Tom Brady refutes report about possibly backing out of Fox deal

Retired quarterback Tom Brady would like everybody to know he has no plans of backing out of his Fox broadcasting deal anytime soon. 

As shared by TMZ Sports, Brady responded via an Instagram comment to a report from earlier in the week that suggested he was having second thoughts about eventually working as Fox's No. 1 NFL analyst with two words: 

"Fake news." 

New York Post sports media columnist Andrew Marchand raised eyebrows during a recent edition of "The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast" when he said he spoke with people "close to Brady" and was left believing there's a "49% chance he does it, 51% chance he doesn’t" regarding the future Hall of Famer calling games for Fox. 

"I don’t think he wants to travel that much," Marchand added at the time. 

Brady and Fox agreed to a 10-year deal reportedly worth $375M for the seven-time Super Bowl champion to serve as the network's lead NFL analyst beginning next year. However, Marchand, ESPN's Joe Buck, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd and "The NFL Today" analyst Phil Simms have all expressed doubts about Brady's true intentions going back to last fall. 

Brady said on Feb. 1 he was retiring from playing "for good" but has since declined on multiple occasions to confirm he won't consider yet another NFL comeback, this time with a club such as the Miami Dolphins. Interestingly, TMZ indicated Brady is serious about staying off active rosters through the fall months and about dedicating himself to what will be his new career. 

"TMZ Sports has learned Brady ain't just blowing smoke -- our sources tell us he's already dived headfirst into preparations for the role, despite being roughly 16 months away from starting the gig," the outlet reported. 

The San Francisco 49ers, the team Brady supported while growing up in San Mateo, Calif., may need a legitimate QB1 by Week 1 this September depending on how Brock Purdy recovers from elbow surgery. There's still time for Brady to change his mind ahead of preseason workouts, but it sounds like he's quite comfortable enjoying the sunset of retirement ahead of the Memorial Day holiday weekend.