TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen are ending their marriage after 13 years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback announced Friday on Instagram.
“In recent days, my wife and I finalized our divorce from one another after 13 years of marriage,” the post reads. “We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together. We are blessed with beautiful and wonderful children who will continue to be the center of our world in every way. We will continue to work together as parents to always ensure they receive the love and attention they deserve.
“We arrived at the decision to end our marriage after much consideration.
“Doing so is, of course, painful and difficult, like it is for many people who go through the same thing every day around the world. However, we wish only the best for each other as we pursue whatever new chapters in our lives that are yet to be written.
“And we kindly ask for privacy and respect as we navigate what is to come in the days and weeks ahead.”
Brady and his supermodel wife have reached a settlement on both property and custody of their two children after working with a mediator, TMZ reported earlier Friday morning. Bündchen filed the documents in Florida Friday morning, and Brady is not contesting the divorce, according to TMZ.
Terms of the settlement are expected to remain sealed. The couple reportedly have been living separately for months and have been working on ending their marriage since September.
The couple have two children, Benjamin, 12, and Vivian, 9. Brady has a son, John Edward Thomas (Jack), 15, with actress Bridget Moynahan.
Brady was inconsolable following the Bucs’ 27-22 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Thursday night. He sat fully dressed in his uniform facing his locker for at least 15 minutes with his head in his hands following the game
Brady, 45, twice left the Bucs in training camp, missing two preseason games during an 11-day absence for what the club called “personal reasons.”
Following his only appearance in a preseason game, which consisted of 11 plays at Indianapolis on Aug. 27, Brady acknowledged for the first time that he was dealing with some private issues.
“It’s all personal,” Brady said following the game. “You know, everyone’s got different situations they’re dealing with. So, we all have really unique challenges to our life. I’m 45 years old, man. There’s a lot of s— going on. You’ve just got to try to figure out life the best you can. It’s a continuous process.”
In a cover story for Elle magazine’s October edition, Bündchen said she is ready to pursue her fashion career and work as an environmentalist.
“I feel very fulfilled in a way, as a mother and as a wife,” Bündchen told Elle in an interview conducted months ago that published in September. “And now it’s going to be my turn. It’s not like I’m going to be in the valley forever.”
Bündchen believes she has sacrificed to help raise the couple’s children.
“I’ve done my part, which is to be there for (Tom),” she said. “I moved to Boston (when he was with the Patriots) and I focused on creating a cocoon and a loving environment for my children to grow up in and to be there supporting him and his dreams.
“Seeing my children succeed and become beautiful little humans that they are, seeing him succeed and be fulfilled in his career, it makes me happy. At this point in my life, I feel like I’ve done a good job on that.”
Earlier this month, the New York Post and People Magazine reported that Bündchen had retained a divorce lawyer.
Brady retired from the NFL on Feb. 1 after 22 seasons, saying he could no longer make the commitment it took to win seven Super Bowls.
In a post on social media announcing his retirement, Brady spoke of the sacrifice his wife and children have had to make during his playing career.
“It’s not always what I want,” Brady wrote. “It’s what we want as a family. And I’m going to spend a lot of time with them and figure out in the future what’s next.”
Bündchen has not attended any of Brady’s games this season, even though all three children watched the home opener from Raymond James Stadium with Brady’s parents.
As late as last December, Brady spoke to Bruce Beal, a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins, about taking a role in the franchise and possibly playing quarterback in Miami, where Brady and Bündchen are building a new home.
Those plans never materialized. The NFL found the Dolphins had tampered with Brady and made them forfeit a first-round pick in 2023 and a third-round pick in 2024. Owner Stephen Ross was suspended until November and fined $1.5 million.
After 40 days away from the NFL, Brady ended his retirement on March 13, the eve of the free agent negotiating period, saying he had “unfinished business.”
In May, Brady agreed to join Fox Sports as a lead NFL analyst when his career ends. He reportedly received a 10 year, $375 million contract.
Brady informed the Bucs prior to training camp that he would need to take some time off during the preseason.
Brady and Bündchen began dating in December 2006. They have been married since Feb. 26, 2009.
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