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Seven-Time Super Bowl Champ Tom Brady Retiring After 22 NFL Seasons; Lawmakers Push to Create Amber Alert for Active Shooters. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired February 01, 2022 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:00:08]

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): There's a reason when you see him after these games at the age that he's at, that he's revered by the younger players who stays out on the field. He gives everybody an opportunity and a chance to say hello to him, he says hello back.

I covered for a five-year span pretty much every day, every week when I was in New England covering the Patriots, and at that time in his career, he didn't have a family. He was singularly focused. And he was the first guy in the training facility every single day and a lot of times he was the last one to leave. I mean, he set a remarkable example for everyone around him. And as you saw in that post as well, there's a standard that he expects and he's made it clear he hasn't been the easiest one to deal with in Tampa. He went in there with high expectations and was able to execute.

But now he has a family, like Andy mentioned, and that's taking priority, as it usually does. Time comes for everybody but he'll be remembered as the greatest.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN NEWSROOM: No question. Stay with us, all of you.

The breaking news this hour, seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady is retiring from football. He removed all doubt. The 44-year-old quarterback played just 22 NFL seasons, including 20 seasons with the New England Patriots. He won seven Super Bowls.

Brady just confirming the news on social media via a post on Instagram saying, among other things, it's been a thrilling ride.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN NEWSROOM: Listen, as a fan, it's been thrilling to watch his career as well. He won three NFL MVP awards and was a 15 time Pro Bowl election. He was the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL draft and ranks first in all time completions, touchdowns and Super Bowl MVPs. I mean, there's one for the underdogs right there, right, Jim, an example for anybody who thinks they're not in the top ten, they're not going to make it, one name, Tom Brady.

SCIUTTO: Oh, yes. And to the end, he said that that late selection drove him, that gave him competitive drive. It would still go back to that moment, remember, the six teams that picked ahead of him before he was eventually selected 199th.

I want to read from his statement here. I've always believed the sport of football is an all-in proposition. If 100 percent competitive commitment isn't there, you won't succeed. And success is what I love so much about our game. There is a physical, mental and emotional challenge every single day that has allowed me to maximize my highest potential and I've tried my very best these past 22 years. There were no shortcuts to success on the field or in life.

This is difficult for me to write but here it goes. I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.

He goes on, I've done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions and so proud of what we have achieved, my teammates, coaches, fellow competitors and fans deserve 100 percent of me. But right now, it's best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.

We still have Andy Scholes here with us, Carolyn Manno.

Andy, if I could go with you. You referenced this briefly. He goes on in that statement to thank his Bucs teammates, his Bucs fans, the city of Tampa, the Glazer family, of course, owner of the Bucs, as well as his head coach of the Bucs, his Bucs coaches. He does not mention anywhere in that statement that other team he played for, the New England Patriots, the coach, Bill Belichick, the team he won six Super Bowls before his seventh with the Tampa Bay Bucs. That is a clearly deliberate omission, a pretty remarkable one, wouldn't you say?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, yes. And this was definitely a very long post. maybe felt like it was getting too long to keep it going, but he did write a goodbye to the Patriots and their fans when he left them and went on to Bucs. So, maybe he considered that to be goodbye to New England and to Bill Belichick and whatnot, and we kind of revisited that whole thing when the Bucs went to New England and played there this season.

But it is fascinating he did not at least mention those times at all. I mean, 20 years, nine Super Bowl appearances, six Super Bowl championships, definitely it was a run and the dynasty that will probably never be matched again in the history of football. And it did go unmentioned, so that is an interesting tidbit there.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. I mean, let's be honest, this it wasn't a tweet, right? It wasn't for a lack of characters as to why he didn't including the Patriots. But I'm sure maybe we'll hear more in the hours and days to come.

We still have Carolyn Manno with us as well. And as he mentioned in his post, he said, it's best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.

[10:05:03]

Talk about that next generation, specifically the next generation of quarterbacks who really looked up to him as a model for who to emulate.

MANNO (voice over): Oh, yes, exciting, you know? I mean, are we going to see another Tom Brady right around the corner? No, that's going to take decades. I mean, you're looking at more than 20 years of accomplishments that might never be touched.

But this is how it goes in sports. It's cyclical. Time comes for everybody. If you look at Rafael Nadal, what he did with the Australian Open, he was contemplating retirement just a couple of months before winning another Slam. And what Tom was able to do down in Tampa, I think, is a point about New England. He has proven that he's really meticulous and compartmentalizing how he's feeling when he's feeling it.

