What you need to know
Tom Brady says his hectic schedule is taking its toll.
The former quarterback, 48, who is in his second year as a Fox Sports analyst, penned a thoughtful message to readers in his weekly newsletter, admitting that “last week it all finally made sense.”
Brady said he’s been “busy” lately, telling fans it was a “crazy October.” “The NFL season is over a third of the way through,” the father of three explained, adding, “School is in full swing for the kids.” Brady has two children, Benjamin Reign and Vivian Lake, with John “Jack” Edward Thomas and ex-girlfriend actress Bridget Moynahan, and ex-wife Gisele Bündchen.
He also said he has other commitments, including opening a CardVault store and collaborating with IShowSpeed and Oz the Mentalist. “I was devastated and a little out of sorts, which happens to everyone at some point,” Brady wrote.
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He continued, “Illness, injury. No matter how careful or healthy you are, if you’re in different places every week, interacting with different people, doing different things to make the most of your waking hours in the day, you’re going to get bugs at some point.”
The seven-time Super Bowl champion said feeling “exhausted” is “your body telling you to slow down a little bit,” which led to the question, “What do you do when that happens?”
In her letter, Brady cited commitments to “work, family, (and) relationships,” and said it was difficult to slow down because “life doesn’t stop when you want (or need) to stop.” “We must be the best version of ourselves that we can be to each person,” he wrote, adding, “We must be physically, mentally and emotionally resilient.”
He went on to share some of his wisdom on health and wellness, and detailed how he maintains a grueling schedule during football season. Brady advised readers to “preferably” get nine hours of sleep each night and stay hydrated. “I try to avoid being in the position of drinking water based on thirst,” he writes.
Instead, Brady said he wants to “get ahead of the curve” when it comes to hydration. “That’s why drinking lots of water is one of the first things I do when I wake up, and why you can always see me with a water bottle somewhere nearby,” Brady wrote.
Brady famously did not retire from football in 2022 and played one more season in the NFL. In 2023, he talked about how his health affected after leaving the league.
“I’m about 10 pounds lighter,” he said at the time, “but I’m actually very healthy now.”
“Now that the stress I was feeling while playing is gone, I can focus a little more on my physical health,” Brady said on an episode of the SiriusXM podcast “Let’s Go!.” Co-stars with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald, and Jim Gray. “But I think it’s important for everyone. Physical and mental health is so important to all of us. Without it, what do we really have?”
“We can prioritize so many other things: career, children, relationships, family, the greater good, community. But at the end of the day, physical and mental health should be at the top of the pyramid, because without it, we have nothing.”
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Despite his recent busy schedule, Brady announced last month that he intends to return to football in some capacity.
Brady, Fanatics, Fox Sports and OBB Media are partnering to host the Fanatics Flag Football Classic, a global flag football event scheduled for March 21, 2026 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of this year’s Riyadh Season.
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In addition to Brady, other confirmed players include Rob Gronkowski, Odell Beckham Jr., Tyreek Hill, Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb, Sauce Gardner, Myles Garrett, Brock Bowers and Maxx Crosby.
The tournament will be broadcast live on FOX Sports and streamed on Tubi and will be hosted by Kevin Hart and coached by Pete Carroll, Sean Payton and Kyle Shanahan.
