Take a deep breath Patriot nation -- Tom Brady did not leave you out of his retirement note on purpose, so says his ex-teammate Antowain Smith ... who tells TMZ Sports the G.O.A.T made an honest omission and still has love for the Pats.
The 44-year-old 7-time Super Bowl champ retired on Tuesday ... and he made sure to thank everyone on his way out the NFL except his former team and its head coach ... which left many Pats fans confused and annoyed.
Smith, though, tells us he thinks it was not done intentionally.