TAMPA, FLORIDA – JANUARY 01: Tom Brady #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sits on the bench during the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Raymond James Stadium on January 01, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
A former Buccaneers coach with inside knowledge of Tom Brady’s divorce has revealed the veteran quarterback was taken by surprise when Gisele Bundchen decided to end their marriage of 13 years.
It was a troubling period for Brady, who took an 11-day leave of absence from training camp at the beginning of the 2022/23 season and lost 15 pounds amid the drama.
The 45-year-old appeared quite gaunt when he appeared in front of reporters. Back then, almost no one knew what was going on so speculation was rife. Now, it’s general knowledge that Tom was dealing with the finalization of his divorce. He was also reeling from some financial distress resulting from the FTX scandal.
Heartbreaking Stuff
Clyde Christensen, a former quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was very much in the know. Christensen, now retired, spoke to the Tampa Bay Times in a recent interview in which he claimed that the quarterback was blindsided by the proceedings.
“To watch Tom have to leave training camp for 11 days to take care of some personal problems, it was heartbreaking stuff,” Christensen told the publication. “A divorce. Worrying about his kids. Hard stuff. But then you’re still expected to do your job when you get back. No one cares. And you’ve got a team. You have everyone depending on you. The show goes on.”
An excerpt from the piece states the following:
Quarterbacks look to their position coaches to help them thrive, and in the case of Brady last season, maybe also survive.
Christensen said Brady was somewhat blindsided a few days into training camp when he learned his wife, Gisele Bündchen, had decided to end their marriage of more than 13 years. Brady took off for “personal reasons” on his birthday. The next week, Bowles announced that Brady would be away from the club until sometime after the second preseason game.
Brady’s personal struggles translated into one of the worst seasons of his career but he still helped the Bucs reach the playoffs, though they exited at the earliest opportunity.
