TAMPA, Fla. — After months of speculation, Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen finalized their divorce on Friday, the Buccaneers quarterback confirmed on social media.
“We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together,” Brady wrote in an Instagram story.
According to TMZ, lawyers for Brady and Bündchen worked with a mediator to reach property and custody settlements. They will mutually petition for dissolution of marriage in Florida, CNN added.
The 45-year-old Super Bowl champion said he and Bündchen, 42, made the decision to divorce “after much consideration.”
“The decision to end a marriage is never easy but we have grown apart and while it is, of course, difficult to go through something like this, I feel blessed for the time we had together and only wish the best for Tom always,” Bündchen added in a separate post.
Brady and Bündchen wed in 2009 and have two children together. Brady also has a 15-year-old son from a previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan. The two said they will continue to prioritize their children through co-parenting.
This announcement comes amid earlier divorce rumors following Brady’s decision to return to the NFL in March, just more than a month after he announced his retirement.
It also comes after a series of events including Brady missing 11 days of preseason and Bündchen’s interview with Elle Magazine in which the supermodel said, “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.”
“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,” she added.
Following Brady’s absence in the preseason, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said previously it’s a personal issue and “that’s all I can tell you.”
The seven-time Super Bowl champion has let out some of his frustrations with being away from the people he loves while focusing on his profession.
“I haven’t had a Christmas in 23 years and I haven’t had a Thanksgiving in 23 years,” Brady said on the Let’s Go!” podcast released on Sept. 12. “I haven’t celebrated birthdays with people that I care about that are, you know, born from August to late January.”