Insiders think that Tom Brady could very well be quitting the NFL mid-season, after announcing his retirement and then doing a complete 180 and un-retiring 40 days later earlier this year! Could his decision be down to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ loss on Sunday night, or could it be due to his ongoing divorce with Gisele Bündchen, his wife of 13 years? Or perhaps a little bit of both?
If you’ll recall, Brady, 45, took an 11-day break before the start of the season for personal reasons, but a few insiders are speculating that he may go one step further and quit in the middle of the season due to his struggles. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has already been pictured throwing a tablet, and also shouting at his teammates on the sideline this season, which, along with his marital issues, makes insiders think that a mid-season exit could be very likely!
Insiders think Tom Brady might quit
NFL analyst Chris Simms spoke about Brady potentially quitting during NBC's Pro Football Talk Live alongside Mike Florio on Tuesday, October 18th. When discussing whether Brady or Aaron Rodgers were more likely to walk out during the season, Simms said: "Normally I'd feel like it's Rodgers that would be that guy. But because of this year and some of the off-the-field stuff that's hitting home and personal stuff with Brady, this is the one year I feel maybe it might be Brady."
"It seems like, and I don't know this, that his wife is threatening divorce or going down that road by all due accounts of what you read," Simms continued. "I think Rodgers is usually the guy to be more renegade and be like 'screw this, I'm out of here.' But this is a weird year where we're seeing Brady do weird crap and having personal issues." Florio added: "I have thought all along there's a chance Brady checks out during the season and I still think that happens."
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Tom Brady speaks out on his podcast
Neither Tom nor Gisele may be speaking to the media about their split, but the quarterback opened up about his work life balance when talking to NBA legend Kevin Durant on his Let's Go podcast, and at one point, compared football to being in the army!
"I almost look at a football season like you're going away on deployment for the military," Brady began. "And it's like: 'Man, here I go again.' The reality is you can really only be authentic to yourself. Right?"
"Whatever you may say: 'Ah, man, I want to, you know, make sure I spend a little more time doing this during the season.' The reality is when it comes down to it, your competitiveness takes over," he added. "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."
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Controversy over his military comments
Understandably, his comments about comparing the NFL to the army weren’t well received by everyone, with many US Army vets taking to social media to slam the football player.
Brady has since apologized for his comments. "It was a very poor choice of words," he told reporters during his Thursday, October 20th afternoon media appearance. "I just want to express that because people may have taken that a certain way. I apologize."
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Tom Brady has given up hopes of a reconciliation with Gisele
According to reports, Brady has given up hopes of a reconciliation with the 42-year-old former Victoria's Secret Angel. Although neither of them have officially filed for divorce yet, it's looking like it's going to be imminent, so the quarterback reportedly wants to be ready for an epic $400M divorce battle.
"Tom’s no longer thinking about a reconciliation," an insider told RadarOnline, before going on to say that his friends are already preparing him for the single life! "His football buddies are telling him Gisele is too much trouble," the insider added. "They want him to rejoin the dating pool and go clubbing with them!"
