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Legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement on social media on February 1, and naturally, the tributes poured in.
One reaction in particular garnered quite a bit of attention on Twitter: The shout out from current Chicago Bears QB Nick Foles, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to a 41-33 victory over Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52.
The two quarterbacks have a history involving handshakes — or lack thereof. Foles has gone 2-0 when going head-to-head during the regular season against Brady, beating him in the big game and again in fall of 2020, when the Bears beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 20-19, Week 5 of the regular season.
Brady, who irked Eagles fans when he didn’t shake Foles’ hand after the former Philly QB beat him in Super Bowl 52, also neglected to shake the Bears’ quarterback’s hand again after the loss to Chicago.
In a post acknowledging Brady’s extraordinary career, Foles went viral for including a handshake photo, which some felt featured just the subtlest amount of shade.
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Foles Shares Tribute to Brady, Handshake Pic
“I didn’t cry at all,” Foles said after Brady didn’t shake his hand a second time in October of 2020, per Gene Chamberlain of Sports Illustrated. “I think that it wasn’t the first time it happened and I sort of laughed it off and just sort of moved on with my life and I’m sure he’s just doing the same thing.”
“It’s happened a few times,” Foles added. “I’m sure that some day Tom and I will have a great conversation about it and probably just laugh at it. There’s obviously history there from a big game we both played in once and then other day on Thursday night bug it is what it is, and I think he’s a tremendous player. Someday we’ll have a good conversation. … I think he’s a great player and obviously one of the greatest of all time.”
Several hours after Brady announced his retirement, Foles shared a photo of the two shaking hands during a media session prior to Super Bowl 52. “Much respect Tom,” Foles tweeted, along with a photo of the two shaking hands. “Unbelievable career. Best of luck with your next chapter.”
Naturally, Twitter had some things to say about it all.
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Twitter Explodes Over Foles’ Handshake Photo
Both Bears and Eagles fans were out in droves to respond to Foles’ tweet, with many reminding Brady Foles is 2-0 against him.
It was a whole vibe for Eagles fans in particular:
Eagles beat writer Martin Frank appreciated the “first-level shade” from Foles:
Will Brinson of CBS Sports called Foles’ tweet the “best Brady retirement tweet yet.”
Others, including SI’s Lauren Amour, appreciated the image Foles included:
For his part, Brady was recently asked about snubbing Foles multiple times, and he was candid about it.
“I’ve shaken Nick’s hand plenty of times,” Brady told reporter Rob Maaddi on January 14. “I have a lot of respect for Nick. I try to be a good sport as best I can. I know it doesn’t always look like that, because sometimes I get a little pissed out there, but for the most part I try to be a good sport.”
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