Tom Brady on a possible retirement: ‘I have a wife that aspires to be a lot of things’

Tom Brady visits the "Good Morning America" show

Give Tom Brady some credit: he actually went away for a month and stayed quiet after the big Super Bowl loss in February. He went home, he licked his wounds, he quietly assessed whether his 40-year-old body could take another couple of seasons of his patented “pliability” training. “Pliability” is what he calls stretching. Or, expensive stretching for wealthy athletes. But the point is that he went away and tried to figure things out. Now he’s back to promote his Tom vs. Time docuseries, his TB12 Method and more. He chatted with Good Morning America on Monday – there are some photos from the GMA set and from out and about in New York. This is a really bad haircut, right? It makes him look downright goulish and incredibly fug. Again, not the point! The point is that his mouth is making some vague words about retirement. Some quotes from the GMA interview (the video is at the end of the post):

When he’ll retire: “You can’t make decisions necessarily just for yourself, and I think that’s one thing I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older: There is collateral effects to every decision that I make. I have a wife that aspires to be a lot of things, and she travels a lot. My oldest son lives here in New York. Three kids, and you’re just always trying to juggle and you want to be there for them, and you want to be there for the hockey games and the soccer games. But you also realize the level of commitment it takes to give as much as you can to the team that needs you.”

He’s ‘definitely’ thinking about his upcoming 2018 season: “It’s processing what happened last season and how you can be better the next season. There’s no real formula for it. I think every year is a little bit different. There’s different things that are happening in your life outside of football, and my kids are getting older. I think one thing that has gotten a little challenging as you get older is there are different priorities and different commitments. You’ve got to be able to allocate your time the right way, and there’s a lot of people that need your time and attention. How you find that balance really was a big part of what ‘Tom vs. Time’ was all about — trying to find some balance between my family life and what my kids need and what my wife needs and what my football team needs.”

[From ESPN]

I mean… we knew this after the Super Bowl loss last month. He said in the post-game interview that he was already thinking about the next season, and obviously he’s made a deal with Robert Kraft to keep playing for as long as he wants, even if Bill Belichick wants to actively groom a younger QB to take over. So, sorry Gisele! Sorry that you “aspire to be a lot of things” but you’re just going to have to put that on hold so Brady can keep playing until he’s 45 years old.

Here’s Part 1 of the GMA interview. He talks at the top about losing at multiple Super Bowls, then about this next season.

Here’s part 2 of the GMA interview where he talks about training and his fans and how hard he works. The second half of this video is like an infomercial for The TB12 Method.

Tom Brady visits the "Good Morning America" show

Tom Brady arrives at The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.

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36 Responses to “Tom Brady on a possible retirement: ‘I have a wife that aspires to be a lot of things’”

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  1. Y says:

    He looks like John Cena now.

    • smcollins says:

      Lol that’s a good comparison. His pretty boy looks have definitely fallen to the wayside. Side effect of the super strict diet Giselle keeps him on?

      • Danielle says:

        I’m no Giselle fan, but i don’t think we can blame his diet on her. If anything, I thing his diet is more strict than hers!

    • L84Tea says:

      That’s who I thought it was at first!

    • whatWHAT? says:

      LUUUUUUUURCH!

    • Pandy says:

      YESSS!!!!!

    • Ada says:

      Oh man, I have looked at the front page of CB several times and was each time convinced that John Cena was retiring! Poor reading skills, but yea, have never seen the likeness this strongly.

  2. CommentingBunny says:

    Just want to point out that the hair is because he recently helped to raise millions for cancer by shaving his head. He’s had plenty of bad haircuts in the past but this is not one of them!

  3. laulau says:

    He could have been a little clearer about what she aspires to. It ends up reading as dismissive.

    • Lirko says:

      Good catch (no pun intended lol!) Maybe he’s legit trying, but I think he is and has been a self centered person for a long time-I suppose his job requires as much. Who knows-maybe turning 40 and loosing the Superbowl will inspire some real self reflection.

    • kimbers says:

      that’s what I noticed to. He then follows with that she likes to travel a lot. Soooooo she’s expensive? Tired of being alpha parent? gonna put on a bedazzled bra again? wants to broaden her acting resume? huh. wonder what we can expect…

      • lol says:

        Silly comment. He didn’t say she likes to travel. He said she travels a lot. That’s her job. And he DIDN’T want to be clearer about what she aspires to. He DOESN’T have to talk about it.

    • GreenBunny says:

      I had that same impression. Like he has to work in order to fund whatever whimsical fancy she has at that moment. Never mind that she makes a ton more than he does.

  4. Indiana Joanna says:

    I think retirement for Brady will be hell for him even with his family, wealth and the endless potential opportunities he’ll have after he leaves.

    But he can’t go on forever. Despite his fantastic Super Bowl performance, something was off. He is known for willing and dragging the entire team to win even when players like Gronkowski aren’t playing because of injuries.

    It’s most likely that his body is starting to shut down. One more season?

  5. burnsie says:

    He looks like he got fillers. Chipmunk cheeks!

