Even if you’ve retired from football, you’re not necessarily out of the public eye.

Tom Brady’s enigmatic social media statement has sparked a tempest of conjecture that it refers to his divorce from supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

Brady, the only seven-time Super Bowl champion in NFL history, shared the cryptic comment on his Instagram Stories (these disappear after 24 hours, but a tweet is attached below for archival purposes):

Tom Brady shared this on Instagram a day after Gisele’s interview with @VanityFair was published pic.twitter.com/nYpIGo3CX3

— Steve DelVecchio (@SteveDelSports) March 23, 2023

Brady summoned his inner Ralph Waldo Emerson and published the poem “What Is Success?”

“What is success?” Brady posted while referencing Emerson’s work.

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because to have lived.

“This is to have succeeded!”

Several social media users pointed out that the timing of this post may not have been random at all, despite the fact that it is not uncommon for professional sportsmen to publish somewhat profound and perplexing remarks on social media.

This is due to the fact that Brady’s article appeared only hours after Vanity Fair published a lengthy, in-depth interview with Bundchen.

Predictably, Brady and Bundchen’s broken marriage was discussed during the interview, which will be featured as the cover story of their April 2023 edition.

More on this story via The Western Journal:

When asked about her divorce, which was finalized in October 2022, Bundchen largely had kind words.

“It’s tough because you imagine your life was going to be a certain way, and you did everything you could, you know?” Bundchen told Vanity Fair. “I believed in fairy tales when I was a kid. I think it’s beautiful to believe in that. I mean, I’m so grateful I did.” CONTINUE READING…