Tom Brady Talks About the Struggles of Balancing Football and Family Life

Tom Brady is human just like the rest of us.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback suggested he like most people have a bit of drama on the Homefront. He implied that much last week following his 11-day excused absence from the team, telling reporters, “I’m 45 years old, man. There’s a lot of s— going on.” There’s been speculation that Brady is having some kind of marital trouble, with the New York Post’s Page Six reporting that his wife, Gisele Bundchen, is upset with Brady’s decision to return for a 23rd season after initially retiring in February.

“The model has left their family compound in Tampa, Fla., for Costa Rica following a series of heated arguments over Brady’s shock decision to un-retire from the NFL, while he has remained behind for team training.

“Tom and Gisele are in a fight right now,” a source tells Page Six, adding that this has happened before with the couple, but they have always reunited in the past.”

Brady didn’t address that speculation head-on but did discuss the struggles of balancing football and family Monday on a new episode of the “Let’s Go!” Podcast with Jim Gray.

“You can’t stop your life even though sports is happening,” Brady told Gray. “Even though I’m playing in my 23rd year, I have a freshman in high school that is playing football, too. I have a 12-year-old that is going through his life. I have a 9-year-old that is going through her life.

“And I have parents, and I have a lot of things that are really important, off-field pursuits and goals that you’re trying to maximize as well.”

Following Tom leading the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns last season, the seven-time Super Bowl champion said he couldn’t walk away from the game.

“I just felt like I had a little left, and I want to give it a shot,” Brady said of his decision to unretire in March. “I owed it to my teammates and our great coaches and our whole organization.”

Brady has said many times he wants to play until age 45, and he’ll accomplish that goal this season.

I can’t imagine him going through this whole process again next season, so this is most likely Tom’s last run at it.

Football takes up too much time for a man who is clearly needed elsewhere at his age.

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