Tom Brady had not said much outside of football publicly since the news of his ex-wife, Gisele Bundchen, being pregnant surfaced until a Tuesday Instagram story where he held up a card. 

On the card was famous quote from former President Theodore Roosevelt, with the specific passage entitled ‘The Man in the Arena.’

If that title sounds familiar, it’s because that is the near-verbatim title of the ESPN+ documentary that aired in 2021 and 2022 on Brady’s life.

The timing of the message comes with the implication that Brady is hinting at Bundchen’s pregnancy with her new man, Joaquim Valente.

‘It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better,’ the message begins.

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Tom Brady shared a cryptic message on Instagram days after his ex-wife’s pregnancy surfaced

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The quote from former President Theodore Roosevelt has been called ‘The Man in the Arena’

‘The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming.’

‘But who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause.’

‘Who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those could and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.’

Bundchen and Brady divorced in October 2022 after 11 years of marriage. The pair have two kids together – a son, Benjamin, 14, and 11-year-old daughter Vivian.

This will be Bundchen’s third child, matching the number Brady has, as the New England Patriots legend’s eldest child, 17-year-old Jack, was born after dating actress Bridget Moynahan.

Valente and Bundchen first met in 2021 after she signed up for his jiu-jitsu classes.