Just because you're retired from football doesn't mean you're done with the public spotlight.

For recent NFL retiree and divorcee Tom Brady, a cryptic social media post has set off a firestorm of speculation that it's actually a reference to his divorce with supermodel Gisele Bundchen.

Brady, the only seven-time Super Bowl winner in NFL history, posted the mysterious quote to his Instagram Stories (these delete themselves after 24 hours, so a tweet is embedded below for posterity):

Tom Brady shared this on Instagram a day after Gisele’s interview with @VanityFair was published pic.twitter.com/nYpIGo3CX3

— Steve DelVecchio (@SteveDelSports) March 23, 2023

Brady channeled his inner Ralph Waldo Emerson and posted a poem simply titled "What Is Success."

"What is success?” Brady posted, quoting Emerson's work.

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because to have lived.

[firefly_poll]

"This is to have succeeded!"

While professional athletes posting somewhat-deep, head-scratching quotes randomly on social media is hardly anything new, many social media users pointed out that the timing of this post may not have actually been random at all.

That's because Brady's post came just mere hours after Vanity Fair published a lengthy, wide-encompassing interview with Bundchen.

Unsurprisingly, the topic of Brady and Bundchen's failed marriage came up during the course of the interview, which will be a headline feature of their April 2023 issue.

When asked about her divorce, which was finalized in October 2022, Bundchen largely had kind words.

“It’s tough because you imagine your life was going to be a certain way, and you did everything you could, you know?” Bundchen told Vanity Fair. "I believed in fairy tales when I was a kid. I think it’s beautiful to believe in that. I mean, I’m so grateful I did."

Vanity Fair explained that quote by arguing that Bundchen had to put her career on pause, so she could raise her and Brady's children, while Brady was off quarterbacking for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Despite this alleged breaking point in the relationship, Bundchen revealed during the course of the lengthy interview that she still very much harbors strong feelings towards Brady.

“Listen, I have always cheered for him, and I would continue forever,” Bundchen told the fashion outlet. “If there’s one person I want to be the happiest in the world, it’s him, believe me. I want him to achieve and to conquer. I want all his dreams to come true. That’s what I want, really, from the bottom of my heart.”

Bundchen continued, explaining that, contrary to most reports, there was no "flashpoint" incident. She argued her divorce with Brady was the result of drifting apart over the years.

"When I was 26 years old and he was 29 years old, we met. We wanted a family. We wanted things together. As time goes by, we realize that we just wanted different things, and now we have a choice to make. That doesn’t mean you don’t love the person. It just means that in order for you to be authentic and truly live the life that you want to live, you have to have somebody who can meet you in the middle, right? It’s a dance. It’s a balance.

“When you love someone, you don’t put them in a jail and say, ‘You have to live this life.’ You set them free to be who they are, and if you want to fly the same direction, then that’s amazing.”

Evidently, Brady and Bundchen were not interested in flying in the same direction, but that doesn't mean the two won't still be in the same general vicinity.

Vanity Fair notes that Bundchen is now "close to" Brady's Florida mansion (surely a blessing for their children) and is neighbors with, of all people, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner (Bundchen claims she has yet to meet the latter two in her new Miami neighborhood).

To be clear, there isn't a clear, identifiable strand that connects Brady's newfound love of poetry and Bundchen's Vanity Fair feature.

Brady's post could be construed both negatively (note that a happy marriage is not one of Emerson's ideas of success) or positively (all signs, including the Vanity piece, point to a fairly amicable split).

Only throwing fuel onto the fire, a psychologist had recently gone online to speculate that Brady and Bundchen are actually gearing up to get back together (that comeback would be even more impressive than 28-3) based on "hints" the two were dropping.

Outside of his marital life, and assuming his second retirement is actually permanent, Brady will soon begin working for Fox Sports as an NFL analyst, so he won't be leaving the television screens of football fans anytime soon.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.