It’s painfully clear Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen are dunzo. They’ve been living separately for weeks, she’s ditched her wedding ring, it’s basically all over but the paperwork at this point. And even that is in the pipeline as they’ve already hired divorce lawyers — who are reportedly speeding up the process.

But the (former?) power couple have remained mostly private about their split and the conflict that led them there, leaving us with only the word of insiders. And frankly there’s been a lot of disagreement among those, too. But early on one of the main points of contention most agreed on was football. They said Gisele was happy Tom had retired, as they’d agreed upon — and when he went back on that and un-retired just 40 days later to sign a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it doomed the relationship.

Related: Tom’s Ex Bridget Moynahan Posts Cryptic Quote About ‘Value’ Of Breaking Up…

Gisele’s own comments have bolstered that theory. She told Elle for their October cover story:

“I’ve done my part, which is [to] be there for [Tom]. I moved to Boston, and I focused on creating a cocoon and a loving environment for my children to grow up in and to be there supporting him and his dreams.”

She’d “done her part.” The unsaid part of that statement many fans inferred was that it was his turn to do his part and end his career gracefully.

The latest sources, speaking to Us Weekly Wednesday morning, agreed this is all about football — well, that and compromise. They say it was all up to Tom in the end. They say the supermodel gave him a firm ultimatum, and he chose the NFL over her:

“Gisele told Tom either he leaves football to spend time with the family or she is gone for good.”

Based on his newest comments about “never” quitting, it’s clear Tom had no intention of giving up the game, not even for the mother of his children. Wow. However, Gisele wasn’t being altogether selfish, says the source. She was just too worried as he gets older that he’d suffer permanent harm:

“She doesn’t want him to continue to get injured and not be able to enjoy life in the future. She is doing it for her family.”

The more we learn about CTE and its potentially permanent effects — like anger issues, aphasia, and suicidal thoughts — the more her argument makes sense. After all, it’s not like they needed the money. And after winning seven Super Bowl rings, he shouldn’t have anything left to prove.

So was he being selfish making this decision?

Innerestingly, it seems to have backfired so far. His time with Tampa has been compared to Michael Jordan‘s return from retirement, in which went from being the undisputed greatest player alive with one of the greatest basketball dynasties ever in the Chicago Bulls… to the Washington Wizards, who didn’t even make the playoffs those years.

Did Tom Brady really throw away his marriage only to come back and permanently damage his reputation? If so… oof.

[Image via FayesVision/MEGA/WENN.]