Why is Tom Brady taking a leave of absence and when is he returning?
Buccaneers star QB Tom Brady is missing multiple practices and preseason games on a leave of absence to tackle a “personal issue” and fans are concerned.
Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen have officially filed for divorce, as of Friday 28 October 2022. The pair filed similar messages on Instagram saying that “co-parenting” would be their priority. In total the couple were married for 13 years; they have two children together, Benjamin (12) and Vivian (9). They also parent Brady’s first child Jack (15), who he had with former girlfriend Bridget Moynahan.
In breaking the news to his followers, Brady said that the couple “arrived at this decision [to divorce] amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together.” Brady said the priority for the couple is their children and that they plan to “work together as parents” to “ensure they receive the love and attention they deserve.”
Brady took leave of absence in the summer
On Thursday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said that star quarterback Tom Brady is taking a leave of absence to attend a personal matter and won’t be back until after the Aug. 20 preseason game against the Tennessee Titans.
The 45-year-old quarterback, who hasn’t let anything stop him throughout his seven-Super Bowl career, has had sporadic attendance at the Bucs practice during the past week. On his birthday, Aug. 3, he had a veteran day, and two days later, he had an excused absence. He participated in the team’s practices on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the last of which was the joint practice with the Miami Dolphins.
Why is Brady taking a leave of absence?
Following the joint session, Bowles indicated that Brady’s time away had been scheduled weeks ago, and that they had “talked about it” to allot the more suitable time for him to leave.
According to Bowles, Brady attended training camp to get “chemistry with the guys through the two weeks of training camps,” before heading off to attend a personal matter, which he hasn’t given more detail about.
“This is something we talked about before training camp started,” Bowles said in a news conference. “We allotted this time because he wanted to get chemistry with the guys through the two weeks of training camp, knowing he wasn’t going to play the first two games. ... We trust him. We talked about it. It was scheduled way before training camp and he will not be here until after Tennessee.”
When is Brady returning to play with the Bucs?
While Brady should be making his way back to the Buccaneers after August 20, it seems that he won’t be starting for Tampa Bay until the regular season opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11.
Bowles mentioned that he has a “pretty high level of confidence” that Brady will be okay to start this late, and that Tampa Bay has a system in place.
“We have guys we want to see. It gives us a chance to see backup quarterbacks and the receivers trying to make the team.”
Fans reacting to Tom Brady’s absence
This does not make things sound any less concerning for Tampa Bay and the star quarterback to say the least, especially as it is completely out of character for the GOAT, who has always given 200% on and off the field to his team.
But while speculations arise, and many different scenarios are probably being imagined, several NFL figures and fans have shown support for Brady, wishing everything is going well with him at this time.