Tom Brady's Roller-Coaster 2022 From Retirement Reverse to Divorce, FTX

There's no argument that 2022 has been one of Tom Brady's most roller-coaster years, with the NFL legend making a comeback shortly after retiring, then ending the year divorced and possibly facing a financial loss after a cryptocurrency crash.

The 45-year-old Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback started the year with an announcement, which was followed by a reversal, which allegedly caused marriage turmoil before finding himself once again facing questions about retirement.

After winning the Super Bowl for the seventh time, this time with the Bucs in 2021, and then leading them to the playoffs again last season before they were defeated by eventual champion Los Angeles Rams, it looked like that talk of his retirement would come to fruition.

Brady was seemingly asked about his future at every press conference, and then came the announcement.

Brady retires

Brady had dodged questions about retirement for weeks and the moment came, on February 1, that he finally gave his answer about the rumors and brought the curtain down on 22 seasons in the NFL.

In an Instagram post, Brady told the world: "I have always believed the sport of football is an 'all-in' proposition – if a 100% competitive commitment isn't there you won't' succeed, and success is what I love so much about our game.

"There is a physical, mental, and emotional challenge EVERY single day that has allowed me to maximize my highest potential. And I have tried my very best these past 22 years. There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life."

Brady continued: "This is difficult for me to write but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention."

Retirement reversed

Less than two months after his retirement announcement, the arguable G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) decided that he wasn't done yet and would like another year, or two, in the NFL.

"These past two months I have realized my place is still on the field and not in the stands. That time will come. But it's not now," Brady said. "I love my teammates, and I love my supportive family. Without them, none of this is possible. I'm coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa. We have unfinished business."

It was a decision that changed everything for Brady.

New head coach after Arians retires

After Brady announced he was leaving the game, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians decided he would follow suit, and on March 30, announced that he was stepping down and handing the reins to Todd Bowles, who was the Bucs defensive coordinator.

"The simple answer is that I have accomplished more than I ever dreamed I could during this incredible coaching journey," Arians said. "Winning Super Bowl LV at our home stadium, with my mom and family in attendance, was really the last item I wanted to check off my career bucket list. For me, this is about more than just trying to add more wins to my coaching record."

He added that Brady was the catalyst for his decision.

"Tom was kind of the key," he said. "When Tom decided to come back...and all of these guys back now, it's the perfect timing for me just to go into the front office and still have the relationships that I love."

Miami Dolphins debacle

Brady has been dogged by a couple of scandals that he was allegedly involved in, though on the periphery rather than as a main cog in the wheel.

In April, it was reported that after announcing his retirement, Brady would allegedly become a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins, with plans to bring in Sean Payton as head coach.

In June, Brady spoke about the reports in a press conference but kept his position ambiguous, saying: "I had a lot of conversations with a lot of people, as I've had for the last three or four years in my career about different opportunities when I'm done playing football. I kind of made a decision of what I'd like to do. I'll get to be in the game of football."

It turned out that there was something underhanded going on and the NFL investigated the situation, concluding that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross had been involved in a tampering incident in which former head coach Brian Flores had been instructed to lose games and that there had been improper conversations with Brady and Payton.

This led to Ross being suspended by the league and the Dolphins being docked two draft picks.

Fortunately for Brady, the investigation found that no disciplinary action was required for him.

Preseason absence and excuses

The first hints of trouble in Brady's marriage surfaced when preseason practice started in August.

The quarterback was excused from being at training camp for "personal, non-football reasons" and the rumor machine cranked into action. On August 11, Bowles told reporters that Brady was going to continue to be absent from preseason so that he had time to "deal with some personal things."

"This is something we talked about before training camp started," Bowles said. "We allotted this time because he wanted to get in and get chemistry with the guys and go through two weeks of training camp, knowing he wasn't going to play the first two games [of the preseason]."

When Brady eventually returned, he wasn't in the mood for enlightenment and told reporters: "It's all personal. You know everyone's got different situations they're dealing with, so we all have very unique challenges to our life.

"I'm 45 years old, man, there's a lot...going on. Just got to figure out life the best you can. It's a continuous process."

Marriage split and divorce

The reason for his preseason absence became a little clearer after reports that Brady's marriage to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen was under severe strain and that they were living separately.

In the October issue of Elle, Bündchen shared her concerns regarding Brady's decision to reverse his retirement decision.

"Obviously, I have my concerns," she said. "This is a very violent sport, and I have my children, and I would like him to be more present.

"I have definitely had those conversations with him over and over again. But, ultimately, I feel that everybody has to make a decision that works for [them]. He needs to follow his joy, too."

Then came reports that the couple had hired divorce attorneys.

So it didn't really come as any surprise when Brady and Bündchen announced that their 13-year marriage was over and that they were now divorced.

"In recent days, my wife and I finalized our divorce from one another after 13 years of marriage," Brady said. "We arrived at this decision amicably and with gratitude for the time we spent together. We are blessed with beautiful and wonderful children who will continue to be the center of our world in every way."

Roller-coaster season on the field

It hasn't been Brady's most effective season on the field. He suffered the worst start of his 23-year career and he called out his teammates for inconsistency.

"We've struggled pretty much at everything. Red area. Third down. Run game. Two-point plays. Backed up. Start of [the] third quarter," Brady said after a 27-22 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. "Just didn't play well enough to win. Give them credit. They played good. Certainly better than we did."

Remarkably, despite a 7-8 record, the Bucs are atop of the NFC South and could be heading to the playoffs with two winnable games standing between them and another postseason for Brady.

FTX crash

Just when Brady must have thought that he couldn't be hit with any more controversy or trauma, came the announcement that the FTX cryptocurrency exchange had collapsed and its subsequent bankruptcy left investors owed billions of dollars.

Entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried, who founded and owned FTX, is facing criminal charges after he allegedly defrauded investors and took billions of dollars in customer funds for other projects he was involved in.

Brady was cited in the breakdown of the company as he was an ambassador for the exchange and had heavily promoted buying cryptocurrency with FTX.

Florida attorney Kevin Paule of the law firm Hill Ward Henderson told Newsweek that because Brady was actively involved in promoting the cryptocurrency, the investors could cite him as a reason why they put money into the exchange in the first place. So, Brady is therefore partly responsible for their financial losses, he said.

"The fall of FTX will have ripple effects that touch on multiple industries and personalities," Paule said. "Investors who lost money will file lawsuits [some already have], and the bankruptcy trustee will eventually file lawsuits to "claw back" payments made by FTX prior to the bankruptcy filing.

"Tom Brady, and other celebrities who publicly endorsed FTX, will be involved in both types of lawsuits. The first group of lawsuits will be investors who lost money from FTX and allege that Tom Brady's endorsement of FTX caused these losses. In short, I'm skeptical that the plaintiffs in these cases will be successful."

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