Buccaneers’ Tom Brady focused on children, football after ‘amicable’ divorce

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has offered his first public verbal comments on his divorce from Gisele Bündchen. 

“I think there’s a lot of professionals in life that go through things that they deal with at work and they deal with at home,” Brady explained during Monday’s edition of his “Let’s Go!” SiriusXM show and podcast, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN. “And obviously the good news is that it’s a very amicable situation and I’m really focused on two things: taking care of my family and certainly my children, and secondly, doing the best job I can to win football games.” 

Brady’s weekly interview segment was released the same day it was reported that the 45-year-old made “a little bit too little, too late” effort to save his relationship “near the end” and before he and Bündchen confirmed their divorce after 13 years of marriage this past Friday. 

“So that’s what professionals do,” Brady continued while speaking with broadcaster Jim Gray. “You focus at work when it’s time to work, and then when you come home you focus on the priorities that are at home. And all you can do is the best you can do, and that’s what I’ll just continue to do as long as I’m working, as long as I’m being a dad.”

Brady temporarily retired in February but announced roughly six weeks later he was returning to the Buccaneers for at least one more NFL season. Tampa Bay began the campaign at 2-0 but has since lost five of six games and sits at 3-5 heading into this Sunday’s home matchup against the 3-4 Los Angeles Rams. 

“I’ve dealt with a lot of challenging situations on and off the field over 23 years, and a lot of it does play out in front of a lot of people,” Brady added. “So I think the interesting thing for, you know, a football player, an athlete in general is, you’re out there — I always say we’re not actors, even though we’re on TV — that is our real self out there and we’re trying to do our best.

“That’s how people really have gotten to know me over the years, by being on TV. And that is an authentic self that’s out there to compete with my teammates every day. And you’re giving all you can to the team and you know, everyone’s going through different things. We all have our unique challenges in life and we’re all humans and we do the best we can do.”

Rumors first surfaced Brady and Bündchen were experiencing difficulties when the seven-time Super Bowl champion took an unexpected 11-day break away from the Buccaneers in August for unspecified “personal reasons.” 

Per multiple reports, the couple had been living separately throughout the ongoing season and well before Friday’s news. 

Brady hasn’t yet announced if he intends to play for the Buccaneers or any other club during the 2023 campaign.