Tom Brady Breaks His Silence on the Patriots' Super Bowl Loss

Tom Brady is finally ready to address his loss at the Super Bowl.

The New England Patriots quarterback shared a photo of himself and teammate Rob Gronkowski on Instagram Friday, along with a message of gratitude to everyone who supported him and his team.

“It has taken me a few days to reflect on our SB loss as well as the great season our team had. There are many emotions when you come up short of your goal. And they are all part of learning and growing in this journey of life,” Brady, 40, wrote almost a week after he and his team lost to the Philidelphia Eagles 41-33.

“Learning turns everything into a positive. And the number one feeling I have had the past 4 days is gratitude. Gratitude to my teammates for the incredible effort given all season regardless of the challenges we faced,” he wrote.

He continued saying he felt gracious toward his coaches for their sacrifice toward the team.

“Gratitude to the NEP organization for supporting us on our very challenging and difficult journey. Gratitude to the Philadelphia Eagles team and organization for bringing out the best in us and being gracious winners (as well as congratulations on winning the championship),” he continued.

“Gratitude toward our fans who showed up every week to cheer us on and commit their time and energy and love and support to what our goals are,” Brady added. “And gratitude to my family and friends who continue to love and support my dreams.
Thank you all. I love you all. Best, Tom.”

His wife, model Gisele Bündchen, supported the athlete during Sunday’s game. While the mother of two will continue to cheer on her husband if he chooses to continue playing, a source recently told PEOPLE she’d still like to see him retire.

“Gisele always supports Tom no matter what,” a source close to the couple said.

Though the source added that “nobody really knows what’s next for him now,” it’s likely Brady won’t be retiring.

But even though she’ll stand behind whatever her husband decides, a different source close to the 37-year-old supermodel tells PEOPLE that Bündchen has “been telling friends for a couple years now that she would like him to retire and just be able to be at home, but he is so committed to the game.”

“He didn’t want to retire after ‘Deflategate,'” the second source added, referencing the 2015 scandal where Brady was issued a four-game suspension for his part in allegedly deflating footballs for an unfair advantage during an AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.

The source also revealed that “after the big surprise win last year” when the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl, Bündchen “was hopeful that he might want to go out on top, but he still wants to play.”

Following the outcome of Sunday’s game, Bündchen extended an olive branch to the Eagles while also praising her husband and his team for their “commitment” and “sacrifice.”

“Congratulations Eagles for winning the Super Bowl, what a game that was!” she wrote on Instagram.

She continued, “Congratulations Patriots for giving your best and to my love, we are incredibly proud of you because we are able to see everday all the commitment, sacrifice and hard work that you have devoted to become the best in what you do. We love you!”