Tom Brady‘s week has gone from bad to worse – and it’s only Monday.
The NFL legend found himself switching from the target of online backlash to the butt of the joke within a matter of hours Monday.
The retired quarterback’s ex-wife announced she is pregnant and expecting her first child with jiu-jitsu pro partner Joaquim Valente.
The supermodel, 44, has been dating Valente, 35, since June 2023 – shortly after her divorce from Brad , 47, and this will be her third child and his first. She is reportedly ‘five or six months’ along in her pregnancy.
It came as the second blow of the day for the seven-time Super Bowl winner after he was caught up in a storm of controversy.
Tom Brady suffered a tough week amid his NFL ‘slur’ scandal and his ex-wife’s pregnancy news
Gisele Bundchen is pregnant and expecting her first child with jiu-jitsu pro partner Joaquim Valente, People has confirmed – pictured June 2024
He returned to the airwaves Sunday for the eighth week of his broadcasting career as he called the Buffalo Bills‘ dominant 31-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Brady, who is in the first season of his 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox Sports, was heard using a slur to describe Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
‘Sometimes he played like a spaz, like a grade-schooler on a sugar high, but now he’s controlled the chaos. He’s like a storm coming into town and you don’t want that storm coming into this town,’ Brady said as he discussed the signal caller’s NFL journey towards the end of the first quarter.
‘Spaz’ is a slang term which is an abbreviation of the word ‘sp*stic,’ that is an offensive term often used to someone who is awkward or clumsy. It is considered to be an ableist slur.
Brady’s use of the derogatory term sparked backlash from NFL fans on social media with many stunned into disbelief at the former quarterback’s use of the slur.
Many fans seemingly couldn’t believe Brady said the term on live TV as they took to social media to question if their ears had deceived them.
‘Did you hear Tom Brady call Josh Allen a “spaz” in the first half of today’s Bill’s game? Highly offensive to people who have physical disabilities as well as their loved ones,’ one shocked social media user posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
‘I think he said Josh Allen has to “just not play like a spaz” which somehow seems even worse to me. Sickening that that word is even in his vocabulary,’ another responded.
Brady (R) sparked criticism when he used a shocking slur to describe Josh Allen (L)
The seven-time Super Bowl winner was describing Allen’s NFL journey live on Fox Sunday
‘Thankful for the mute button,’ a third said in response to a video of the controversial moment.
Another chimed in, expressing their disgust by writing: ‘Brady really just said a player played “like a spaz” Ew.’
‘The ONLY thing worse about watching your team suck all game long is having to listen to the cold-dull-as-three-day-old-dishwater @tombrady announce the game. #ShutUpDude,’ another began, also ripping into Brady announcing skills. ‘ps: The “spaz” comment was uncalled for.’
Just hours later, Brady once again found himself the target of social media users as his ex-wife’s happy news broke.
The pregnancy joy comes two years after Bundchen and Brady split following a 13 year marriage.
Brady and Bundchen — who share two kids together, son Benjamin, 14, and daughter Vivian, 11 — divorced on October 28, 2022.
In divorce filings, the marriage was determined to be ‘irretrievably broken.’
At the time it was rumored that their split stemmed from the supermodel’s fury at Brady’s decision to unretire and return to the NFL for one more season earlier that year.
Tom and Gisele confirmed they were divorcing in October 2022 after 13 years of marriage
Brady and Bundchen are parents son Benjamin, 14, and daughter Vivian, 11 from her marriage to NFL GOAT Tom Brady – pictured together 2018
While Bundchen has vehemently denied the claims, insisting that the reason behind their split was much more innocent, claiming that the pair simply ‘grew apart’ and realized that they wanted ‘different things,’ NFL fans still mocked Brady over a footballing return in light of his ex’s family life.
‘Come back to the Bucs and win another one,’ one quipped in response to the announcement.
‘Tom Brady really blew up his family for ONE more season in the NFL. Like at that point you might as well have tried for another 5,’ another said.
‘All bc Tom Brady didn’t want to retire.. Damn,’ a third quipped.
Joaquim, who is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor, owns a jiujitsu studio with his brothers Pedro and Gui Valente in Miami.
They started dating in June 2023, after first meeting in December 2021 when she sought out jiu-jitsu training for her son and then decided to take classes too.
The duo sparked romance rumors when they were seen together in November 2022 in Costa Rica, two weeks after her divorce from Tom Brady was finalized.
Gisele denied they were romantically involved.
The model is pictured with Brady, their children, and Brady’s son with ex partner Bridget Moynahan: Jack, 17
They started dating in June 2023, after first meeting in December 2021 when she sought out jiu-jitsu training for her son and then decided to take classes too
Despite the questionable timeline of their relationship, Bundchen has denied cheating on her husband of 13 years.
‘ That is a lie ,’ she told the New York Times in late March, explaining that she doesn’t ‘want to make my life a tabloid.’
‘This is something that happens to a lot of women who get blamed when they have the courage to leave an unhealthy relationship and are labeled as being unfaithful,’ explained Bundchen.
After months of being romantically linked, Bundchen confirmed her new relationship earlier this year, although she didn’t name Valente.
Meanwhile, Brady had been romantically linked to model Irina Shayk but they are believed to have called it quits.
Earlier this year, Brady and Bundchen’s divorce, as well as her romance with Valente, was fodder for a lot of the ruthless material performed at the Netflix roast of the NFL icon.
And Brady admitted that the brutal joked didn’t go down too well at home as he revealed that some of the quips ‘affected’ his kids during an episode of ‘The Pivot’ with Fred Taylor, Ryan Clark and Channing Crowder.
‘I loved when the jokes were about me. I thought they were so fun,’ he said. ‘I didn’t like the way they affected my kids.
‘It was the bittersweet aspect of when you’re doing something you think is one way and then you realize I wouldn’t do that again because of the way it affected the people I care about the most in the world.
Brady and Bundchen’s divorce, as well as her romance with Valente, provided ruthless material for Netflix’s roast of the NFL icon
The former quarterback revealed that some of the quips ‘affected’ his children – Vivian, 11, Benjamin, 14, and Jack, 16 (L-R)
‘It makes you in some ways a better parent going through it because sometimes you’re naïve.’
The former quarterback’s children weren’t the only ones upset with the roast with Bundchen said to be furious about being the source of the relentless taunting.
According to People , Bundchen was left fuming at the jokes about her and Brady’s former marriage during the special, saying she ‘was deeply disappointed by the disrespectful portrayal of her family on Sunday evening’s roast show’.
‘As always, [Bundchen’s] priority is to support her children who were affected by the irresponsible content that was broadcasted,’ the insider went on.