Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady publicly addressed ongoing marital issues with his wife, supermodel Gisele Bündchen amid recent reports that the couple had hired divorce attorneys.
During the latest episode of his Let's Go podcast, Brady discussed his life balance with Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant and how his attitude has changed in the latter part of this 23-year NFL career.
"Me being 45 now, do I think the same way? I almost look at a football season like going away on deployment," Brady said. "There’s only one way to do it.
"We’ve talked [on the podcast] from time to time on how you enjoy certain moments of it. The reality of it is you can really only be authentic to yourself.
"Whatever you may say - 'I want to spend a little bit more time doing this' - during the season, the reality is when it comes down to it your competitiveness takes over and as much as you want to have this playful balance with the work balance, you’re going to end up doing what you’ve always done and that is why you are who you are."
Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told Page Six, which initially reported the couple's alleged marital issues, that both Brady and Bündchen had hired divorce attorneys earlier this month.
Page Six also shared photos of a ringless Bündchen with her children in Miami, where she's been reported to be living apart from Brady, on Wednesday (October 5).
“I never actually thought this argument would be the end of them, but it looks like it is,” one source with knowledge of the situation told Page Six. “I don’t think there will be any coming back now. They both have lawyers and are looking at what a split will entail, who gets what and what the finances will be.”
Representatives for Brady and Bündchen didn't respond to Page Six's request for comment following the report, the website said.
Last month, Page Six reported the couple was going through an "epic fight" and hadn't yet reconciled despite Bündchen returning to Florida from their trip to Costa Rica.
A source with knowledge of the situation told the website that the supermodel wasn't "back with Tom" and "flew back to Florida to be with her kids but hasn't been to their home in Tampa" at the time of the initial report.
The couple reportedly took their children and Brady's son, John Edward Thomas Moynahan, 15, whom he shares with actress Bridget Moynahan, to Miami ahead of Hurricane Ian's destruction in Tampa Bay last week before returning ahead of the Buccaneers' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday (October 2) night.
Multiple sources claimed that the couple was involved in a series of heated arguments over Brady's recent decision to un-retire from the NFL before leaving their family compound in Tampa for Costa Rica, which coincided with the quarterback's recent absence from the Buccaneers.
In August, Brady spoke candidly while finally publicly addressing his more than 10-day absence from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the team's 27-10 preseason loss to the Indianapolis.
"It's all personal, you know, everyone's got different situations they're dealing with, so we all have really unique challenges to our life. I'm 45 years old, man. There's a lot of s*** going on so, you know, you've just got to try to figure out life the best you can, you know, it's a continuous process," Brady told reporters after the game via Yahoo Sports.
League sources with knowledge of the situation told Pro Football Network that Brady made a commitment to spend time with his family, primarily his wife, at an exclusive resort during his time away from the team, which was planned before his decision to return for his 23rd NFL season in March, just weeks after his initial retirement announcement.
"His commitment to family and having a personal life was at the heart of this hiatus from football, and there was no medical emergency, as speculated, or other reasons," Pro Football Network wrote, which was re-shared on Twitter by NFL reporter Dov Kleiman.
Brady returned to the Buccaneers on August 22 after initially being absent from the team since August 11.
"#Bucs QB Tom Brady is not at practice today for personal, non-football reasons," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted at the time.. "Coach Todd Bowles will discuss it after practice, but my understanding is he won't be present for a few days."
Rapoport added that "Brady is fine and the team is on board with his reasons for being absent," but noted that it would "be a little bit" of time before the seven-time Super Bowl champion was expected to return at the time of the initial report.
Bowles later confirmed that Brady was expected to be away from the team until after the Bucs' preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on August 20, according to Rapoport.
Brady, who turned 45 in August, announced his retirement, then un-retirement this offseason ahead of his 23rd NFL season.
Brady is the NFL's all-time passing leader for yards and touchdowns, as well as quarterback wins, among numerous other records.
The San Mateo native spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots, leading the franchise to an NFL record six Super Bowl championships (tied with the Steelers), before joining the Buccaneers as a free agent in March 2020, which resulted in Tampa Bay winning its second Super Bowl in franchise history, becoming the first NFL team to win a Super Bowl in its home stadium, in February 2021.
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