30 June 2023 , 17:59
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Tom Brady's final season in the NFL was a tough one for him personally, both on and off-the-field.
Brady returned for a final season in 2022, his 23rd year in the league, after initially announcing his retirement before u-turning on that decision just 40 days later. After an impressive 2021 season, Brady admitted he could not yet walk away from the game and insinuated he'd play for another year, after signing a monster deal with FOX Sports to become an analyst.
And when he announced his return and signed a one-year extension to remain with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady had a clause in his contract that meant he did not practice with the team on Wednesday's, taking a 'veteran's rest day'. Brady would take those days to be with his family, considering he was going through a very public divorce in separating with his wife of 13 years, Gisele Bundchen.
The legendary quarterback would regularly take time away from the team to deal with family matters, including an unprecedented 11-day ‘leave of absence’ in the middle of training camp.
The Bucs went on to struggle badly that season, finishing with a losing record and being bounced out of the playoffs in the first round, with defensive back Logan Ryan stating Brady's situation had cast a dark cloud over the team throughout the year.
Tom Brady announces retirement from NFL "for good" after 23 seasons
Appearing on FS1's Colin Cowherd Show, Ryan said: "I think just knowing how he was interacting with his family, his kids, in terms of really wanting to spend time with his kids and be there with his kids, that was a little different.
Brady missed multiple training days in the season, which would have hampered their preparation"Because his kids were older. I think the stuff that was going on off the field and on the field I think was weighing on him a little bit, as obviously we’re all humans. So I knew that there was going to be some type of break after the season."
Ryan spent five years as Brady's teammate, four with the New England Patriots before reuniting with him in Tampa Bay in 2022. Ryan was also the defensive back who intercepted Brady's pass in the playoffs in 2019 - Brady's last pass as a Patriot.
Although the team struggled, it's fair to say that Brady still performed at an above league average level - throwing for 25 touchdowns to just nine interception before announcing his retirement for a second time.
He is now set to take a year away from football, before returning as a lead analyst for FOX, after signing a 10-year contract worth $375 million (£306m).