CNN
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Tom Brady said he has used both physical and mental therapy to address his mental health in recent years so he can “be good for the people around me”.
With his “Let’s Go!” podcast alongside co-host Jim Gray on Monday, the 45-year-old quarterback spoke about the “intense stress” he’s faced over his 22-year NFL career.
“Everyone has different situations in their life and children and you worry about their mental health. You’re worried about your parents [and] obviously yourself,” Brady said.
“I think I’ve had to learn a lot in sport over a long period of time. I think there’s a lot of stress that we all deal with, and how do you manage stress so you don’t do so much damage to yourself through some sort of stress response?”
He added: “So [it’s] something I’ve always tried to keep working on and it’s obviously a challenge for me and different forms whether it’s physical therapy or mental therapy, all those things I’ve definitely done over the years.
Brady had an unusually bumpy start to the 2022 NFL season, with issues on and off the field.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneer quarterback resigned in February, only to later reverse that decision. In the middle of August training camp, Brady took an 11-day leave of absence to “attend to personal matters,” according to his head coach Todd Bowles.
In September, Brady twice hinted that retirement wasn’t far off, saying he was “close to the end” of his NFL career.
Earlier this month, a source close to Brady and his wife Gisele Bundchen told CNN that the estranged couple have both hired divorce lawyers and are “exploring their options” regarding their marriage.
CNN reported last month that Brady and Bundchen were dealing with “marital troubles,” according to a source close to the couple.
On the field, Brady’s Bucs had a rocky start to the season. They currently have a 3-2 record and sit at the top of the NFC South but have had some heavy losses and some underwhelming performances.
Brady said Monday the importance of engaging with mental health in sport is often underestimated.
“I think there was a part of us where we felt like we soaked it up and dealt with it,” Brady added. “And I think you realize there’s a lot, especially in this day and age, with the speed at which things are happening for all of us and the amount of responsibility that we have.
“You hear that a lot from people saying, ‘I’m only human.’ We are only human. We are not inhuman. We are not immune to many things that life throws at us. We are not robots.”
Brady said having a “great support system” has helped him deal with the pressures he faced during his storied career of winning seven Super Bowl titles.
“You wake up every day trying to do your best, to understand that life has its stresses and to deal with a great support system and understanding and some introspective in your life where you can look at yourself and say where Do I have to put my time and energy into it?” he explained.
“And how can I take some of the stress off and lighten the load on me so I can be good to the people around me? So these are all different things you are working on. I worked there when I was 20.
“There were a lot of things I went through when I was 20. There were a lot of things I went through in my 30s. There are things I go through in my 40s.
“And it’s life. And you learn to grow up and you learn to deal with life. And we all try. We try to make it as good as possible.”