Tom Brady: his career, Gisele Bündchen and the answers to other questions

You may have heard news from Tom Brady, straight from the quarterback’s mouth. But beyond the mere fact of his announcement on Wednesday that he is retiring from the NFL, there is much more to know.

Who is Tom Brady?

Wait, seriously? Don’t you know Tom Brady, the superstar NFL quarterback who won seven Super Bowls?

Just kidding, I know who Brady is. But could you still briefly come back to his career for me?

Brady grew up in Northern California and played college football in Michigan. But he was overlooked enough that he wasn’t drafted until the sixth round by the New England Patriots in 2000, a slight that he used as motivation throughout his career.

The pick was a steal, as Brady led the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories. He moved to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent and won a seventh Super Bowl, the most of any player. He was named MVP in five of those Super Bowls.

He finished with eye-catching regular season stats: 7,753 completions, 89,214 passing yards and 649 passing touchdowns, all records, in 23 seasons.

In the playoffs, he still has 1,200 completions, 13,400 yards and 88 touchdowns. Again, these are all records.

Did you say 23 seasons? How old is this guy?

He is 45 (and will be 46 on August 3). He was the oldest player to play in the NFL other than a few kickers.

Hasn’t he retired once before?

Yes, about a year ago. “I will no longer be making this competitive commitment,” he wrote. Forty days later, he resumed that competitive commitment and decided to return for the 2022 season.

In 2022, he was ranked the ninth-highest-paid athlete in the world by Forbes, who estimated he earned an extra $50 million on top of his salary that year alone.

The extra money comes from mentions of cars, clothes, and mobile service providers, among many other products.

Brady also endorsed FTX, the cryptocurrency exchange that collapsed last year. Many of the millions who lost money in the failure have declared some animosity towards Brady and other celebrities. Brady himself was a major shareholder in FTX, according to a court document, and his stake went from tens of millions of dollars to virtually worthless.

Wasn’t he involved in a strange ball controversy?

Unfortunately, that answer could probably be the length of a book. In short, Brady was accused of deliberately deflating footballs used in a January 2015 playoff game to gain a competitive advantage, a bizarre scandal known as Deflategate. After numerous scam claims and appeals to the courts – yes, it reached federal court at one point which gave this illustration – Brady finally agreed to accept a four-game suspension for being “generally aware” of the conspiracy . He served the suspension in the 2016 season.

What’s next for him?

Prior to this season, Brady agreed to serve as a commentator for Fox Sports upon his eventual retirement. Although his salary for this job is not public, various reports have put him at $20 million, $25 million, or even $30 million per year. (The New York Post said it was worth $375 million over 10 years.)

No doubt his prowess on the pitch and fame off the pitch will also continue to earn him endorsement deals.

What about Brady’s personal life?

Brady has a son with actress Bridget Moynahan. He married model Gisele Bündchen, and they have a son and a daughter. The couple announced in October that they were divorcing after 12 years of marriage.

Brady is a longtime friend of former President Donald J. Trump, but has mostly tried to remain suspicious in public about his politics. Prior to Trump’s election in 2016, Brady had a “Make America Great Again” cap in his locker in 2015 and mused about a Trump administration (“There would be a putting green on the White House lawn,” he said. -he predicted).

Brady founded health and wellness company TB12 Sports with longtime trainer Alex Guerrero. It also has Religion of Sports, which is a media company, and the Brady Brand clothing line.

What do I hear about a movie?

Coincidentally or not, a movie called “80 for Brady” comes out on Friday. Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Lily Tomlin play middle-aged Patriots fans who go to the Super Bowl to see their hero. Brady appears in the film as himself, along with some of his former Patriots teammates. He is also credited as a producer.

By all accounts, Tom Brady isn’t going away anytime soon.