Fair or not, the inherently public lives of Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen make everything about their lives public concern. On Friday morning, Tom Brady publicly announced that he and his wife have divorced.
“In recent days, my wife and I finalized our divorce from one another after 13 years of marriage,” Brady wrote on social media. “We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together. We are blessed with beautiful and wonderful children who will continue to be the center of our world in every way. We will continue to work together as parents to always ensure they receive the one and attention they deserve.
“We arrived at this decision to end our marriage after much consideration.
“Doing so is, of course, painful and difficult like it is for many people who go through the same thing every day around the world. However we wish only the best for each other as we pursue whatever new chapters in our lives that are yet to be written.
“And we kindly ask for privacy and respect as we navigate what is to come and the days and weeks ahead.”
It’s rare if not unprecedented for a high-profile athlete to experience a high-profile divorce in the midst of the season. People will naturally wonder whether the situation has affected Brady, and whether it will continue to do so over the next nine games and the playoffs, if the Buccaneers earn a spot in the NFC postseason field.
While it’s appropriate to respect his desire for privacy, it’s impossible to not ponder the potential impact of personal turmoil on professional endeavors. Anyone who has tried to focus and work when dealing with intense personal issues (and most of us have had to do that at some point) can relate.