Tom Brady did not play up to his standards this season, but it also was a trying time for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback.
The 45-year-old and Gisele Bündchen divorced after they were married for 13 years. Brady reportedly lost 15 pounds, according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington.
The personal troubles concerned those around the seven-time Super Bowl champion, including Clyde Christensen, who retired last week after decades in the NFL and five years as Buccaneers quarterbacks coach.
“Yeah, I worried about him,” Christensen told the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud, per Pro Football Talk. “He lost that weight. It was very stressful. And he battled and he hurt, but he put on the brave face and did it again. You’ve got a bunch of folks depending on you. I have an unbelievable respect for what Tom did this year. Off-the-charts amount of respect for him just managing things.”
Christensen added: “To watch Tom have to leave training camp for 11 days to take care of some personal problems, it was heartbreaking stuff. A divorce. Worrying about his kids. Hard stuff. But then you’re still expected to do your job when you get back. No one cares. And you’ve got a team. You have everyone depending on you. The show goes on.”
Brady did what he could for an 8-9 Tampa Bay team, as Christensen noted. The All-Pro QB was still third in passing yards and eighth in passing touchdowns this season. The Dallas Cowboys eliminated the Buccaneers in the wild-card round, but there were a lot of factors outside of Brady that led to a disappointing season for the Bucs.
“It’s amazing to watch Tom Brady, in the middle of going through all those tough times, somehow keep it in the lane and get to the playoffs and win a division,” Christensen said, per Stroud. “People don’t see that side of it. Wins and losses are really, really important, but it’s a much bigger picture than that.”
The Buccaneers have overhauled their staff, including firing offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. But Brady’s future is uncertain.
The future Hall of Famer is open to “being part of the solution” in Tampa Bay, according to Darlington. However, there are multiple teams who could try to recruit Brady this offseason.
For now, Brady is enjoying some time off with his kids and trying his best to avoid speculation as much as possible.
