Why Is Tom Brady Retiring? His Divorce From Gisele Was ‘Traumatizing’ Enough For Him to End His Career
Considering the Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s disappointing end to the 2023 season, the answer to the question of why is Tom Brady retiring “for good” might seem obvious, but his tearful announcement still hits fans just as hard.
Brady’s second season with the Buccs ended abruptly on January 23, 2022, after the team’s 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams and announced his retirement from football directly after. Less than 40 days later, Brady announced he was rejoining the team and retracted his retirement status in April 2022. With his highly publicized divorce from his wife Gisele Bündchen, fans and football experts wondered if the football player had too much going on in his life to focus on football. So, why is Tom Brady retiring and will it be permanent this time? Read more to find out why Tom Brady is retiring from football after more than 20 years in the NFL.
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Why is Tom Brady retiring?
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So, why is Tom Brady retiring? On February 1, 2023, Tom Brady announced on social media that he will be retiring from football “for good,” but admitted it’s not the first time his fans have heard him say the word. Tearfully, he said: “I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning I figured I’d just press record, and let you guys know first,” Tom filmed his retirement speech on a beach. “It won’t be long-winded, you only get one super-emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year, so. I…really thank you, guys, so much to every single one of you, for supporting me, my family, my friends, teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever. There’s too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. Love you all.”
After the Buccaneer’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys on January 15, 2023, which eliminated them from the playoffs, many teams speculated where and whether the champion quarterback would play next season. The 2022 season was one of the worst for the Super Bowl champ-led team, however, Tom still threw for an impressive 4,694 yards and 25 touchdowns.
ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington described Tom’s divorce to be “traumatizing” and might be a reason why Tom led to retirement. “Just talking to people this morning, many of which are very close to Tom, I would choose one word: Exhausted. He’s tired,” Darlington said. “I think it’s not just about the 23-year career, which obviously deservedly so, he’s 45 years old. It’s time to rest up.” He continued, “But we have to remember. Take the human element of this past year into consideration. During his most hyper-focused time of his life, which is in-season, he went through the stress of a divorce — a traumatizing divorce to him. So, now he stepped back. He decided, ‘You know what, I need to recharge. I need to rebuild my life and get myself reenergized,’ and not for the football field, but just in general,” Jeff said.
He also confirmed that he will not be returning to the field any time soon. “So ultimately, I will be very clear on this, everybody is telling me that he is done-done. This is not going to be a reconsideration,” Darlington said. “He is done. He feels at peace with it. He is ready to move on with his life away from football.”
As for his post-retirement plans, Tom is planning to sign on as an analyst for Fox Sports with a reported contract for $375 million. “There’s so much to learn, there’s so much to teach, you know, it’s ever-evolving. Believe me, as much as you think I’m willing to teach people, I’m really looking to learn. I’m really looking to learn from all the people that I get to talk to,” he said in his podcast. “I get an opportunity to be in a job in the future where I get to travel around and learn from all the other people that I’ve looked up to and admired and different organizations and different people. So it’s exciting for me too. I feel like the opportunity to do that is something that I’m really looking forward to whenever that time comes.”
“We are pleased to announce that immediately following his playing career, seven-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady will be joining us at @foxsports as our lead analyst,” said Lachlan Murdoch via Fox Sports’ Twitter in May 2022. “Over the course of this long-term agreement, Tom will not only call our biggest NFL games with Kevin Burkhardt but will also serve as an ambassador for us, particularly with respect to client and promotional initiatives. We are delighted that Tom has committed to joining the Fox team and wish him all the best during this upcoming season.”
Tom responded at the time, “Excited, but a lot of unfinished business on the field with the @Buccaneers #LFG,” the quarterback quote tweeted the announcement. Lachlan said it’s “entirely up to” Tom when he decides to retire from football and join Fox.
During his 23rd season in the game, Tom also set the record straight that retirement wasn’t an option on the table on October 20, 2022. In a press conference clip posted by his team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Instagram, Tom confirmed that retirement is never on his mind. “I love the sport, I love the teammates, and I want to go do a good job for this team like I always have,” he said. “So, no retirement in my future.”
On his podcast Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray, he discussed how football has an effect on his work-life balance. “The reality is, you can really only be authentic to yourself,” he said. “I almost look at like a football season like you’re going away on deployment in the military. And it’s like, ‘Man, here I go again. There’s only one way to do it.’” He continued, “Whenever you may say, ‘Oh man, I want to make sure I spend a little more time doing this,’ your competitiveness takes over. And as much as you want to have this playful balance with the work balance, you’re going to end up doing exactly what you’ve always done. Which is why you are who you are. You’re going to go, ‘How do I get it done?’ You know, ‘What do I got to do to get it done?’”
When Brady first retired, many of his teammates were on board with the idea of retirement for the Super Bowl champ former Buccs player Keyshawn Johnson thought that the possibility of retirement makes some sense for Brady, who would start another season at the age of 45 if he chose not to step away. “You’ve won seven (Super Bowls) and you’ve played in 10,” Johnson said on ESPN’s Keyshawn, JWill & Max Show. “You’ve accomplished every hardware you could think of and imaginable in terms of professional sports.” The former NFL wide receiver also noted that Brady may consider retirement to spend more time with his family.
“There’s also something to be said for family, and time with your family. He has kids. They’re getting older,” Johnson added. “I’m sure his son wants to play football or wants to play quarterback or something along those lines, and duplicate that success or try to duplicate the success that his dad had. Living that dream, you want to be there for that.”
