Before the start of the 2022 season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady took a mysterious leave of absence from the team’s training camp sparking multiple different conspiracy theories. And when he returned to the team, his gaunt and skinny appearance at a press conference caused a whole new controversy. And now, we might be able to explain both his absence and his unusual appearance.
During an interview with the Tampa Bay Times this week, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen got very candid about Tom Brady and the struggles he faced in his personal life this season. In that interview, he revealed that Brady took his 11-day absence from the team after he was “blindsided” by the news that his longtime wife Gisele Bündchen was seeking a divorce.
As it turns out, the difficult divorce can likely explain his unusual press conference appearance, as well.
According to Christensen, Brady was so impacted by the stress of his personal life and his obligations to his team that he actually lost 15 pounds during that time.
“Yeah, I worried about him,” Christensen said. “He lost that weight. It was very stressful. And he battled and he hurt, but he put on the brave face and did it again. You’ve got a bunch of folks depending on you. I have an unbelievable respect for what Tom did this year. Off-the-charts amount of respect for him just managing things.”
Losing all of that weight in such a short amount of time likely led to Brady’s gaunt look at the press conference once he returned.
