Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen announce their divorce

Bündchen noted that the couple had “grown apart and while it is, of course, difficult to go through something like this, I feel blessed for the time we had together and only wish the best for Tom always.”

Both Brady, 45, and Bündchen, 42, expressed a commitment to co-parenting their children and, as Bündchen put it, to giving them “the love, care and attention they deserve.”

The couple wed in February 2009 after dating for just over two years. They spent much of their marriage in the Boston area, where Brady spent 20 seasons as quarterback for the New England Patriots. He won six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots and one more with the Buccaneers, the team for which he has played since the 2020 NFL season. (Brady announced he would retire from the league in February, but then reversed his decision the next month.)

The Buccaneers have been struggling this season and on Thursday lost to the Baltimore Ravens, the team’s third loss in a row. Brady’s temper has made headlines; in September, he broke a tablet during a game against the New Orleans Saints and then jokingly apologized on Twitter. Earlier this month, Brady was seen yelling at teammates on the sidelines of their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which the Buccaneers lost.

Rumors of Brady and Bündchen’s split have circulated for weeks, with tabloids attributing much of the strain on their marriage to Brady continuing his football career against Bündchen’s wishes. The model, among the most famous and successful in her industry, has spoken publicly about her career taking a back seat to her husband’s. For several years, she has been as vocal about wishing he would quit the sport.

Consider this headline from November 2015: “Even Gisele Bündchen wonders why Tom Brady still plays football.” Her concern reportedly had to do with his physical well-being, given the intensity of the sport. He asked, “What else am I going to do?”

Skip forward to February 2017: Brady said on a radio show that “if it was up to my wife, she would have me retire today.” She had said as much three times the previous night, he added. His response? “Too bad, babe, I’m having too much fun right now.”

Bündchen still wanted Brady to retire the following year, asking others to help persuade him. She even mentioned it in a December 2018 appearance on “The Ellen Show.”

“I think you should talk to him about that,” she told host Ellen DeGeneres, a Saints fan. “I haven’t been very successful. I want him to do whatever makes him happy, but maybe if you have a conversation with him — explain that you love the Saints.”

In an interview last month with Elle magazine, Bündchen agreed with a reporter who said it seemed sexist to characterize her as “desperate for Brady to call it quits.”

“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,” Bündchen said. “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.”