love playing the game. A few weeks down the road, you relax, you get some down time, enjoyment time and you just see where you want to go with it."
A harsh lesson for inexperienced Rams
Having just turned 33, Sean McVay became the youngest ever coach in a Super Bowl in just his second year in charge of the Rams.
But coming up against Belichick - a man exactly twice his age and so vastly experienced in this event - he was reduced to a distant second-best.
"Coach Belichick did an outstanding job," said McVay. "There is really no other way to put it. I'm pretty numb right now, but definitely I got out-coached.
"I didn't do nearly good enough for our football team. The thing that is so tough about all of this is the finality to it. This one is going to stick with you and it just stings in your gut.
"I love these players. And that is where it eats at you because you didn't feel like you did your part to help them achieve success."
The disappointment was also obvious in Rams quarterback Jared Goff, who was smothered by the Patriots defence in the first half before improving a little after the break en route to 19 completions from 38 attempts and 229 yards through the air.
"It hurts me knowing how well our defence played, against that team, against Tom, and us not holding up our end of the bargain," said Goff. "It's our job to score points and we didn't do that tonight."