Tom Brady has addressed his future publicly for the first time since confirming his divorce from Gisele Bündchen.
“I think there’s a lot of professionals in life that go through things that they deal with at work and they deal with at home,” Brady said on his Let’s Go! podcast on Monday. “And obviously the good news is that it’s a very amicable situation and I’m really focused on two things: taking care of my family and certainly my children, and secondly, doing the best job I can to win football games.
“So that’s what professionals do. You focus at work when it’s time to work, and then when you come home you focus on the priorities that are at home. And all you can do is the best you can do, and that’s what I’ll just continue to do as long as I’m working, as long as I’m being a dad.”
Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers have struggled with injuries and poor form and are 3-5, despite previously being tipped by many to reach the Super Bowl this season from a relatively weak NFC. The 45-year-old said dealing with personal issues in public is part of being a professional athlete.
“I’ve dealt with a lot of challenging situations on and off the field over 23 years, and a lot of it does play out in front of a lot of people,” Brady said. “So I think the interesting thing for, you know, a football player, an athlete in general is, you’re out there – I always say we’re not actors, even though we’re on TV – that is our real self out there and we’re trying to do our best.
“That’s how people really have gotten to know me over the years, by being on TV. And that is an authentic self that’s out there to compete with my teammates every day. And you’re giving all you can to the team and you know, everyone’s going through different things. We all have our unique challenges in life and we’re all humans and we do the best we can do.”
The seven-time Super Bowl champion has two children with Bundchen as well as a son with actor Bridget Moynahan. He said fatherhood is one of his priorities.
“I have incredible parents that have always taught me the right way to do things,” he said. “And I want to be a great father to my children and always try to do things the right way as well. And to deal with things that are in your life, that have challenges – you want to deal with them in the best possible way. So I want to always be able to hold my head high on and off the field, and I’m going to try to continue to do that for as long as I’m here.”
The Buccaneers’ next game is against the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
