Tom Brady‘s career burden has been eased a little thanks to a new policy set in place. Per reports, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback will receive a personal day off in the middle of the week throughout the 2022 NFL season.
The timing of the news raises eyebrows as Brady has reportedly been plagued with marital troubles over his decision to come out of his retirement to play again.
Tom Brady Receives Personal Day Amid Family Issues
According to an NFL report by insider Ian Rapport, Brady was granted Wednesday off this week, and the pattern would continue for the rest of the season. The athlete’s personal day is part of the Veteran’s treatment often given to longtime in the league.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles opened up about the decision to consider Brady for the Veteran’s days off, saying, “For most players, it’s important. But I think when you play in the league a certain amount of time, and you prepare a certain way, it’s not necessary to practice that guy all the time.”
He continued, “You’re going to practice, but you’re not going to practice all the time. You’ll get a day off here and there because it is a long season.”
When Brady is away, he will be replaced by backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who will take the reps on the first and second-down days. The Buccaneers believe that the new arrangement would help Brady be “fine without the full allotment during a practice week.”
In addition, Brady’s new arrangement means that he will be listed on every injury report henceforth. If he, however, gets legitimately injured, it will be updated on Thursday or Friday.
Brady’s day personal day allotment comes after he was absent from pre-season for 11 days due to personal reasons.
The Quarterback Missed Practice For ‘Personal’ Reasons
Brady addressed his controversial absence in a press conference, saying, “It’s all personal, you know. Everyone has different situations they’re dealing with, and we all have unique challenges to our lives. I’m 45 years old, man. There’s a lot of s— going on, so you just have to try and figure out life the best you can. You know, it’s a continuous process.”
The news of Brady’s pre-season absence came amid speculations that he and his wife, Gisele Bündchen, had gotten in a fight over his decision to make a retirement u-turn. Since the first whiff of marital troubles circulated in the news, things have seemingly only gotten worse for the couple of 13 years.
The Brazilian fashion model left their family home in Tampa, Florida, for Costa Rica, and even upon her return to the United States didn’t return home. Instead, she stayed in Miami for a while and hung out with their two kids.
Bündchen, who is often a staple at her husband’s football games, even missed his first game of his 23rd season with the Buccaneers. However, things have gotten much worse, with the couple reportedly not living together anymore.
Brady And Bündchen Living Apart Amid Breakup Rumors
As The Blast reported, Brady and Bündchen are living in separate quarters as they continue to disagree about his decision to unretire. A source shared the news, saying, “Tom and Gisele are still not seeing eye to eye regarding his retirement. They are currently living in separate houses but continue to communicate.”
Per the insider, the living arrangements were put in place after Brady was absent from practice for almost two weeks in August. In another report, a different source claimed that the renowned quarterback is torn between being a great father and husband and a good footballer.
“Tom is a great guy, everyone thinks so, including Gisele [Bündchen]. He doesn’t mean to be so preoccupied,” the insider mentioned. “He wants to be a good husband and father; he still gets excited when talking about Gisele and the kids.”
The source mentioned that Brady has “such a big draw” to the sport, and as a result, his family has always had to give in place for his career. The family has been “patient” with his decision, but it seems their tolerance is waning as Bündchen “feels like Tom needs to be home” more.