On the sidelines. Tom Brady is taking time away from Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a “personal” matter.
“Tom has been excused today. He’ll be taking … he’ll be back somewhere around after Tennessee,” Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said during a Thursday, August 11, press conference, per NBC Sports. “He’s going to deal with some personal things.”
Bowles, 58, explained that the 45-year-old quarterback had discussed his temporary departure with the team in advance before training camp began in July.
“We allotted this time because he wanted to get in and get chemistry with the guys and go through two weeks of training camp, knowing he wasn’t going to play the first two games,” the coach said. He added that Brady’s reason for taking a respite was “something he needs to handle.”
The former New England Patriot announced his retirement in February, only to walk back the decision just over a month later.
“These past two months I’ve realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands,” the seven-time Super Bowl winner tweeted in March. “That time will come. But it’s not now. I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I’m coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa.”
During a June roundtable that aired on TNT, Brady said he’d been only “partly” ready to retire when he made the February announcement.
“I think when you’re their [quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen‘s] age, if you were to ask me, ‘Are you going to play football next year?’ I would say, ‘there’s a 100 percent chance I’m playing,'” he explained, per ESPN. “And I think as I’ve gotten older, that’s changed because I have other responsibilities.”
The California native shares two children — Benjamin, 12, and Vivian, 9 — with his wife, Gisele Bündchen. He also has a 14-year-old son, John, with his ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan.
In June, the University of Michigan alum exclusively told Us Weekly how he juggles family life with his career.
“I think for me, it’s just a matter of making sure in the off-season, I try to cover a lot of things and make sure a lot of things are taken care of. And then when a football season comes, I can really focus on football,” he said. “[During] the off-season, my family’s got a lot of time. I’ve enjoyed that. I can still do a better job of that. It’s just constantly trying to be a little bit better each day.”
