His Tampa Bay Bucs may have emerged victorious, but there were times during Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys when Tom Brady looked downright mortal.
The 45-year-old GOAT was kept out of the end zone for the entire first half of last night’s season opener, eventually throwing for 212 yards and just one TD in a 19-3 win.
Those numbers are enough, especially when paired with the most important stat of all — the W that takes the Bucs to 1-0 — but the Brady that took the field last night was not the invincible Superman we’ve seen in years past.
Is age finally catching up to the living legend, or was Tom Terrific distracted by the off-field drama that’s plagued him in recent weeks?
As we’ve previously reported, Brady and wife Gisele Bundchen are rumored to have separated just weeks before the season began.
Tom took an 11-day hiatus from Bucs training camp, allegedly with the goal of trying to smooth things over with Gisele.
But the couple spent Labor Day weekend in separate states, and insiders say these two physically flawless creatures are still very much at odds.
Now, much is being made of the fact that Gisele was not on hand in Dallas last night,
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“It’s always a big thing when Gisele is coming to watch the game … as of right now, there’s none of that for Sunday’s game,” an insider told People magazine ahead of the matchup.
“It feels very different this year than last year. She was excited to be here, we saw her around,” the source added.
“I’m not saying she can’t possibly come, but nothing is in place for her to be here for the first regular season game and that seems weird.”
Sure enough, Gisele was not in the stands for her husband’s 21st season opener.
And the insider says those closest to Brady know better than to ask about his marriage.
“Everyone here knows that there’s tension, but we don’t know how serious it is. So we’re just not talking to him about Gisele. It’s not a topic anyone wants to bring up to him,” the source says.
A second insider confirms that Tom and Gisele have entered a “rough patch” in their marriage.
“There’s a lot of tension. She was so happy when he announced his retirement, and she wasn’t thrilled at all when he went back on that,” says the source.
“They’re hitting a rough patch,” the insider continues.
“But I know they’re trying, or at least he’s trying, to figure it out and make it work. He wants to get through this and for things to get better.”
“Tom and Gisele are in a fight right now,” a different source told the Page Six, while another added:
“There’s been trouble in the marriage over his decision to un-retire. Gisele has always been the one with the kids. They had agreed he would retire to focus on the family, then he changed his mind.”
A third source says that the couple have always had a “fiery relationship,” noting that “Gisele is a bit hot-headed.”
“It’s almost like Gisele was like, ‘Well, if you’re going to keep playing, so will I,” the source said. “She’s resentful that Tom is still the football superstar.”
Needless to say, the situation sounds pretty dire.
But there’s reason to be hopeful about Gisele and Tom’s future.
She may not have been on hand for the game, but Gisele did tweet her support for Brady and the Bucs just minutes before last night’s kickoff.
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So maybe this is the sort of rough patch that can eventually be overcome.
But hopefully Tom isn’t even thinking about teasing his family with another fake retirement ahead of next season.
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