The star quarterback was on the verge of victory during the Sunday divisional playoff game. In trademark Brady style, he rallied his team from a 27-3 deficit to tie the game in the final minute. But with moments to spare, the Rams ultimately defeated the Buccs with a 30-yard field goal by Matt Gay completed as time expired on the game. With this loss, the Bucs and Brady lost their bid to Super Bowl LVI just one year after Brady led his team to win the championship at Super Bowl LV. And now, fans want to know if Brady is thinking of throwing in the towel for good.
After 22 seasons and seven championships, Brady officially announced his first retirement, exactly a year before his second retirement announcement, and shared the news in an Instagram post on February 1, 2022. He shared a photo of himself on the field, along with the following statement: “I have always believed the sport of football is an ‘all-in’ proposition—if a 100 percent competitive commitment isn’t there, you won’t succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game,” Brady’s statement began. “There is a physical, mental, and emotional challenge EVERY single day that has allowed me to maximize my highest potential. And I have tried my very best these past 22 years. There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life.”
He continued, “This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention. I’ve done a lot of reflecting the past week and have asked myself difficult questions. And I am so proud of what we have achieved. My teammates, coaches, fellow competitors, and fans deserve 100 percent of me, but right now, it’s best I leave the field of play to the next generation of dedicated and committed athletes.”
The Buccs star went on to share a long list of thank you’s, including to his fans and his family, before reflecting on his legendary career. “My playing career has been such a thrilling ride, and far beyond my imagination, and full of ups and downs. When you’re in it every day, you really don’t think about any kind of ending,” he wrote. “As I sit here now, however, I think of all the great players and coaches I was privileged to play with and against the competition was fierce and deep, JUST HOW WE LIKE IT. But the friendships and relationships are just as fierce and deep. I will remember and cherish these memories and re-visit them often. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.”
Brady’s confirmation comes after weeks of speculation and reports claiming that he was planning to retire following the Buccaneer’s last-minute loss to the Rams at the NFL divisional playoff on January 23, 2022. When asked after the game whether he was thinking of retirement, the quarterback was hesitant to share any plans for the future. “Truthfully guys, I’m thinking about this game,” Brady said, per ESPN. “I’m not thinking about anything past five minutes from now.” He went on to note, “I haven’t put a lot of thought into [retirement], so you know, we will just take it day by day and kind of see where we are at.”
Brady—who had one year left on his contract with the Buccs—told reporters that he wasn’t thinking of the divisional playoff game as his last. “I was thinking about winning,” he explained at the time. “That’s kind of my mentality—always to go out there and try to win. Give my teammates the best chance to win.”
Speaking of his team’s loss, Brady admitted that was simply a “reality” that every athlete must deal with at one point in their career—and for Brady, this loss marked just the fourth time he’s ever lost in the divisional round during his 20-plus year career. “Every team is really qualified when you get to the final eight, then the final four, then the final two and it doesn’t feel good to lose any one of those games, and I have lost each of those stages,” he said. “So at the end, there is only one team that is going to be happy. It feels good to move on when you move on, and obviously when you don’t, whether it was last week or this week or next week, the week after, two weeks after that—if you are a loser in that game, it all sucks to lose in the end.”
Tom later reversed his decision to retire in April 2022. “These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands,” he posted on social media at the time. “That time will come. But it’s not now,” he tweeted. “I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. Unfinished business LFG.”
Prior to announcing his retirement in February 2022, Brady opened up about the subject in the past. During a July 2021 interview with SiriusXM Town Hall, the quarterback hinted that he had plans to play football until he was at least 45 years old—but his family weighed heavily on his mind when it came to this decision. “Things change as you get older, and there’s a lot of different responsibilities I have in my life,” he said at the time. “My kids and my family is certainly very important, and they made a lot of sacrifice over a long period of time to watch me play. So, you know, I owe it to them, too.”
Brady echoed these plans in his official retirement announcement: “To my wife, Gisele, and my children Jack, Benny and, Vivi. You are my inspiration. Our family is my greatest achievement,” he gushed. “I always came off the field and home to the most loving and supportive wife who has done EVERYTHING for our family to allow me to focus on my career. Her selflessness allowed me to reach new heights professionally, and I am beyond words what you mean to me and our family. Te amo amor da minha vida.”
Later in 2022, Brady confirmed that he was going through a divorce from his wife of 13 years, Gisele Bündchen. He posted an Instagram story with the caption on October 28, 2022, “In recent days, my wife and I finalized our divorce from one another after 13 years of marriage. We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together. We are blessed with beautiful and wonderful children who will continue to be the center of our world in every way. We will continue to work together as parents to always ensure they receive the love and attention they deserve. “We arrived at this decision to end our marriage after much consideration. Doing so is, of course painful, and difficult, like it is for so many people who go through the same thing every day around the world. However, we wish only the best for each other as we pursue whatever new chapters in our lives that are yet to be written. And we kindly ask for privacy and respect as we navigate in what comes in the days and weeks ahead. Thank you.”
According to some sources, the main reason for their divorce was Tom’s decision to un-retire from the NFL. A source told Page Six in September 2022, “There’s been trouble in the marriage over his decision to un-retire. Gisele has always been the one with the kids. They had agreed he would retire to focus on the family, then he changed his mind,” the insider said.
Page Six also confirmed on November 2, 2022, that Tom and Gisele had an “ironclad prenup” before their divorce. “There was an ironclad prenup set down before they married in 2009. They both have their own separate business entities, so the separation of their wealth wasn’t that complicated in the end. The only other major factor was dividing up their massive property portfolio,” a source said. Tom reportedly spent Christmas alone and had a belated holiday with his children, Benjamin Rein, born 2009, and Vivian Lake, born 2012. The quarterback also has one child with ex-Bridget Moynihan: John “Jack” Edward, born 2007, for whom Gisele acts as a stepmom.
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