Gisele Bündchen Talks Tom Brady’s NFL Career: ‘He Needs to Follow His Joy’

Model Gisele Bündchen is opening up about her marriage to NFL star Tom Brady in Elle’s October 2022 issue.

The interview took place weeks ago, before Tom made headlines when he took a break from training with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to focus on his personal life. Elle says Gisele declined to comment when they followed up with her in September.

What she said in the interview was that she wants Tom to “follow his joy.”

Brady, 45, famously retired and then quickly unretired earlier this year, and Bündchen felt it was sexist that she was depicted in the media as desperate for him to retire.

“I think this is the system we’ve been living in,” she said. “That’s what society has accepted and what society hasn’t accepted.”

She explained, “Obviously, I have my concerns — this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present. I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again. But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too.”

The 42-year-old is proud of the life she’s helped create. “I’ve done my part, which is [to] be there for [Tom]. I moved to Boston, and I focused on creating a cocoon and a loving environment for my children to grow up in and to be there supporting him and his dreams. Seeing my children succeed and become the beautiful little humans that they are, seeing him succeed, and being fulfilled in his career — it makes me happy. At this point in my life, I feel like I’ve done a good job on that.”

And she’s looking forward to having more time for herself in the future. “I have a huge list of things that I have to do, that I want to do,” she said. “At 42, I feel more connected with my purpose.”

Last month,  Tom’s break from training caused speculation there might be tension between Tom and Gisele. Tom told press of his nearly two weeks off, “It’s all personal, you know. Everyone’s got different situations that they’re dealing with. We all have really unique challenges to our life.”

He explained he had “a lot of sh*t going on,” adding, “[You’ve] just gotta figure out life the best you can. It’s a continuous process.”

Brady and the Buccaneers beat the Dallas Cowboys 19-3 in their season opener on Sunday.

Gisele wasn’t there, but a source told Page Six she “never” attends the first game of the season.

She did, however, tweet her support, writing, “Let’s go @TomBrady ! Let’s go Bucs ! ✨✨✨.”