Tom Brady has been in the news for seemingly all the wrong reasons. The soon-to-be Hall of Fame quarterback has had one of the most memorable careers and is in the conversation as the best quarterback of all time.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are again one of the Super Bowl favorites, and with a legendary quarterback, they get plenty of primetime games. Be sure to catch the TNF odds for when they play.
Still, the decision to return for a 23rd season at 45 years old was questionable at best. It’s not because of his performance or durability, either. Since 2002 he’s played all 16 games – and 17 in the first year of the expanded regular season – in all but two seasons when he played one game in 2008 and 12 games in 2016.
It’s clear that he’s sacrificing his life, not physically but mentally and emotionally.
Semi-retirement
Rewind to February when Brady announced his retirement on the first day of the month. It was one of the bigger questions, but coverage leading up to the announcement suggested he was leaning that way.
It was in question, though, because he was dominant. He led the NFL in completions (485), pass attempts (719), passing yardage (5,316), and passing touchdowns (43). He finished second in MVP voting and got the Buccaneers to the divisional round in the NFC, losing 30-27 to the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams.
It got weird his announced retirement. Two months later – on March 31 – coach Bruce Arians announced his retirement. A few weeks prior, Brady ended his own retirement after 40 days.
That created speculation that there was a rift between Brady and Arians, who has been an offensive mastermind for many years and successfully coached the Bucs and Brady to the championship in Super Bowl LV.
The vacation
Brady entered training camp as if nothing had happened. However, some of his news conferences raised eyebrows with some more thought-out answers. Sure, Brady has been known to crack a few one-liners here and there, but not necessarily the most thought-provoking statements. He’s typically focused on improving each day in his quest to lead a franchise to a Super Bowl win, which would be chasing his eighth.
However, he was noticeably absent from camp for a few days. News eventually broke that he was tending to an excused absence. That absence?
He took an 11-day vacation.
There are different areas of wagering, and while people were using Thursday night football odds for preseason football, the theory was he was taping for the popular music show “The Masked Singer.”
New coach Todd Bowles covered for Brady, which added to the drama, saying, “We allotted this time because he wanted to get in and get chemistry with the guys and go through two weeks of training camp, knowing he wasn’t going to play the first two (preseason games).”
That is customary for most starting quarterbacks.
Married to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen and with three kids (two with Gisele), Brady went on a short hiatus that included a trip to the Bahamas. He, his wife, and his ex-wife (Bridget Moynahan) all visited the Hamptons to celebrate his son’s 15th birthday.
The fallout
There have been numerous reports about Brady and Bundchen’s marriage since Tom decided to return for his 23rd NFL season. The strain, evidently, was real as the two are reportedly deciding to split with divorce attorneys involved. It’s been so bad that the New York Post has run dueling headlines arguing which side is correct. Hopefully, both sides can make amends and keep things healthy for their children’s sake.
What’s next?
Expect there to be plenty to follow as the separation is ongoing. It shouldn’t hurt either side as they are both worth a fortune to the common people.
Soon it will be focusing on Thursday night football tonight odds again for the common football fans. For married couples, the spouses can focus on the latest relationship drama if they’re so inclined.
While Brady’s age-45 season is off to a decent start with a winning record and looking to contend for the passing title again, one has to wonder if it was best to return.
