(Photo Credit: Nancy Lane/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

Brady supports Pats teammates after a major loss

After the Patriots were knocked out of the NFL playoffs, quarterback Tom Brady wrote an open letter to his teammates, thanking them for always supporting one another. He also thanked fans for standing by the team during one of their worst seasons in recent memory.

The letter fueled speculation that Brady might be retiring, although sources close to the longtime NFL star deny the rumors.

“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,” Brady wrote. “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!!”

Brady said he’s blessed to have a career he loves and teammates “who go to battle with me.”

“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),” he wrote. “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.”

Brady ended the letter by saying he still has “more to prove,” which many fans took as a sign he is not retiring anytime soon.