Following Tom Brady’s final season in the NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers former head coach Bruce Arians shared his honest thoughts about the legendary quarterback.
After the 2022-23 NFL season came to a close, the league’s arguably most famous player announced he was retiring for the second time.
“I’ll get to the point right away. I’m retiring for good. I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning, I figured I’d just press record and let you guys know first,” the 45-year-old said in a video released on Instagram.
“I really thank you guys so much to every single one of you for supporting me– my family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever,” Brady continued. He concluded with the sentiments, “Thank you, guys, for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. I love you all.”
With this being said, many found it significant to consider how the Buccs performed during the last season. And their former head coach was quick to admit that the team had major setbacks this year. In a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Bruce Arians opened up about Tampa Bay’s struggles, in addition to Brady’s headspace during the season.
“Tom wasn’t himself, you know, with all the things that were going on,” Arians explained, likely referencing the family issues Brady was going through, such as his divorce from Gisele Bündchen.
The 70-year-old proceeded to emphasize the point, “I got to give him all the credit in the world for battling through what he went through last year for his teammates. I think the world of him, but it wasn’t the real Tom Brady out there.”
Tom Brady discusses handling his family struggles while playing for the NFL
RELATED: Will Peyton Hillis Make a 100% Recovery After Almost Dying to Save His Kids?
This statement checks out, reflecting on the information Brady gave reporters at the beginning of the season. In October, he discussed on his Sirius XM show Let’s Go! with Tom Brady and Jim Gray that he was “giving his all” to his team while also prioritizing his role as a father.
“I think there’s a lot of professionals in life that go through things that they deal with at work and they deal with at home,” he stated at the time. “I’m really focused on two things, taking care of my family and certainly my children, and secondly, doing the best job I can to win football games…that’s what professionals do. You focus at work when it’s time to work, and then when you come home, you focus on the priorities that are at home. All you can do is the best you could do.”
