For quite some time now, Tom Brady has demonstrated a commitment to the NFL. But on Monday — shortly after a report surfaced regarding the opinion of Brady’s wife, Gisele Bundchen, on his ongoing career — Brady acknowledged a deeper commitment to his family.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Bundchen “laid down the law” with Brady regarding his career in the league, saying she feels 22 seasons is enough. Brady, speaking on his “Let’s Go” podcast, said he understands Bundchen’s concerns.
“It pains her to see me get hit out there,” Brady said, via Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times. “And she deserves what she needs from me as a husband and my kids deserve what they need from me as a dad.”
While he expressed his love of the game, he also acknowledged he now has built a life outside of the game.
“Playing football, I get so much joy from,” he said. “I love it. But not playing football, there’s a lot of joy in that for me also now, too, with my kids getting older and seeing them develop and grow. So all these things need to be considered and they will be.”
The quarterback, who will turn 45 in August, said he will spend time with his family as he considers his future in professional football.
“I said this a few years ago, it’s what relationships are all about,” Brady said. “It’s not always what I want. It’s what we want as a family. And I’m gonna spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what’s next.”
Retirement rumors have been swirling in recent weeks, but things naturally intensified following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ playoff exit in the divisional round against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Brady dodged questions about retirement in his postgame press conference, so this — 24 hours later — is especially valuable insight.
