Tom Brady - Gisele Bündchen divorce timeline: Where did it all go wrong for NFL's power couple?

If reports are to be believed, Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen are the latest power couple heading toward divorce. Several other famous couples have recently gone through public breakups. This includes Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Brady and Bündchen, in particular, had a unique marriage because the two were at the top of two different worlds in popular culture (football and fashion).

December 2006: Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen first meet

Brady and Bündchen first met when a mutual friend set them up on a date in December 2006. The relationship became serious quickly. They became engaged three years later. At that time, Brady was the star quarterback of the New England Patriots, while Bündchen was a top supermodel featured in publications such as Vogue, Victoria’s Secret, and Rolling Stone.

August 2007: Tom Brady becomes a father

Brady became a father for the first time in 2007. He had a son, Jack, with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan, known for her work in classic movies like I, Robot and Serendipity.

February 2009: The pair married a month after getting engaged

Through his multiple Super Bowl wins with the Patriots and the most recent title with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021, Gisele Bündchen had been by Tom Brady’s side throughout all of his NFL successes. The star couple are also parents to two children: Benjamin (11) and Vivian (8).

January 2015: New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts - Deflategate

Brady faced suspension from the NFL for his role in the controversy where he was alleged to have instructed the use of deflated footballs in the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. The New England Patriots would end up winning that game.

Accordingly, the fallout from the scandal tarnished Brady's reputation in the league and reportedly affected his home life with his family. Bündchen thought Brady was taking things out on her due to the controversy of Deflategate.

Tom Brady’s unretirement rumored to be the root of his potential divorce from Gisele Bündchen

In early 2022 after the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals to win the Super Bowl, Tom Brady surprised the NFL world by announcing his retirement. He would unretire months later to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for another run at the Super Bowl.

Other rumors indicated Brady might have tried to orchestrate his retirement from the Buccaneers so that he could sign with the Miami Dolphins. Although such rumors were never proven, it added fuel to the fire surrounding Brady’s unretirement.

Fast forward to training camp, and Brady would take a leave of absence for 11 days from the Buccaneers’ offseason training camp. Several new rumors were sparked that tried to explain Brady's absence. The craziest of them all was that he took a leave of absence to tape an appearance on 'The Masked Singer,' a reality singing competition featuring celebrities.

That rumor quickly fizzled only to leave behind the speculation that Brady might have left training camp in order to address his personal problems at home.

Now in the middle of the NFL season, reports indicate that Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen have each hired lawyers for divorce proceedings. In a recent interview during the offseason, Bündchen expressed her concerns about Brady continuing to play football because it is a violent sport, and she wanted him to spend more time at home with their family.