Tom Brady gets candid about co-parenting with ex-wife Gisele Bundchen
After his divorce and his second retirement from the National Football League (NFL), Tom Brady seems to be successfully navigating his new life as a single dad, advertising pitchman and football commentator.
In a new Zoom interview with Eentertainment tonightthe seven-time Super Bowl champion complimented herself and ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen, on their co-parenting skills in raising their two children: Benjamin, 13, and Vivian, 10.
After talking about the “major undertaking” that comes with parenthood, Brady confessed that he never took those responsibilities as a father “lightly.”
“I think these kids that come under your roof, you want to give them values so they have a really solid base and foundation as they move forward in their lives; he told ET’s Kevin Frazier.
Referring to Benjamin and Vivian’s mom, the former NFL superstar added, “And I think myself and their mom have done a great job providing that, and I think we’ll just keep doing it.”
Working together: Tom Brady, 45, gave high praise to himself and ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, 42, when it comes to working together as co-parents of their two children, in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight
Understanding that the major changes in his life within his family and career are only months away, the San Mateo, California native continued, “We are never a finished product. The children are not finished products.’
Brady then reflected, “Ultimately, we learn with them. And all you can do is do your best with the opportunities you have and the challenges you have, and we all have unique challenges in our lives that we face.”
He went on to talk about being a good example to your kids and offering experiences that have served him well in his own life over the years.
“Now you have choices outside the home,” he said, before talking about some of the values he and his ex-wife have tried to instill. “Go out and do good in the community, respect everyone, respect others. Go out and contribute and find something you enjoy doing. Have a positive attitude.’
Brady, who also has a 15-year-old son Jack with former partner and actress Bridget Moynahan,
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots quarterback noted that failure and “setbacks” can ultimately be the most defining moments.
“We’re all going to fail. We’re all going to have setbacks in life, and I think you’re defined a lot by your setbacks because, ultimately, those are the things that challenge you to grow the most,” Brady commented when asked what advice he would give his kids.
Brady made a point of emphasizing the importance of failure because he feels that those moments can often be life’s best lessons, as long as you don’t repeat the same mistakes over and over.
‘Movie night with children: At the end of the day we learn with them. And all you can do is do your best with the opportunities you have and the challenges you have, and we all have unique challenges in our lives that we face,” Brady said of himself and his ex-wife.
Family Matters: The former couple is co-parenting: Benjamin, 13, and Vivian, 10
For the kids: Along with Benjamin and Vivian, Brady also has son Jack, 15, with ex-partner and actress Bridget Moynahan; the family is seen after Brady won his last Super Bowl in 2021
He believes it is important to understand the ups and downs of life “emotionally” and “intellectually” in order to move forward and grow to become a better person.
Since retiring from soccer for good this time around, Brady has been able to spend more quality time bonding with his kids and experience some of the simple, everyday moments, like watching his daughter ‘fall in love’ with some kittens they adopted .
His new time has also opened the doors for him to step up his commercial work at Herz; more specifically the Let’s Go! campaign with the car rental giant, which recently unveiled its large fleet of electric vehicles now available for rental.
And then there’s that huge 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Sports to become an NFL broadcaster alongside Kevin Burkhardt, which was signed after his first brief retirement from football in February 2022.
As it turns out, he won’t be pigeonholing just yet and has decided to wait until 2024 to start the contract, to give himself time to hone his skills to become the best he can be.
Since retiring from the NFL for a second time in February, Brady has also stepped up his pitchman work, including the Let’s Go! campaign with Hertz
Broadcasting career on the way: Brady also signed a huge 10-year $375 million deal with Fox Sports to become an NFL broadcaster alongside Kevin Burkhardt, but decided to wait until 2024 to begin work in the booth to hone his skills to sharpen
“I want to be good at what I do – even talking to the folks at Fox Sports and the leadership there last week that will allow me to start my opportunity at Fox in 2024, which is something that is great for me,” he confirmed in an interview with FS1’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd last month, as reported by Marka.
Brady claims he used the same philosophy when it came to his college quarterback career
Taking the time to really learn and not rush into anything is a philosophy he used when the Patriots drafted him and when he made the decision to sign with the Bucs as a free agent.
Regarded by most fans and football pundits as the best NFL quarterback ever, it seems that philosophy has served him well.
Brady and Bündchen were married for over 13 years when they decided to separate and divorce, which was finalized late last year.