Jim Nantz Says He Won’t Discuss Tom Brady’s Divorce On Broadcast: ‘That’s Out of Bounds, It’s His Personal Life’
CBS play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz claimed he would not discuss Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady‘s divorce on the broadcast this Sunday.
Brady and his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen publically announced that they finalized their divorce last Friday.
On Monday, Brady was on his Let’s Go! podcast and spoke out for the first time about his personal life. Co-host Jim Gray asked Brady about the public divorce and the rumors that have swirled around the future hall-of-fame quarterback.
“Tommy, there’s an awful lot going on in your life away from the football field, you’re a very public figure, and your personal life spills over,” Gray said. “And it’s created a number of challenges for you this season.”
“Yeah, Jim, there’s a lot of professionals in life that go through things that they deal with at work, and they deal with at home,” Brady answered. “Obviously, the good news is it’s a very amicable situation.”
Brady and the Buccaneers will play the defending Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams in Tampa Bay on Sunday. Nantz and the CBS crew will be on the call for the game.
Nantz joined Jimmy Traina‘s Sports Illustrated Media Podcast, and Traina asked Nantz if he would avoid Brady’s divorce on the broadcast.
“Is that the most difficult thing to navigate this week when you have the Bucs in his first game?” Traina asked Nantz.
“That story has been hovering throughout the season,” Nantz said. “I’ve watched the games and haven’t really heard anyone address it. I kind of feel like that’s out of bounds; it’s his personal life.”
Nantz explained he would not want to cast a negative light on Brady since they have a great relationship with one another.
“Tom’s a friend,” Nantz added. “I wish him and his family well. I’m gonna be there to cover a football game; I want to be respectful. I know he addressed it with Jim Gray; that’s remarkable.”
Nantz added that he would not be on the microphone if he did discuss Brady’s divorce.
“We’ll talk about it when we get to Tampa, I’m getting in a little early this week, and we’ll discuss it,” Nantz continued. “I want to talk about the game. I don’t think it has any reason why the Bucs are (3-5); that’s what we’re going to focus on.”
Nantz went through a similar situation as Brady just went through. In 2009, Nantz got a divorce that forced him to pay his ex-wife $72,000 a month, with an additional $1,000 in child support, according to Sportscasting.
Watch above via the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast.
