Tom Brady’s year in review: Gisele Bundchen divorce, FTX scandal, playoff heartbreak and retirement (again)
Tom Brady announced his retirement exactly one year ago today. He then, about a month later, decided to call it off and run it back with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In that year, a lot happened to Brady.
It wasn't the most successful year for the future Hall of Famer -- far from it. He's had down years from a football perspective (like when he tore his ACL) but nothing quite like this.
The Buccaneers were pedestrian and Brady didn't look good, but the off-field issues were a much more disappointing part of the year. Here's what happened.
Tom Brady's divorce from Gisele Bundchen
Shortly before the regular season kicked off, Tom Brady took some personal time away from the Buccaneers. It was speculated that his marriage was in trouble and that ended up being true.
He spent 11 days away from the team, reportedly trying to save his relationship. Ultimately, he was unable to do so.
However, when they did split midway through the regular season, it appeared to be amicable. Brady wasn't good this season and there could have been two reasons why: he's aging, and he was also dealing with a tremendous loss off the field.
FTX scandal: Tom Brady lost millions
The cryptocurrency scene was in the middle of a boom when both Brady and Gisele Bundchen, as well as numerous other athletes and celebrities, got involved.
Brady and Bundchen arguably became the face of FTX, a budding new crypto. They invested and partnered with the brand.
The entire thing crashed. The founder was arrested and everyone involved, including the quarterback, was named in the lawsuit. Their 1.8 million stakes in the company instantly became worthless.
Fortunately, neither was dependent on this, but it was still a crushing loss for Brady and company.
Tom Brady's first real playoff heartbreak
The legendary quarterback has never had a season as he did in 2022 and that's not good. He was subpar and the team he played on was the same.
They limped into the playoffs at 8-9 and only made it in because the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons were even worse.
All it takes is to get in, but that wasn't enough. The Buccaneers were roundly defeated by the Dallas Cowboys, 31-14.
In most other years, he could hang his hat on a good placement or a playoff win, but he had neither in 2022.
Tom Brady retires (again)
After all that, he decided to call it quits a year after he tried it the first time. He made sure to specify that he was stepping away "for good" this time.
Despite not going out on top, he finished on his terms and left before it got even worse. He was going to be 46 next season and who knows how his body and arm would have looked.