Tom Brady says he could never have played football for so long without his wellness coach and alternative medicine doctor

• Tom Brady has officially announced his retirement from the NFL.

• In his retirement statement, Brady shouted out the doctors and coaches that he says helped lengthe his career.

• Brady famously used alternative medicine and holistic wellness techniques during his career.

Not even Tom Brady could play in the NFL forever.

The 44-year-old NFL legend announced his retirement from football, ending a two-decade career of dominance. In 22 years, Brady won more Super Bowl championships (7) than any individual NFL franchise in the entire 56-year history of the Super Bowl, eclipsing the entire league in modern championships.

Uniquely, Brady said, he had both a career that spanned nearly a quarter-century and consistent dominance and durability throughout his entire career.

He and his coaches have long said they believe his lifestyle is one of the key reasons for his enduring physical and mental strength in the game. It's a lifestyle he spun into an entire wellness brand, TB12, with his long-time body coach Alex Guerrero.

"I could have never made every Sunday without you; it's that simple" Brady wrote in his retirement statement to Guerrero.

Guerrero responded with his own Instagram post, saying: "Thank you for letting me be a part of it all. Currently updating my resume. Anyone out there looking for a body coach?"

Alex Guerrero worked with Tom Brady for 17 years and introduced him to alternative medicine

Brady started developing his notoriously strict diet and wellness routine when he hired Guerrero in 2005, right after winning his third Super Bowl championship.

But it wasn't until 2017, when Brady described the routine in his book, "The TB12 Method," that his lifestyle — and Guerrero's work — became a public fascination.

Guerrero introduced Brady to a concept called tissue pliability therapy, according to NBC Sports. Tissue pliability measures how soft and resilient muscles are. The softness and resilience of muscles are said to be what allows them to absorb and disperse forces, helping them operate more efficiently and avoid damage, according to WebMD.

Guerrero told NBC Sports he used manual therapy techniques to improve Brady's tissue pliability like foam rolling, massages, and stretching routines.

An emphasis on tissue pliability is also what inspired Brady to adopt his strict diet and lifestyle, as proper nutrition, hydration, and sleep patterns are critical components of maintaining healthy pliability.

Guerrero told NBC Sports that he would do a therapy session with Brady early in the morning and oftentimes do an extra session after practice during the football season, right up until the end of his career with the Bucs.

Guerrero worked with other New England Patriots players but took Brady's side when there was a rift between him and the team

Guerrero was also an unofficial member of the New England Patriots' training staff from 2005-17. Brady's influence and power within the organization put Guerrero in a position to work with other Patriots players, helping them perfect their diets and work improve their tissue pliability as well.

But in 2017, Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick began to get into disagreements that ultimately led to Brady's departure for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. When that rift began, Guerrero stopped working with other Patriots players to support Brady's stance.

"I just never wanted to give much power to them," Guerrero said of the Patriots in 2017, according to the ESPN documentary "The Man in The Arena. "The reality of it is, at the end of the day, I knew that Tom knew who I was. I know who I am, so we worked together, much like what a coach and a player would do. It's a really good partnership."

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