And so I think Andy is spot on there. He did say goodbye to New England. He did move on to Tampa and he moved there with his family. And so maybe that's part of just kind of being in the moment right now and what he's feeling right now. But you just even look at what we're going to see in the Super Bowl with a kid like Joe Burrow, who has seemingly proven that he could be the next great quarterback in the league. You look at San Francisco, you look at Patrick Mahomes, even though he had unfortunate outing this past weekend.

I mean, there a lot of stars but there's not going to be another Tom Brady for quite a while. I mean, his resume, his demeanor both on and off the field, the way he's revered and respected, the way that he handles himself, which I think, Jim, is also part of why this is really unfortunate for him personally to have this news come out the way that he did where he wasn't able to initially control this narrative because he respects those young players in the league and he didn't want that to happen right before the Super Bowl. It's been a remarkable.

But the future is bright. There's no question about it. This happens in sports.

SCIUTTO: Andy, it's remarkable to think that he almost didn't make it to the NFL, right? I mean, he was drafted 199th in the sixth round, six quarterbacks ahead of him, and yet, as you noted earlier, he went out the best. 22 years later, most yards, most touchdown passes.

Can you think of an athlete, because the exit is difficult to do when you have been one of the greatest, a great athlete, and oftentimes, we see those exits are not so great. He's ending on a high. Can you think of another athlete who's gone out on such a high, still at the top of his or her game? SCHOLES: Unless we want to say Michael Jordan on the Wizards just didn't happen, then it would be certainly kind of like that if Michael Jordan would have just ended career with the sixth NBA championship ring there on the Bulls.

But the Tom Brady story, Jim, it's safe to say it's never going to be replicated ever. You can say it. I mentioned over the weekend, we always said there's not going to be another Michael Jordan. Kobe and LeBron came along. They weren't Jordan but they filled that void rather nicely.

There's never going to be a guy drafted in the sixth round, 199th overall, that it was originally a huge underdog story that turns into the greatest champion we've ever seen. It's almost like a Hollywood script too good to be true.

SCIUTTO: Yes. It would be tough to write that screenplay.

As we've noted many times on this broadcast and before, Brady very close with his family, has spoken about how this decision to retire would be a family decision. Here is him just last week speaking about his wife and three children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM BRADY, NFL QUARTERBACK: One thing as you get older, as an athlete, one thing for me experiencing a lot of different things over the course of my career, as you know, there's a lot of family things that take place. And, you know, my situation, it could be my parents, but also I have kids, and so just a lot of things that happen in your life, like all of us, you know, as you get older, there's more that you take on.

So, I still obviously love going out there and competing but on the other side of that, there's a lot of family, things that are very important to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCIUTTO: Well, you see him there as he goes out a Tampa Bay Buccaneer but I think he played for another team. I'll try to recall the name, before he joined the Bucs a couple of years ago.

Jim McBride is with The Boston Globe. He's been covering that team, the Patriots. Jim, I mean, I got to ask you, one, what he meant to the Patriots and not just to the Boston area or Massachusetts. Because when you look at Patriots followers, I mean, this extends many states beyond, right, to a big chunk of New England and beyond. How big a sports hero in that time and is there anyone comparable?

JIM MCBRIDE, WRITER, THE BOSTON GLOBE (voice over): Yes, he joins the Mount Rushmore of football and sports with Bobby Orr and Larry Bird and Bill Russell and David Ortiz and Ted Williams. I mean, he just -- along with Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft, he helped transform that franchise into a perennial, also ran into a perennial Super Bowl contender and really the envy of every professional franchise in the world, not just in the NFL.

[10:10:12]

So, what he meant to New England was huge. I don't think, most diehard patriots fans never wanted to see him leave. And it was kind of a split decision when he left. People would still cheer for Tom but others were -- felt betrayed.

So, he still moves the needle in New England, this whole weekend where the speculation was, was he going to retire, was he not, it was still the biggest story in Boston and he hasn't played here in two years. So, his impact, immeasurable.

GOLODRYGA: And on the field and off, really. I mean, this was a career that was not scandal-plagued and he was a model athlete, right? I mean, I guess, what, deflategate aside, there were no real controversies surrounding him and people turned to him. And there was a lot of pressure, I might add, on him and his family, married to a super model there, to be that shining example of what it means to so many people, to be the hero in not only in the city and the state but, really, for an entire league.

