Let's face it, sometimes the cost of having an elite talent at the most important position in team sports is enduring some ancillary, back page fodder. Tampa Bay is learning that this season with the greatest player in the history of the sport, Tom Brady. Midway through training camp, Brady left the team for 11 days. Rumors swirled that the reason was everything from a family vacation to the Bahamas to Brady's filming "The Masked Singer" for FOX.
As it turns out, Brady's drama may just be something as old as time — marital disagreements and spousal prioritization. In a revealing feature in ELLE magazine, Brady's supermodel wife, Gisele, opened up about where the two are in their marriage and some of the stress that Brady's career has placed on the family, despite his massive success:
"I've done my part, which is [to] be there for [Brady]. I moved to Boston, and I focused on creating a cocoon and a loving environment for my children to grow up in and to be there supporting him and his dreams," she explained.Of course, the "beautiful little humans" Gisele is referring to are the couple's children — son Benjamin, 12, daughter Vivian, 9, and stepson Jack, 15, who is Brady's child from a prior relationship with actress Bridget Moynihan. Gisele had a highly successful career as a runway model prior to marrying Brady and having kids, and she indicates that she is looking to return to that world, in some capacity:
"Seeing my children succeed and become the beautiful little humans that they are, seeing [Brady] succeed, and being fulfilled in his career—it makes me happy," she continued. "At this point in my life, I feel like I've done a good job on that."
"I have a huge list of things that I have to do, that I want to do. At 42, I feel more connected with my purpose," she said.According to the interview, Gisele also has concerns about the physical effects of football on Brady:
"I feel very fulfilled in that way, as a mother and as a wife," she said. "And now it's going to be my turn. It's not like I'm going to be in the valley forever."
"Obviously, I have my concerns—this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present," she said of her husband. "I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again. But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too."The rumors of a split between the two have been running wild for some time, since Brady took an unprecedented 11 day hiatus from the Buccaneers right in the middle of august training camp. When he returned, Brady made it clear, in very specific and moderately graphic terms, he needed time away:
Brady has never looked more miserable playing football, and it is worth noting that he has a $300 million contract from FOX waiting for him upon retirement, where he will join the top booth pairing on the network for their NFL coverage. While not as intense as playing, that IS a job that requires time, effort, and lots of travel. What happens then?#Bucs QB Tom Brady on his 11-day absence from training camp: “I’m 45 years old, man. There’s a lot of sh*t going on.”
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 28, 2022
(🎥 @Buccaneers)pic.twitter.com/8WPupuB3XP
This is the QB drama Tampa is now dealing with. Considering they won a Super Bowl back in 2020 with Brady at the helm, I'd say it's all probably worth it. Certainly far more than the kind of drama (and ultimate results) that the Texans' QB drama yielded.
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