Tom Brady has opened up about the challenges of navigating his high-profile divorce during his final season in the NFL.
During Thursday’s episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the 48-year-old reflected on his 2022 split from model Gisele Bündchen after 13 years of marriage, while simultaneously playing what would be his final NFL season after a 23-year career.
Brady said that his last year in the NFL was “tough” because of what was happening in his personal life — seemingly referring to his divorce.
“I was going through, I had a lot of, you know, a personal family issue,” he said of the 2022-2023 football season when he was quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “And it was a challenge, and it was very, it just took a lot out of me in terms of, you know, my ability to play.”
However, he didn’t feel like he was “missing anything” during that season since he’d been playing in the NFL for 23 years. After initially announcing his retirement in February 2022 — only to return for a third and final season with the Buccaneers — Brady hung up his cleats for good after his February 2023 announcement.
“I felt like I always had a goal, 45,” he said about when he wanted to retire. “I was 45 years old, I wanted to spend time with my kids, I felt like, okay, now it’s time for me to be at all my kids’ games. They’ve been to enough of their dad’s games.”
Brady — who played for the New England Patriots for 20 seasons before his three-year stint with the Bucs — and Bündchen, 45, share two children, Benjamin, 16, and Vivian, 13. The sports commentator also has an 18-year-old son, Jack, with ex Bridget Moynahan.
According to Brady, despite the challenges in his personal life, he “tried to put as much” as possible into his final NFL season.
“I owed it to my teammates and coaches to give them everything I had,” he explained. “I wish it could have been a little bit better at the end. But it was just a unique situation and a unique year for me.”
Brady and Bündchen announced their divorce in October 2022 and shared their own statements on Instagram at the time. In November of that year, the model sparked romance rumors with her jiu-jitsu instructor, Joaquim Valente, although they didn’t begin dating until June 2023, according to People.
Still, fans speculated that Bündchen and Valente's relationship began before her divorce from Brady. But she denied cheating during a 2024 interview with The New York Times.
“This is something that happens to a lot of women who get blamed when they have the courage to leave an unhealthy relationship and are labeled as being unfaithful,” she said. “They have to deal with their communities. They have to deal with their family. Of course, for me, it just happens to be a little bit amplified.”
Bündchen and Valente officially tied the knot in December 2025, nearly a year after they welcomed a baby boy, whose name has yet to be revealed.
Meanwhile, Brady was spotted with influencer Alix Earle at a New Year’s Eve party last month, sparking dating rumors. However, Brady later hinted to People that he wasn’t in a relationship right now.
“You know what? I don't have much time for a personal life or much time for myself, but I love working, and I love my kids,” he told the publication at the Fanatics Studios launch party earlier this week.
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