Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen have both retained divorce lawyers, NBC News confirmed Tuesday. The hires could signal a possible end to their high-profile marriage.
Brady, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, and Bündchen, the Brazilian fashion fixture, have been married since early 2009 and have two children together, ages 12 and 9.
Brady also has a 15-year-old son from a previous relationship with actor Bridget Moynahan.
Brady, 45, the seven-time Super Bowl champ, announced his retirement this year, before he changed his mind a few weeks later.
Bündchen had telegraphed that she's not thrilled with Brady’s continuing his football career.
“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 recently told Elle magazine.
“I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again. But ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too.”
Brady took an 11-day break from the Bucs’ training camp in August, which the team attributed to "personal things."
Asked about his absence upon his return, Brady told reporters: "I’m 45 years old, man. There’s a lot of s--- going on."
Brady is off to a slow start this season by his lofty standards. He has thrown for 1,058 yards and six touchdowns, good for eighth and 10th best in the league, through four games.
Forbes ranked Brady as the world's ninth-highest-paid athlete this year.
Forbes has repeatedly ranked Bündchen as one of the wealthiest celebrities in the world, and it crowned her as the world's highest-paid supermodel in 2007.