MCBRIDE (voice over): Yes. And, really, you said it perfectly, pressure was what he always thrived in, whether it was on the field or off the field, he never seems fazed by it. There never seemed to be a situation certainly in a football game that seemed too big for him. And as he got older and more mature in his career, his off-field decisions became same thing.

And like you said, you mentioned deflategate, but I think in the grand scheme, that's going to be considered a blip of history. I don't think that when you write the Tom Brady book, the first chapter is not going to be about deflategate. I think it will be a side note somewhere. So, yes, it's been an amazing career and an amazing run.

SCIUTTO: Yes. For reminding folks, he was in a team before the Bucs is sort of like reminding folks that Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings, right? I mean, he did have

something of a history there.

One other note, I think, is this, no off-field controversies but he also known to be very good to his teammates. I'm thinking a couple of weeks ago, right, he knew Gronkowski, his tight end, needed a few extra yards and receptions to get a bonus and he made sure he threw to him. That's part of his reputation as well, is it not?

MCBRIDE (voice over): Yes, absolutely. And you talk to even though a rookie on their first day in New England and they all say the same story about Tom, like he comes up to them and introduces himself and says, I'm Tom Brady. And most of them are just gobsmacked because they're like, yes, we know who you are. So, he treated his teammates really well. He was loved in that locker room. And he set the tone in that locker room because even though he was the best player and a multiple Super Bowl winner, he was always the hardest worker in the room. And I think everyone felt that. If this guy is the hardest worker, then how can we take a day off? So, really set the tone. GOLODRYGA: And, look, even with the Antonio Brown and the controversial decision he made to walk off-field, you had Tom Brady reach out to him and support him and say he needs this time to go through whatever he is going through, a real class act there.

Once again, the breaking news, seven-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady, the GOAT, the NFL, officially leaving the sport, retiring after 20 seasons. Stay with CNN for more breaking coverage throughout the day.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:15:00]

SCIUTTO: As gun violence worsens in the U.S., two lawmakers, a Democrat and as Republican, have developed a bipartisan bill they say could help protect Americans more.

In the USA Today op-ed out this morning, Congressman Fred Upton and David Cicilline suggests we should use a type of Amber Alert system to warn of active shooters. They write, quote, as public officials, it is our sacred duty to do all we can to keep our communities and country safe. And with active shooter events and mass shootings becoming all too common, we have an obligation to act.

So, joining me now, two members of Congress, Michigan Republican Congressman Fred Upton and Rhode Island Democratic Congressman David Ciciline. Gentlemen, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

Congressman Cicillen, explain how this would work. Because it seems the intention here is to make this a federal system where some states already have something similar systems in place.

REP. DAVID CICILLINE (D-RI): This directs the Department of Justice to develop a system for an active shooter alert and to make it available to local law enforcement, to local communities to the states and, again, to ensure that best practices are followed so that community members know when an active shooter action is in place.

Between 2000 and 2019, there have been 333 active shooting incidents, and it puts people and police officers in danger. This will allow information to go out immediately about the dangers that are present during an active shooting.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Upton, will this get Republican support?

REP. FRED UPTON (R-MI): It will. And I looked at my district and we've had a number of active shootings. In fact, I was at a school doing and, literally, while I was there, they did an active shooting drill. But we had an issue in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where six folks were shot, some were killed. They had a couple of bailiffs that were killed as well at a courthouse. This is going to work. It's going to be bipartisan from the get-go and I'd like to think that we can have this on the floor the next couple of weeks. SCIUTTO: The Amber Alert model, notable here, that, of course, for kidnappings, and it's credited by some with saving hundreds of children's lives since it was put into place, I do have to ask you and with respect, given that there are many elements to active shooting events, including the kinds of weapons that are accessible to folks and who can get them, can there be a credible congressional response to these events without addressing guns more broadly? I wonder if I could begin with you, Congressman Cicilline, but I also like to hear what you, Congressman Upton.

[10:20:01]

CICILLINE: Well, certainly I have a number of bills that restrict use of particular firearms and assault weapon ban and a number of other pieces of legislation. This is a public safety measure. Whatever your position is on the Second Amendment, this is about keeping communities safe during an active shooting incident.

