Tom Brady recently touched on his divorce from Gisele Bündchen, a topic that created a lot of buzz during his last NFL season in 2022. In a Thursday appearance on “Flock,” the former quarterback, who hung up his cleats in February 2023 after an impressive 23-year career, shared that the public nature of his divorce took a toll on his performance while playing for the Buccaneers, who wrapped up the season with an 8-9 record, their first losing record ever.
“Last season was tough,” the 48-year-old Brady confessed to host Colin Cowherd. “I was dealing with a lot—personal family issues. It was really challenging and drained my ability to play.”
Brady reflected on his long career, noting, “I’ve spent 23 years in football. I didn’t feel like I was missing anything after retiring. My goal was always to be done by 45, and once I hit that age, I wanted to focus on being there for my kids. They’ve come to see enough of their dad play.”
Brady and Bündchen were together for 13 years before their divorce was finalized in October 2022. They share two children, Benjamin, 15, and Vivian, 12. Additionally, Brady has a son named Jack, who is 17, from his previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan.
When asked about his retirement decision, Brady referenced a social media video of himself sitting on a beach, contemplating his life choices.
In his final year, he realized he had given everything he could to the game. “I felt like I owed it to my teammates and coaches,” he said, expressing a tinge of regret about not being better during the final stretch. “It was just a very unique situation and year for me.”
Meanwhile, Bündchen reportedly wed her boyfriend, jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquin Valente, in a small ceremony in Surfside, Florida, last December, and they welcomed their first child in February of last year.
In discussing Aaron Rodgers, who might have just played his last game for the Steelers in a recent wild-card defeat, Cowherd brought up Brady’s final season, prompting Brady to comment that Rodgers “has his own way of finding solutions,” hinting at his time spent in solitude at a retreat in Oregon, contemplating his future in football.
