New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, in a Monday interview on ABC's "Good Morning America," said family considerations will be a big part of when he decides to retire.
"You can't make decisions necessarily just for yourself, and I think that's one thing I've learned as I've gotten older: There is collateral effects to every decision that I make," Brady said.
"I have a wife [Gisele Bundchen] that aspires to be a lot of things, and she travels a lot. My oldest son lives here in New York. Three kids, and you're just always trying to juggle and you want to be there for them, and you want to be there for the hockey games and the soccer games. But you also realize the level of commitment it takes to give as much as you can to the team that needs you."
How Brady, 40, strikes that balance is the theme of the "Tom vs. Time" docuseries, which released its sixth and final episode on Monday (noon ET, Facebook Watch). Brady's appearance on "Good Morning America" previewed the final episode.
"It was a great experience for me because I got to share a lot of things that a lot of fans never get a chance to see," Brady said of the series. "I think there's always a balance between a private life and a public life, and I think I chose a very public profession. With the amount of fans that have really enjoyed the show, when I reflect back on the decision to do it, I think, 'What a great decision' because so many people have come up to me and said, 'Thanks for doing that, it was really cool to see.'
"A lot of young athletes were inspired by the level of work it takes to get to a certain point in your career. I think that's been a great payoff for me. It was hard work; we spent a lot of time last offseason and this season, a little bit of time. But to me, it turned into a great series."
Brady, who has said he hopes to play to his mid-40s, explained on "Good Morning America" how he is transitioning from losing Super Bowl LII to the 2018 season, which will be his 19th in the NFL.
"It's a process you have to deal with. It's so great to be in that game, but to win that game is very tough," he said. "We had a couple of close losses to the Giants unfortunately, and then another one against the Eagles. I think you realize the sun comes up the next morning and your life goes on. But those games live with you the rest of your life. That's part of being an athlete, that's part of being in a very competitive sport."
Brady said he has "definitely" started thinking about 2018 at this point.
"It's processing what happened last season and how you can be better the next season. There's no real formula for it. I think every year is a little bit different," he said.
"There's different things that are happening in your life outside of football, and my kids are getting older. I think one thing that has gotten a little challenging as you get older is there are different priorities and different commitments. You've got to be able to allocate your time the right way, and there's a lot of people that need your time and attention. How you find that balance really was a big part of what 'Tom vs. Time' was all about -- trying to find some balance between my family life and what my kids need and what my wife needs and what my football team needs."
In the "Good Morning America" interview, host Michael Strahan shared the story from the 2000s of how Bundchen spoke with him about the length of Brady's career. Bundchen, according to Strahan, wanted him to talk to Brady about his desire to play another 10 years.
Said Brady: "When we met, I was 29, 30 years old, and I thought, 'Man, if I could get to 40, it'd be amazing.' It'd be a great career -- 18 years in the NFL, learned a lot, and it's been such a great love for me. I love the sport, I love the competition, I love my teammates, I love working with people that I love to work with. So that part is really hard to give up, especially when I feel like I can do it, and I look around the league and see these other quarterbacks and I'm thinking, 'Man, I can do what they do.' I want to continue to do it the best I can because it really brings a lot of joy to my life."