NFL legend Tom Brady came out of retirement this season to compete once again for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with whom he had initially signed a two-year contract in 2020. However, the 45-year-old quarterback has left pre-season training to deal with some personal issues. In a press meet, the Bucs’ head coach Todd Bowles said that the seven-time NFL champion had to leave training to deal with some personal issues.

Bowles said regarding Brady’s absence, “We trust him. We talked about it. It was scheduled way before training camp and he will not be here until after Tennessee”, thus confirming that Brady would not be back before the Bucs’ pre-season clash with the Tennessee Titans. The issues might not be related to injuries since Brady was his usual self during training earlier in the week.

Also Read| NFL suspends Dolphins owner for tampering with Tom Brady

NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport later opened up on the Pat McAfee show regarding the legendary quarterback’s absence, “It was planned. No one is worried. He’s fine. To my knowledge, it’s not a medical emergency related to him or, I believe, anyone close to him. I was told that everything is OK. The best description I got about this was that it is important to find a work-life balance”.

Brady had initially announced his retirement post the 2021 season, but stayed retired for a brief 40-day period. Notably, Brady was at England’s Old Trafford stadium to watch a soccer game between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs only 24 hours before he announced he would take to the pitch once again. After the match, cameras caught Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo asking Brady, “You’re finished, right?”, and the five-time Super Bowl MVP only smiled in return. This is what he tweeted hours later:

Also Read| Top 15 Quarterbacks to look forward to in the 2022 NFL Season

When initially announcing his retirement, a desire to spend more time with his family was high on the list of priorities for Brady. It remains to be seen whether he is back in the fray before the Bucs’ first match of the season on September 11 against the Dallas Cowboys.