Tom Brady praises Gisele Bündchen as ‘the most loving and supportive wife’ as he confirms retirement

Tom Brady has paid tribute to Gisele Bündchen and his family in his retirement statement, with the football star describing his wife and children as his “inspiration”.

On Tuesday, the quarterback, 44, officially addressed the reports that he is retiring after 22 seasons in a lengthy statement, in which he shared his gratitude for his impressive career, his fans, and all those who helped him to get where he is today.

Brady, who has been married to Bündchen since 2009, then took the opportunity to express his gratitude to the supermodel, who he described as the “most loving and supportive wife”.

The athlete, who shares daughter Vivian, nine, and son Benjamin, 12, with Bündchen, and is also father to son Jack, 14, with ex Bridget Moynahan, also praised his children as his “greatest achievement”.

“And lastly, to my wife, Gisele, and my children Jack, Benny and Vivi. You are my inspiration,” Brady wrote. “Our family is my greatest achievement. I always came off the field and home to the most loving and supportive wife who has done EVERYTHING for our family to allow me to focus on my career. Her selflessness allowed me to reach new heights professionally, and I am beyond words what you mean to me and our family.”

The tribute comes after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback previously revealed that he and Bündchen were facing a “very difficult issue” in their marriage, as the supermodel still had professional achievements that she wanted to accomplish.

Speaking on his SiriusXM podcast Let’s Go! With Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray in October 2021, Brady said that his wife, who was formerly the highest-paid model in the world before retiring from the runway in 2015, had been the one raising their family as he had focused on football.

“I think my wife has, you know, held down the house for a long time now,” the seven-time Super Bowl winner explained. “And I think there’s things that she wants to accomplish. You know, she hasn’t worked as much in the last 10, 12 years just raising our family and kind of committing to being in a life in Boston and then moving to Florida.

“But that’s an issue, and it’s a very difficult issue to reconcile without just saying: ‘Hey, it’s time to retire.’”

At the time, the football star also noted that he wished he could spend more time with his children, before joking that his family may end up becoming “sick and tired of me screwing up everything that’s been going on in the house for a long time too”.

Brady also recently spoke candidly about a desire to be with his family more after the Buccaneers were defeated from the playoffs, with the NFL player acknowledging at the time that he wasn’t sure what comes next but that he thinks “now it’s just some time to spend some time with my family and spend some time with my kids”.

The football player has been playing in the NFL since 2000 when he was drafted by the New England Patriots. After winning six Super Bowls with the team and playing 20 seasons, Brady began playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.