Seven-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady might be calling it quits with Victoria’s Secret model wife, Gisele Bündchen, upon many reports of speculation. The couple has been together for 16 years, married for 13 and currently raise three kids together. For the past several months, multiple tabloids and news sites have reported about a potential split between the two. Though nothing has been confirmed from the two, the couple has hinted about it.
At the end of the 2021-2022 NFL season, rumors of Brady retiring conspired, which then led to him actually announcing his retirement. In an Instagram post following his retirement announcement, Brady uplifted the support he had gotten from his family, declaring that his family was his “greatest achievement.” He further stated, “I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention.”
But six weeks after making the statement, he withdrew it, saying that he “felt like I had a little left” on his SiriusXM podcast “Let’s Go!”. He had then tweeted that he had “unfinished business.” Though the player has already played in nine Super Bowls, the “unfinished business” possibly came from the fact that he was close to making it that far again in the 2021-2022 NFL season. The quarterback is most likely striving for a tenth chance at the Lombardi Trophy.
There are many instances before the retirement announcement of Bündchen being all for Brady retiring. After his most recent Super Bowl win in 2021, the quarterback revealed in a James Corden interview that his wife asked him “what more do you have to prove?” In September of 2021, Brady stated “I think my wife has, you know, held down the house for a long time now, and I think there’s things that she wants to accomplish,” in one of his podcast episodes.
Back in May, Bündchen had done an interview with Vogue Magazine, where discussed her partnership with Brady. She had stated that her focus was on her kids, while her husband’s focus was on his career. Furthermore, Bündchen mentioned her philosophy that “I don’t think relationships just happen; it’s never the fairy tale people want to believe it is. It takes work to be really in sync with someone, especially after you have kids.”
The speculation of a split arose from his retirement withdrawal, with the possibility that Bündchen was not all for the decision. Bündchen had an interview with ELLE magazine about her concerns about him coming back, declaring that she would like her husband to be more present in their children’s lives and mentioning that the sport is violent. Bündchen made the front covers of ELLE’s October issue, with her main focus on creating new plans for her future after spending years being a devoted mother and wife.
Author Jay Shetty posted an excerpt on Instagram that read “You can’t be in a committed relationship with someone who is inconsistent with you.” Bündchen had commented underneath this post with the prayer hands emoji, indicating a connection with the excerpt.
The football player had taken an 11-day break from his team’s training camp back in August. His reasoning for doing so was for “personal reasons.” He had stated in a press conference that he’s got “a lot of s–t going on”, also explaining that “everyone has different situations they’re dealing with, and we all have unique challenges to our lives.” Starting this season, he now takes Wednesday off, with the same excuse of “personal reasons.”
Recently, Brady has had a few outbursts at his Sunday games. From throwing a Microsoft tablet to screaming at his own teammates on the sidelines, the player has been presenting strong behaviors publicly. He has even addressed his behavior in an interview in a recent episode of his podcast, saying “I do think that it's a bad day when there are more F-bombs than touchdowns.” After six weeks in the 2022-2023 NFL season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a 3-3 record, which is Brady’s worst start since 2012.
A report from People Magazine states that the couple has been living apart for the past few months, with both partners doing their own career traveling. He had recently attended a colleague’s wedding by himself and Bündchen has yet to attend a Buccaneers game this season, though their children have attended.
Both have been seen in public not wearing their wedding rings, Bündchen was the first to be seen without them in early October, then following Brady’s appearance two weeks later.
At the beginning of October, there was confirmation of the two hiring divorce lawyers, with Bündchen being the first to do so. Still, there has been no direct confirmation from either partner except for the numerous hints and the different undisclosed inside sources.
