Tom Brady is going through some hard gears right now. While his team is off to a losing start, Brady himself is on a losing record after 8 weeks of NFL for the first time, since 2002. His off-the-field problems also seem to have come to a boil. After months of struggle, Brady and his wife, Gisele Bündchen, have officially filed for a divorce. His personal problems were in the spotlight all these weeks. According to NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, the failures on the field could be the repercussions of his personal life circumstances.

On the recent episode of his podcast, ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq’, O’Neal shared his personal story of dealing with real-life troubles. Recounting his time in the NBA in 2006., the legend remembered his struggles on the court which came due to his ongoing divorce back then. “During the 2006 Finals, I was going through a divorce, and I couldn’t do anything right,” admitted Shaq. In 2006, he was playing for Miami Heat, which is unironically in Florida only.

While Shaq and Dwyane Wade led the side into the finals, they were not favorites coming against a dominant Mavericks team. As per Shaq, he had to let Wade take over as he was unable to get it right. And that is exactly what he feels Brady is going through. “Tom’s going through a tough time right now. It has nothing to do with his age or football, but when you’re dealing with that real-life stuff, it takes a lot,” Shaq added.

Tom Brady and his troubles

Recently, Gisele Bündchen and the 45-year-old quarterback have finally announced their intention to get divorced. They were married in 2009 and also have two children together. 9 years old Vivian and 12 years old Benjamin. After an apparent dispute over the player’s decision to come out of retirement, Gisele had left him. The couple were living separately.

Read More: Tom Brady & Gisele Bündchen Demand Two Things After Breaking Silence on Bitter $650 Million Divorce

Other than his race with father time, this could very well be an explanation for his historically bad season. After 8 weeks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 3-5, and second, in the division in which they were an easy bet to win. It is the first time since 2002, when he has a losing record after 8 weeks of NFL.

In 8 games this season, TB12 has only thrown 9 TDs while completing passes for only 2267 yards. This comes after a career year last season with 5316 yards. The season started with injuries and major absences for the offense. But even after the returns of these players, there has not been much of a change in their fortunes. Many believe that father time has finally caught up to the player. And, the NBA legend still thinks that it has more to do with his real-life issues than those in his game.

Watch this story: Tom Brady’s off balanced career and marriage with Gisele Bündchen prompts him to open up in his latest podcast appearance.