  6. QueenB says:

    The top picture of him beautifully illustrates his IQ.

    • SK says:

      This photo is giving me life! I can’t stop laughing! It is the true him for sure. An absolute goober with a low IQ. An empty shell of a person with a bland personality who happens to be good at sport.

      Someone on Jezebel commented: “Fancy dog though he may be, Tom Brady has such a disturbing, aggressively vacuous vibe about him that I can’t watch him speak for more than a minute or so.” and I think that is spot on.

      His comments on what Giselle wants are hilarious.

  7. lightpurple says:

    He was also on with Colbert last night for a funny interview that involved deep tissue massage, eating strawberries, and chugging beer.

  8. tracking says:

    If he’s committed to prioritizing his time well, does this mean fewer trips to Vegas with Affleck to party with sidepieces?

  9. Renee2 says:

    He looks…rough. I despise him, but I feel a bit bad for him in this respect. It’s hard to admit to oneself that it’s time to walk away from something and retire when you are relatively Young. It also must be difficult trying to parse these things out while the world is watching, and let’s be honest, waiting to pounce on and ridicule him.

  10. minx says:

    He’s a prime candidate for CTE. So he may live to an old age, with a great cardiovascular system, but be cursed with brain damage.

  11. lucy2 says:

    I agree his family life needs to play a part in his decision, but only talking about that, it feels like a way to scapegoat them should he retire. “He could still play and win but his wife made him stop!” will be said by more than a few.

    I can imagine it’s really hard to let go of a career like that though, and it can’t be an easy decision.

  12. Amelie says:

    I have a feeling he will have to be dragged kicking and screaming away from the Patriots when he is forced to retire. Football is his livelihood, that man is only about football there is nothing else in that head of his. I read a NYT magazine profile on him a few years ago and from the sound of it he had no intention of retiring of his own volition. He also seemed to have zero interests outside of football. That’s all he is (apart from being a dad and husband). I already see how this is going to go down–he will be forced out in a very ugly exit against his will. The powers that be of the Patriots will be quick to get rid of him as soon as he starts showing signs of slowing down. He seems like someone who will not adapt well without the routine of football. And I feel like that’s why he’s putting off his retirement. Instead of going out while he’s still on top, he’s going to drag this out because he doesn’t want to face a life without what he loves. Which I get but turning a blind eye to the inevitable will only make things more painful for him.

  13. Mumbles says:

    To be fair, he shaved his head up in Boston last week as part of a fundraiser for sick children.

  14. Bridget says:

    He’s not retiring. He will have to be dragged out. There’s no succession plan for QB anymore, and Tom thinks he’s still going to play for years. If he wanted to retire gracefully, it would have been last year, when Jimmy G was still on the team and after that last Super Bowl won. Tom IS the Patriots right now, so him leaving is a big deal. Not to mention, it’s not easy to replace a QB like Tom. It takes time and planning. And whether he likes it or not, Tom is 40. His playing days are numbered.

    • Sansa says:

      That’s true and it is known Brady want Jimmy Gappillo gone and he was isa perfect QB to replace him, but Tom is going to play at least 2 or 3 years. He just stands there and passes the ball now so he can keep doing that until he can’t .

      • Bridget says:

        I was both surprised and not surprised. We know that Tom wants to play as long as he can, but he’s basically holding the team hostage until he decides he’s ready to leave, or until Kraft is done. But that’s hard to plan for, and at some point the team needs to look forward.

  15. Lala says:

    Perhaps his wife aspires for her and their children to be able to hold a conversation with him when he’s in his 50s …because you know…CTE and everything…

  16. Happy21 says:

    He’s such a bimbo…

  17. Jess says:

    Thank you to the two commenters above who pointed out why Tom has this horrible haircut – it involved Tom and the Governor of MA Charlie Baker having razors taken to their heads on TV for charity – does he sound vain or self absorbed? I cannot believe the vitriol for this man. He has accomplished incredible things in the world of sports, through perseverance and hard work. He loves his wife, his kids and football. That’s it. He’s not deep, but he does a lot of charity work up here in Boston and is not a diva in any way (unlike certain other QBs). And all of you picking on his looks – really? Have you seen Peyton Manning? Andy Dalton? Matt Ryan? Tom cleans up REAL nice. Leave him alone.

  18. BostonStrong says:

    Tom’s Mother was fighting cancer last year, she may still be. I think he was talking about his priorities changing, not just what his wife wants to do, or his kids growing up, but his parents getting older, too. Especially, his Mom. I have a beloved family member facing this horrible disease, and believe me, it changes everything….

  19. A says:

    He’s honestly so effing weird as a human being, it’s astonishing. He’s dedicated to football to an unholy degree, to the point where he’s tanking his team’s future and forcing corporate to make decisions that appeal to him and his ego.

    If I had to make up a conspiracy theory, I’d say that he’s already facing the repercussions of his repeated head injuries, and he’s clinging to the TB12 stuff as hard as he can because he thinks it’ll help.