When Tom Brady revealed then-wife Gisele Bündchen's request after his 5th Super Bowl triumph

NFL GOAT Tom Brady loved football. His desire and passion for the game are simply unfathomable, as he played 23 seasons until he turned 45. Somehow, Brady was still killing it in the league as he approached his 40s. Although he and his fans were enjoying his time on the field, his wife shared a different opinion.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in June 2017, Brady revealed that despite his accolades, his wife wanted him to retire soon.

“I talk about it with my wife all the time. You can ask her tonight," Brady said. "She'll tell you, like, 'I told him, you know, what more do you want?'”

In 2017, Tom Brady had just etched his name in the history books at Super Bowl LI by winning his fifth Lombardi Trophy. He was behind only the Pittsburgh Steelers on the list up until then for most Super Bowl victories. But more than the records, Brady was enjoying himself on the field, playing and shattering records.

As per Gisele Bündchen, Brady had done it all by then. He had nothing left to prove. So, when the former Victoria's Secret supermodel asked him why he was still continuing, he would simply tell his wife:

“Because I love it!”

Bündchen later approached Brady’s teammate, Jay Feeley, to ask Brady to stop playing. However, Feeley only sided with his friend and asked the GOAT to continue. Feeley said:

“She was dead serious.”

However, Brady continued to ignore his wife’s ardent request as he had his own plans. Thanks to pliability therapy, Brady was injury-free and aging like a fine wine. The last five seasons fetched him two more Lombardi Trophies, taking him to the pinnacle.

Giselle Bündchen had reasons to stop Tom Brady from playing football

Although Gisele Bündchen was aware of Tom Brady’s love for the game, she had her own reasons to stop him. One of the factors was Brady’s health. Make no doubt, Brady is unarguably one of the healthiest on the field, but even he suffered from concussions from the game, as told by Bündchen to CBS in 2017. However, the couple avoided the topic for discussion.

Another reason for asking Brady to retire soon was the lack of family time. Bündchen valued family time and wanted Brady to commit more toward it. In the docuseries, "Tom vs. Time," Brady acknowledged that he had been short on family time, although he is a family-oriented person. The obvious solution was to take time off from football, which he eventually did in 2023.