Tom Brady Oct 23, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) leaves the field after the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The relationship between Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and his wife Gisele Bündchen has dominated the headlines for much of this NFL season, but former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Phil Simms believes that Brady has been a distraction to the Buccaneers for another reason.

Simms discussed Brady and the Buccaneers’ struggles on Paramount+’s Inside the NFL, where he said that he believes Brady’s decision to go to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s wedding earlier this month was a big distraction for the team.

“The distractions caused by him: Going away for 10 days in training camp, what went on with the wedding is a distraction to the football team. It hurts,” said Simms via the New York Post.

Kraft’s marriage happened just two days before the Bucs’ Week 6 game upset loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This caused Brady to miss the team’s Saturday walk-through that week and team meetings, which could have played a factor in the loss.

Simms also added that he believes Brady would have stayed retired if he had a chance to do things differently before the start of the season.

“If you could go back in time, Tom Brady would stay retired down in Tampa, no doubt about it,” Simms added. “He didn’t know he was going to lose his center and two guards, that’s one thing.”

It certainly seems like Brady’s focus at the moment is not on football, and it is hard to fault him for that considering all of his personal issues going on.

Regardless, he and the Buccaneers will take the field on Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens, where Tampa Bay will try to get back to .500 with a victory and turn their season around.

[New York Post]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.