We, as you say, with Amber Alert, have saved thousands of children, we can do the same for police officers, for members of the community who, you know, might be drawn to an active shooting because they have a child in school or they have a family member in that area. And this will ensure people immediately get accurate information of the dangers.

Of course, we have to do much more, in my view, to reduce the availability of guns in this country, to reduce gun violence. There are a number of bills that are pending. But this is a bill that really focuses on protecting police officers, protecting members of the community in the most dangerous circumstances.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Upton, you, as you know but our viewers might not know, joined Democrats in supporting what's known as HR-8, which is a bipartisan background checks plan. Does a measure like that still have a shot in the current environment?

UPTON: Well, you know, we passed HR-8. It's a background check. It complies with the Michigan law, which has been on the books for decades. It's the Senate that has failed to take meaningful steps forward. You'd like to think that they have a hearing that actually move a bill.

But this bill, it's a public safety bill. It is going to protect law enforcement but it's going to protect the Average Joe, someone who may or may not inadvertently walk into a neighborhood where you've got something going on and because they don't have CNN on in the car or the radio, they're not going to know what's going on. So, this is really a public safety measure that only helps all of our communities to be a safer place.

SCIUTTO: You're both aware of the politics of this, and we've been down this path so many times, often in the wake of shootings. After some of the worst shootings, Sandy Hook going back, but even more recently, and each time, efforts with broader legislation have come up short. I wonder, Congressman Cicilline, when you meet with members of the public, do you find -- and, by the way, on both parties, do you find that they've run out of patience with this and they say, listen, please get something done? In other words, do you notice a difference when you go out into the real world outside of the halls of Congress, that folks are ready for broader change?

CICILLINE: Oh, absolutely. Look, I hear about this issue all the time from my constituents. They have been demanding Congress to move on comprehensive common sense gun safety legislation for a very long time. I fought for it when I was in the state legislature. I fought it as a founding member of Mayors against Illegal Guns, and I've been for it here in Congress, there's tremendous frustration.

And by introducing this bipartisan bill on this one issue, be sure that I'm going to continue to fight on all of those other issues, which are incredibly important. People are demanding we do more to reduce gun violence in communities all across this country.

SCIUTTO: Congressman Upton, you mentioned how with HR-8, for instance, the background -- the bipartisan background checks bill, that got through the House, stopped in the Senate, as often happens. I mean, there's a tighter divide there, but you say this one will get through both chambers.

UPTON: This is going to go. This is going to go. We're on a track to get it up during Police Week in May. We're going to be when it gets -- and David introduces it today, we'll have bipartisan support for it, co-sponsors. I think that we're close to getting a commitment from the speaker, in fact, they have it on the House floor for a debate. It will be under suspension of the rules, which means it needs to pass by two-thirds vote. I am convinced that this will pass overwhelmingly in the House and certainly send a signal to the Senate and it's going to happen, as it should, overdue.

SCIUTTO: We'll be watching that.

Before we go, Congressman Cicilline, in terms of broader measures, this is a moment when Democrats have the House and the Senate and the presidency, granted slim margins in each, but if -- and granted, as you know well, the Democrats have been more supportive of broader measures, like we've been discussing here. If Democrats couldn't get measures like, for instance, assault weapons bans or even high- capacity magazine ban, like the weapon we saw used in the cop killing in New York, if they couldn't get it done now, should folks at home think it's going to ever get done?

CICILLINE: No. Look, I think we have to demonstrate that we're committed to those issues and keep fighting for them. The progress on this has been obviously too slow and I've been fighting, I think as many of my colleagues have for a very long time, and we're going to continue to fight for it. But I don't think they would give up because they have a right to live in their communities free from gun violence and Congress has much more work to do. And although our majorities are slim, we're going to try to grow them and get this done and make sure that every single community is safe from gun violence.

SCIUTTO: Well, we appreciate your effort on this effort, this particular bill, and we also appreciate you coming on together. Congressman Fred Upton, David Cicilline, thanks so much.

CICILLINE: Thank you. You bet.

[10:25:00]

GOLODRYGA: And still ahead, new CNN exclusive reporting on how far former President Donald Trump was prepared to go in his effort to overturn the 2020 election. How serious this is to the January 6th investigation and how it could impact future elections. That's up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: CNN has new exclusive reporting this morning on just how far former President Donald Trump went in his attempt to have voting machines seized after the 2020 election.

[10:30:07]