Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen 'living separately' amid playing ultimatum

Wednesday's bombshell story regarding Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and wife Gisele Bündchen claimed that the pair previously "mutually" determined Brady would retire following the 2021 NFL season, that Brady "decided by himself that he'd come back" and that the 45-year-old "knows he needs to retire after this year 'if he wants to stay married.'"

There's yet another update on what's quickly become the biggest off-the-field topic of the young football campaign. 

Chloe Melas of CNN reports that a source close to the couple confirms Brady and Bündchen are dealing with "marital issues." A different source close to Bündchen says the two are "living separately" as Brady and the 1-0 Buccaneers prepare to play at the 1-0 New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon. 

Brady retired in early February only to dramatically return to the NFL and Buccaneers in March. Questions were first raised about his dedication to the cause when he surprisingly took an 11-day break away from the team during the preseason for unspecified "personal" reasons, and a handful of subsequent stories have said Bündchen is upset the seven-time Super Bowl champion went back to his full-time active roster job. 

Before pieces about Bündchen's alleged unhappiness appeared, she spoke with Elle magazine and admitted she has "concerns" about Brady's health and that she "would like him to be more present." Following this past Sunday's 19-3 Tampa Bay win at the Dallas Cowboys, Brady suggested during his "Let's Go!" SiriusXM show and podcast with broadcaster Jim Gray that he's already hurting more than he thought he'd be at this point of the grueling season. 

"And you look at your arm and you got bruises, you got cuts," Brady said at that time. "And you go, 'OK, how much longer do I want to make this commitment?' And I obviously made the commitment for this year and everything’s going to be like always — continue to evaluate all these different aspects of playing." 

That last line left some wondering if Brady could have second thoughts and ride off into the sunset of retirement again before the winter months, presumably to tackle his upcoming gig as Fox Sports' lead NFL analyst on a contract reportedly worth $375 million over 10 years. 

Brady completed 18-of-27 pass attempts for 212 yards with one touchdown and an interception in the victory at Dallas.