As much as the NFL world would like to talk about the ins and outs of his New England Patriots exit, Tom Brady does not want to discuss the past.
That much was made clear as Brady took part in an introductory conference call on Tuesday following his decision to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a two-year deal.
While Brady's focus is on getting to know a talented supporting cast of receivers and learning head coach Bruce Arians' offense, he was predictably met with questions about his departure from a team with whom he won an unprecedented six Super Bowls over 20 storied seasons.
He was asked about reported claims from Patriots owner Robert Kraft that it was Brady's choice to leave and that New England could have worked out a deal had he not desired to move elsewhere.
"I'm not responsible for how other people will say certain things," Brady replied. "Mr. Kraft has been a great influence in my life. I'm so grateful for two decades.
"It's been an amazing thing for my family. When I'm done playing, I'll have a chance to really re-evaluate my entire career. At the same time, I'm excited for this opportunity that I have.
"I can only speak to how I feel. I wrote about that in my social media the other day. Getting to be a free agent and having the opportunity to join the Bucs was something that I was really excited about and that's why we're at where we're at."
Pressed on whether he was disappointed the Patriots perhaps did not make more of an effort to bring him back, Brady responded: "There's nobody who's been a bigger fan of the Patriots than me. I have nothing but total respect and love. I'm so grateful to Mr. Kraft and the organisation and coach [Bill] Belichick and all the coaches and obviously all my team-mates.
TB TB pic.twitter.com/oyzSdNn1ZE
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 20, 2020
"It's been a lot of days responding to a lot of incredible text messages from team-mates, from former team-mates, just a lot of great people I've got to meet over the years. I have so many great relationships that will be maintained. It'll be different but at the same time that's the way life can be at times. What won't be different is my approach to the game. I'm going to go out every day to do the best I can to put our team in a position to win."
Brady was predictably unwilling to discuss what it would have taken to remain in New England but did concede the transition from face of the league's greatest dynasty to former Patriot has been an emotional one.
"I don't want to talk about the past because it's not relevant to what's important in my future," he added. "I had two decades of incredible experience and learning from some of the best players and the best coaches and the ownership of the team. Things in life can change, you've got to be able to adapt and evolve. With each of those changes come different opportunities to learn and grow.
"Anytime you leave somewhere it's very emotional. The transition was very emotional with a lot of guys I've talked to that I shared the field with. The relationships are what matter most to me, I'm going to be friends with my team-mates, my former team-mates and coaches for the rest of my life.
"That's not going to leave just because I'm wearing a different jersey. At the same time for me, the new jersey I'm wearing, I'm prepared to give them every bit of commitment I've had my entire career to be the best I can be to help this team be the best it could be. I'm just excited to get started."