Tom Brady admits he will ‘learn how to deal’ with playing on Christmas after Gisele Bündchen divorce

Tom Brady shared how the holiday season will be different this year following his divorce from ex-wife Gisele Bündchen after 13 years of marriage.

The 45-year-old quarterback is set to play a football game on Christmas Day for the first time in his career. On Sunday, 25 December, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Arizona Cardinals at their State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

When asked how he will be celebrating the annual holiday on his SiriusXM podcast, Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray, the NFL star admitted that it will be a “new experience” that he will “learn how to deal with”.

“It’ll be a new experience that I’ve never had before that I’m gonna learn how to deal with,” he said. “And I think that’s what life’s about. So, you just asked a question about what have you learned from this football season? I’m going to learn how to deal with Christmas Eve in a hotel, and I’m gonna have to learn how to deal with Christmas and Christmas night and still go out there and be a professional.”

The father of three said he “looks forward to celebrating Christmas with my kids” the Monday after the holiday.

“Which is, you know, just part of what football season has been for a long time,” he added. “So it’s just, again, emotional aspects that allow us to thrive.”

Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bündchen announced in October that they finalised their divorce after 13 years of marriage. The former couple share two children, Benjamin, 12, and Vivian, nine, while Brady also shares son John, 15, with ex Bridget Moynahan.

In a statement shared to his Instagram, Brady said he and Bündchen arrived at the decision “amicably” and will continue to focus on co-parenting their children.

“In recent days, my wife and I finalised our divorce from one another after 13 years of marriage. We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together,” he wrote. “We are blessed with beautiful and wonderful children who will continue to be the centre of our world in every day. We will continue to work together as parents to always ensure they receive the love and attention they deserve.”

Since then, the Super Bowl champion has had his fair share of holidays following their divorce. Back in October, Brady said it was important to keep himself “anonymous” in his Halloween costume and “go somewhat unnoticed” while trick-or-treating with his children.

“We got a big night planned ahead, so it should be a fun night,” he said on his SirusXM podcast. “So our block here in Tampa is pretty intense with Halloween because it’s a pretty easy block to get to. It’s a very, very festive night. So the kids are super excited and should be a really fun night for us. Hopefully I’m somewhat anonymous tonight so the kids can really enjoy themselves. It could get a little hectic and if it does then I’ll come back home. But I’m hoping I can be just another dad out there on the street tonight in a cool costume.”

These days, Brady has said that he’s focused on being the “best dad” he can be to his three children.

“I’m here in my 23rd season, looking forward to finishing strong here after Thanksgiving, and obviously with a lot of gratitude for the people that have made such a huge impact in my life and supported me throughout this amazing career,” he shared. “I just want to be that for my kids. You know, I just wanna be the best dad I could be.”