Before this season, supermodel Gisele Bundchen wanted her husband, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, to retire. According to Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated, per WEEI.com, Bundchen reportedly asked one of Brady’s friends, kicker Jay Feely, to convince the 40-year-old quarterback to hang up his cleats. Feely has been Brady’s close friend since their college days at Michigan.
Per Bishop, Feely said that his family and the Bradys were vacationing at an undisclosed location when Bundchen made the request. According to Feely, the supermodel spent time on that trip trying to get him to convince Brady to stop playing.
During that time, Feely said Bundchen “was dead serious.” However, Feely did not give in to Bundchen’s request, even asking Brady to play as long as he can. Brady earlier expressed his plan to play until he’s in his mid-40s.
Bundchen claimed Brady had a concussion
Last year, Bundchen was controversial when she revealed that her husband suffered a concussion in 2016, which was not previously disclosed by the Patriots. Bundchen’s claim alarmed the Patriots and Brady’s agent, Don Yee, as they issued denials contrary to what the supermodel stated. Based on the Patriots’ injury report, Brady had no record of a concussion, while Yee denied that his client sustained one in 2016. The NFL launched an investigation into Bundchen’s claim, but they cleared the Patriots of any wrongdoing as they found no record indicating that Brady sustained any form of head injury or concussion.
Brady, for his part, issued a vague denial, saying Bundchen is aware if he’s sore, tired, and if he gets hit because they share the same bed. The quarterback stressed that his wife knows how he takes care of himself: “She's a very concerned wife and very loving,” Brady told Kevin Negandhi of ESPN.
Brady not showing signs of aging
Brady will get his wish of playing into his mid-40s after the Patriots traded his backup Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers. Despite his age, Brady is not showing any sign of slowing down. In the playoffs, Brady has completed 67 percent of his passes for 627 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions.
In their AFC Championship win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Brady completed 26-of-38 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns despite playing with stitches on his throwing hand. With the win, Brady carried the Patriots to their eighth Super Bowl appearance since he took over as starting quarterback in 2001. The Patriots will go for a second straight Super Bowl title against the Philadelphia Eagles on February 4.
