Tom Brady takes extensive leave of absence from Bucs for ‘family reasons’

For the first time we can think of, Tom Brady has taken a leave of absence from training camp for “family reasons.”

Throughout his NFL career, Tom Brady has been one to mostly keep his thoughts to himself, revealing as little as possible to the media.

It’s subjected him to criticism, whether fair or foul. However, what was surprising was his decision to leave the Bucs during training camp for an extended period of at least ten days due to a “personal issue”, which NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported as most likely “family reasons.”

Though it’s a bit surprising, it hasn’t stopped his teammates, including linebacker Devin White from wishing him well.

Furthermore, he’s earned the ability to step away for a while and deal with whatever he is dealing with. Also, the Buccaneers knew about this ahead of time, and Brady himself has come out and said that balancing his home and work life can be complex and tricky.

Tom Brady takes a short leave from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for ‘family reasons.’

Here’s the bottom line: Tom Brady knows this as well as anyone: family matters above everything. Brady knows this, given what his wife and kids must also sacrifice for him so that he can pursue his dreams. At the same time, there are times when just being with the family and taking care of them comes first.

Last season, Brady opened up about how his intense drive to play the game for as long as possible has been difficult to balance with his desire to spend time with his family.

"“I think my wife has, you know, held down the house for a long time now. And I think there’s things that she wants to accomplish. You know, she hasn’t worked as much in the last 10, 12 years just raising our family and kind of committing to being in a life in Boston and then moving to Florida. But that’s an issue, and it’s a very difficult issue to reconcile without just saying, ‘Hey, it’s time to retire.’ And I think there’s, you know, we’re coming to the end here too, so I don’t want to miss any of the kids’ stuff.”"

In 2020, Brady revealed that there was a point where wife Gisele Bundchen said she wasn’t “satisfied” with Brady’s work/life balance. She wrote Brady a “very thought-out letter” that the quarterback cherishes to this day as a reminder of how to create time for all that he loves in life.

It’s easy to speculate and freak out over what is happening — after all, it makes for good television and content curation — but he is also human. Sure, the Miami Dolphins tampering saga makes for a good plot twist, but could it just be that he wants to be around his family a bit more, or could there be something else going on in the family that he needs to take care of?

At the end of the day, it’s best to take Tom Brady’s word that he needs to deal with family reasons. Some won’t, but that’s life. Whatever’s going on, we wish Brady the best and look forward to his age 45 season upon his return.