On Tuesday, NBC News confirmed that Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen have both retained divorce attorneys. When Gisele was spotted in Miami without her wedding ring, the likelihood of the high-profile couple’s separation increased.
Since the football player decided to come out of retirement, rumors of marital strife have been circulating. In September, when his wife missed his home game in Tampa, which his three children attended, the rumors gained more traction.
Brady, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, and Bündchen, the Brazilian fashion icon, have been married since early 2009 and have two children, ages 12 and 9. Brady also has a 15-year-old son from his previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan.
Bündchen has made it clear that she is unhappy with Brady’s decision to resume his football career.
“Obviously, I have my concerns — this is a very violent sport, and I have my children, and I would like him to be more present,” she recently told Elle magazine. “I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again. But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too.”
This year, the seven-time Super Bowl champion initially declared his retirement before changing his decision a few weeks later. He took an 11-day leave from Bucs training camp in August, which the team attributed to “personal matters.”
When questioned by reporters about his absence upon his return, Brady stated: “I’m 45 years old, man. There’s a lot of s— going on.”
Brady is off to a sluggish start this season by his high standards. He has thrown 1,058 yards and six touchdowns through four games, ranking eighth and tenth in the league.
Brady recently shared some of the personal costs of playing in the NFL for two decades on his podcast.
“I haven’t had a Christmas in 23 years, and I haven’t had a Thanksgiving in 23 years; I haven’t celebrated birthdays with people that I care about that are born from August to late January. And I’m not able to be at funerals, and I’m not able to be at weddings,” Brady narrated. “I think there comes a point in your life where you say: ‘You know what? I’ve had my fill, and it’s enough and time to go on, to move into other parts of life.'”
According to Forbes, Brady was the ninth highest-paid athlete in the world this year. On the other hand, on several occasions, Forbes has ranked Bündchen as one of the world’s wealthiest celebrities. In 2007, it named her the highest-paid supermodel in the world.