Gisele Bündchen said she wishes her husband Tom Brady could be "more present" in their family’s life while adding that she has concerns about the NFL legend’s return to the sport after prematurely announcing his retirement earlier this year.
"Obviously, I have my concerns – this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present," she told Elle magazine in the October issue.
She agreed with the interviewer that media reports that she’s desperate to have the quarterback retire are sexist - "I think this is the system we’ve been living in. That’s what society has accepted and what society hasn’t accepted – but admitted she’s had "conversations with him over and over again" about his continuing to play at 45 years old.
"But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too," she said of her husband who has seven Super Bowl rings.
TOM BRADY GUSHES ABOUT HIS ‘AMAZING WIFE’ GISELE BUNDCHEN
While she declined to comment on why Brady took 11 days off from an August training camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers "to deal with some personal things," as the Buccaneers head coach said, the quarterback told reporters, "Everyone has different situations they're dealing with, and we all have unique challenges to our lives. I'm 45 years old, man. There's a lot of s--- going on, so you just have to try and figure out life the best you can. You know, it's a continuous process."
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Some media outlets had speculated the break meant the two were having marital problems.
In the latest episode of his podcast "Let's Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray," he said, "football and family has always been the most important thing to me."
The supermodel told Elle it makes her happy to see Brady’s and her children’s success and says she also has plans for herself – she's especially involved in conservation efforts in her native country of Brazil.
"I’ve done my part, which is [to] be there for [Tom]," she told the magazine. "I moved to Boston, and I focused on creating a cocoon and a loving environment for my children to grow up in and to be there supporting him and his dreams. Seeing my children succeed and become the beautiful little humans that they are, seeing him succeed, and being fulfilled in his career – it makes me happy. At this point in my life, I feel like I’ve done a good job on that. I have a huge list of things that I have to do, that I want to do," she says. At 42, I feel more connected with my purpose."
The couple have been married since 2009 and have two children together: Benjamin Rein, 12, and daughter Vivian Lake, 9. Brady also has son Jack Edward, 15, with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan.
Bündchen didn’t attend the Buccaneers season opener against the Dallas Cowboys in Texas on Sunday, but she tweeted her support, writing, "Let's go @TomBrady ! Let's go Bucs !" The Buccaneers won 19-3.
