'I've Made it Clear!': Patriots Legend Tom Brady Clears Up Comeback Talk (Again)

The latest intel on another Tom Brady comeback tour comes from the New England Patriots legend himself.

This time he really, really, really, means it.

The Tom Brady rumor mill was recently refueled not only by the longtime New England Patriots quarterback's purchase of a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders but also by medical uncertainty surrounding fellow former Foxboro footballer and new Sin City resident Jimmy Garoppolo. 

But an interview with Robin Lundberg of Sports Illustrated allowed Brady to set the record straight ... again.

"I'm certain I'm not playing again so. I've tried to make that clear," Brady declared. "I hate to continue to profess that because I've already told people that lots of times. I'm looking forward to my broadcasting job at Fox next year. I'm looking forward to the opportunity I have with the Raiders. We're in the process of that, along with the other different things that I'm a part of professionally."

"In my personal life, (I'm) spending as much time with my kids as I can. And seeing them grow up, and support the different things that they have going on. That's a very important job." 

Rumors, of course, about Brady making yet another comeback have never fully ceased since he made the announcement of his latest (and seemingly final) step away from the game. The Nevadan developments, however, put things at a fever pitch, this latest hypothetical return carrying a greater sense of irony considering his connection with the Raiders franchise, namely the fact it was the victim of his first famous playoff victory, the 2002 AFC Divisional round game best-known for the still-contested "Tuck Rule" call. 

As long as Brady lingers around the game, the idea of him putting a helmet and shoulder pads on again will likely persist and survive. If anything, Brady's words should only provide a slight moratorium, though the quarterback himself has given little, if any, hints about what would even come close to changing his mind. 

Anyone hinging their support of a Brady comeback on Garoppolo's status may have to find new talking points: if Raiders head coach (and another former New Englander) Josh McDaniels is worried about not having the San Francisco import, he certainly didn't show it when speaking during Las Vegas' organized team activities on Thursday.

"I have no anxiety (about Garoppolo)," McDaniels said, per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN. "You guys may have anxiety. I have no anxiety. I'm not going to put a timeline or a day on anything."

"I don't worry about the things I can't control," McDaniels said. "I have very good information that tells me that we're going to be fine, you know what I mean? So again, nothing has happened that would've changed that, so that's why I feel that way."

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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