Gisele Bündchen is calling foul on speculation that she is desperate for her husband Tom Brady to quit football.
The supermodel told Elle in a profile published Tuesday that speculation that she wants nothing more than her husband to completely retire from his legendary NFL career is unfair — and sexist.
“I think this is the system we’ve been living in,” Bündchen told the magazine. “That’s what society has accepted and what society hasn’t accepted.”
But she also admitted some unease with her husband’s reversal of his retirement announcement to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for another season.
“Obviously, I have my concerns — this is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present,” she said. “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.”
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Bündchen — who married Brady in 2009, and shares son Benjamin Rein, 12, and daughter Vivian Lake, 9 with the famed quarterback — spoke to Elle amid rumors that the couple is going through a rough patch.
Last month, Brady was excused from practicing with the Buccaneers “to deal with some personal things,” his head coach Todd Bowles said at the time. When Brady returned to practice 11 days later, he said that the time away was needed — and that there was “a lot of shit going on.”
“Everyone has different situations they’re dealing with, and we all have unique challenges to our lives,” Brady told reporters. “I’m 45 years old, man.”
The gossip mill got cranked up again this week when People reported that the couple has been spending time apart, and that Bündchen is “frustrated” with Brady’s decision to not retire.
“Going back to Tampa after the retirement put a strain on the personal side of his life,” a source told People. “Gisele is frustrated and sick of his career coming before their family, who has always supported him.”
Bündchen, speaking with Elle, alluded to personal sacrifices for her husband’s career.
“I’ve done my part, which is [to] be there,” she said. “I moved to Boston, and I focused on creating a cocoon and a loving environment for my children to grow up in and to be there supporting him and his dreams. Seeing my children succeed and become the beautiful little humans that they are, seeing him succeed, and being fulfilled in his career — it makes me happy. At this point in my life, I feel like I’ve done a good job on that.”
She also talked about making her own plans for the future.
“I have a huge list of things that I have to do, that I want to do,” she said. “At 42, I feel more connected with my purpose.”