Buccaneers’ Tom Brady addresses divorce in first press conference since split

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady addressed the elephant in the room during his first press conference since his divorce from Gisele Bündchen. 

“I’ve always tried to do the best I could do here, and then when I leave here I try to do the best I could do, and that’s what we all try to do,” Brady explained on Thursday, according to Natasha Dye of People. “I’m sure everyone sitting in this room, sitting at home, just trying to wake up every day doing the best they could do for their families and their career, and I’m no different.

“So just try to do the best you can do every day, and I’m certainly no different.” 

Brady and Bündchen confirmed their split last Friday roughly 12 hours after the Buccaneers fell to 3-5 on the season via a prime-time loss to the Baltimore Ravens. While the 45-year-old hadn’t completed NFL-related media obligations since Friday’s announcements, he touched upon what he called “a very amicable situation” during Monday’s edition of his SiriusXM show and podcast with broadcaster Jim Gray.

Much has been made about Brady’s on-the-field performances and supposed off-the-field “distractions” as of late, particularly during Tampa Bay’s ongoing three-game losing streak and as the Buccaneers dropped five of six contests. ESPN stats show Brady began Thursday 14th among eligible quarterbacks with a 92.4 passer rating, 17th with a 49.1 total QBR, and second with 2,267 passing yards on the campaign. He has nine touchdown passes with one interception over eight games. 

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers rank dead last in rushing and are averaging a pitiful 61.9 yards on the ground per matchup. 

Tampa Bay hosts the 3-4 Los Angeles Rams in Brady’s first post-divorce showdown this Sunday.