After weeks of speculation about whether he would unretire, Tom Brady announced via social media a week ago that he had decided to return to the NFL, less than two months after calling it a day on his incredible career.
Now many are questioning why Tom Brady retired in the first place. Tom Brady Sr. has said recently that outside forces played a role in his decision to retire. But many people thought it was Brady's wife Gisele Bundchen who laid down the law and told him to retire. One NFL analyst concurs.
John Middlekauff thinks it was Gisele who told her husband to shut it down. He said:
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"Let's dive into Tom Brady. And I don't think this is really that complicated. I don't think he ever wanted to retire. I think he was getting pressured from his wife to stop playing. And I think he capitulated for a minute. And then I think he realized like, Gisele I am still too good at football. There's a reason most people tell you when you're young, to chase your dreams. Follow your dreams."
Tom Brady has always said he wants to play let into his 40s and even said at one point that he wanted to play until he was 50. But was he pushed into early retirement by his wife?
Why did Tom Brady unretire?
Tom Brady is his own man. But many think that his wife runs his family. Rumor has it that she has wanted her husband to retire for years and spend more time with his family, but clearly, he still has some gas left in the tank.
Despite rumors that she wanted her husband to retire, she seems to be supporting his return. She gave a brief statement saying:
“Here we go again! Let’s go lovvvey! Let’s go Bucs!”
Doesn't sound like a woman too upset that her husband is returning to football. Retirement is hard for many athletes because their sport is all they know. And while many of them have easily left the game to do other things, Brady seemed lost in recent weeks.
It's one thing to retire when your body or mind can no longer take it, but when you are still at the top of your game and have one of the best seasons of your career, it has to be tough to let go. Which is probably why Brady decided to unretire.
His competitive spirit and health had to play a huge factor in his return, not to mention that he may be uncomfortable being a stay-at-home dad now. Either way, the NFL and its fans are happy to see him back.
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