MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. -- Episode five of Tom Brady's documentary series, "Tom vs. Time" was aired at a pre-screening event in Minneapolis, Minn. two days ahead of the Super Bowl. The actual fifth episode will air on Sunday, the day of Super Bowl 52, while the sixth and final episode will air at a later date.
This episode of Tom vs. Time was a bit longer than the others, but it was packed with detail and information. Gotham Chopra, the director of the series, said before the episode aired that he thought of the series as a grouping of "short films." So here's what we learned from short film No. 5.
1. Tom Brady told wife Gisele Bundchen he might retire after two more Super Bowls
The dynamic between Brady and Bundchen was fascinating throughout the episode. Bundchen said at one point that Brady told her when they met that he would retire in 10 years, as long as he won another Super Bowl. She seemed perfectly ready for him to retire, help take care of the kids some more and maybe spend more time with her in Costa Rica.
There was some playful back and forth between Brady and Bundchen, which ended with Brady negotiating that he would maybe retire after "two more Super Bowls." Perhaps this was just Brady trying to get Bundchen off of his case, and not an accurate portrayal of when Brady will retire. He ended the episode by saying his retirement was "not gonna be for a while now."
2. Brady explained why he does not engage with critics
One thing that Brady is famous for is deflecting the critics whenever they ask him potentially controversial questions. In the episode, sports talk radio hosts were heard in the background saying he does not look like the same Brady anymore, and that he did not look as if he is as good as he used to be.
Brady explained why he never shot back at critics or got into the arguments by saying that he did not "want to go into that mud every day." It was an interesting perspective from a superstar athlete who could be in arguments constantly about his performance or things he does. It simply sounded as if arguing that often would be too exhausting.
3. Brady knew early on that this team had a good chance to win the Super Bowl
As the season went on, one of the things that was great about the documentary was some Facetime sessions between Brady and the director. Perhaps the most interesting thing Brady said in those Facetime sessions was an admission that Brady thought his team should not lose another game for the rest of the season. "We're better than all of these teams," Brady said.
He also admitted that the win over the Steelers was "probably the most joy (he'd) had in a long time." When Brady got the ball with a chance to go down the field and win, he said he had no doubt that they were going to score.
4. Brady has to deal with the cold and snow too
If you asked Tom Brady about the cold and snow being a factor during the week, he would almost never say it affected him. He would probably say that it's the same conditions for everyone, and it's just something he and everyone else out on the field has to deal with.
In this episode, you saw Brady complaining about the cold at practice, noting he couldn't feel his hands in negative-5 degree temperatures ahead of the final game against the Jets. As he prepared his smoothie in the morning, he looked outside and groaned at the snow and cold. Then he had to brush the snow off his car -- something that was interesting to watch someone like Brady do. Brady has been excellent in the cold and snow in the playoffs, but that doesn't mean he is immune to it.
5. Brady is aware someone could always be watching
At one point while trying his best to ignore a nagging Achilles injury, Brady set up his massage with Alex Guerrero to try and get better. Before the massage begins, however, he notices that there is a big window right in front of him. First, he tries to stack a bunch of chairs in front of the window to prevent anyone from looking in. When he realizes that will probably draw more attention to himself, he brought the massage table around the corner to a more secluded area.
It was another example of just how under the spotlight Brady is, and how he has to be paranoid to avoid giving away any information.