One day after Gisele Bündchen broke her silence about issues in her and Tom Brady‘s marriage, insiders close to each star had a lot to say to People about athlete’s decision to unretire and the impact on their relationship.
Bündchen admitted in a rare interview she has “concerns” over Brady, 45, returning to the NFL for a 23rd season as she’d “like him to be more present” at home. The supermodel shares daughter Vivian, 9, Benjamin, 12 and stepson Jack, 15, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback.
“From a family standpoint, these are critical years,” a source explained to People. “The kids are getting older, Ben is 12 now, and Gisele feels like Tom needs to be home.”
In a separate story on Wednesday, unnamed insiders emphasized to the magazine that Brady still “wants to be a good husband and father” despite playing football.
“Tom is a great guy, everyone thinks so, including Gisele. He doesn’t mean to be so preoccupied,” the source shared. “He still gets excited when talking about Gisele and the kids.”
The insider added that “football is such a big draw” to Brady. “Something’s got to give, and it has always been his family. They have to be so patient for him,” the source noted.
Oh, but sources weren’t done yet.
In a third story published on People, an insider called Brady a “workaholic” and claimed that Bünchen is tired of being a “football widow.”
“When Tom is playing, he’s obsessed with football,” the unnamed insider stated. “He is either practicing, or meeting with someone, or talking to a teammate. He is obsessed, and football is 24/7. Even if he’s with you, he’s not with you, unless he’s talking to you about football.”
Brady apparently “decided by himself that he’d come back” for another season after announcing his retirement earlier this year.
“[Gisele’s] a very ‘pros vs. cons’ person, and she sees very few pros to him playing anymore,” the source shared. “She’s told him that he’s the GOAT, and he has absolutely nothing left to prove. He could be going out on top, and playing until the wheels fall off doesn’t seem to be the way to go out on top.”
The source told the magazine that Brady knows he needs to retire after this year “if he wants to stay married.”
“I don’t think [their marriage is] over by any means,” the insider noted. “She doesn’t hate that he’s playing football, but she sure hates the way he handled the retirement and coming back. He knows that, and he’s doing what he can do to smooth things over.”
In an interview published on Tuesday, Bündchen said she’s “had those conversations” with Brady “over and over again.” The former Victoria’s Secret Angel, who retired from the runway in 2015, moved to Boston when the NFL MVP-winning athlete played for the New England Patriots. The family then relocated to Florida in 2020 when Brady joined the Buccaneers.
“I’ve done my part, which is [to] be there for [Tom],” she told Elle. “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. Seeing my children succeed and become the beautiful little humans that they are, seeing him succeed, and being fulfilled in his career — it makes me happy. At this point in my life, I feel like I’ve done a good job on that.”
Bündchen noted she has “a huge list of things” she wants to accomplish, too.
“I feel very fulfilled in that way — as a mother and as a wife,” she added. “And now it’s going to be my turn. It’s not like I’m going to be in the valley forever.”
