"His soul appeared broken": Tom Brady reportedly risked his NFL season in desperate attempt to save marriage with Gisele Bündchen

Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen's divorce may have looked sudden to the public, but a new report paints a different picture of what happened behind closed doors. The former NFL quarterback reportedly took an unusual break from Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp in 2022 as he tried to repair his troubled marriage. According to a book cited by The Comeback, Brady's decision to continue playing football had become a major source of tension between the couple. His reported 11-day absence came during an increasingly difficult period that eventually ended their 13-year marriage.Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen faced growing marriage tensionBrady and Bündchen began dating in 2006 and married in 2009. Together, they became one of the world's most recognisable celebrity couples, raising two children while balancing Brady's NFL career and Bündchen's modelling success.Their relationship reportedly began to fracture years before their divorce. The biggest disagreement centred on Brady's football future.Brady announced his retirement after the 2021 season, but reversed the decision months later and returned for the 2022 campaign. According to the report, Bündchen struggled with the choice and eventually travelled to Costa Rica.The Comeback cited author Las Anderson's book, which reportedly details how seriously the situation affected Brady during training camp.Former Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians described the change in Brady's appearance at the time.“For someone with Tom's build to lose that much weight was a huge change,”Another coach offered an even more striking description of Brady's condition:“It looked like cheekbones were popping out above his cheekbones. It may sound rude, but he looked like a cancer patient with only great hair,”The comments were presented in the report as observations of Brady's appearance during a period of intense personal pressure.Tom Brady reportedly took 11-day leave to save marriageThe most dramatic detail concerns Brady's decision to step away from the Buccaneers during training camp. According to Anderson's book, he requested an extended leave and travelled to a private resort in the Bahamas in what was described as an attempt to resolve the crisis with Bündchen.“At the end of August, Brady requested a long-term camp leave from his coach for the first time in his career. He said he would return, but did not say when. The situation had deteriorated so much that he and Gisele had to have a serious conversation in a secluded place,”The report says Brady eventually returned to Tampa Bay after 11 days. However, the effort did not repair the relationship.“When he returned to Tampa Bay after an 11-day leave, his soul appeared even more broken than before,”Brady and Bündchen finalized their divorce in October 2022. Their split ended a marriage that had attracted enormous public attention for more than a decade.Bündchen later moved forward with her life and welcomed her third child with Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente in February 2025. Brady, meanwhile, continued building his career away from the NFL after retiring from professional football.The latest account adds another layer to one of the most closely followed celebrity breakups in sports, suggesting that Brady made a serious attempt to preserve his family before the marriage ultimately came to an end.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.