Tom Brady to reveal private life in doc series 'Tom vs. Time'

Maybe this is the kind of thing Tom Brady was fighting with Bill Belichick over.

A six-part documentary series that follows Brady into all kinds of private places — that is the polar opposite of the secluded and shady Patriot Way — will debut on Facebook Watch later this month and in the thick of the NFL playoffs. Remarkably, while Brady, Belichick and the Patriots may be gearing up for yet another Super Bowl run, Brady's typically guarded personal life will be open like a TB12 cookbook for the world to see.

Last week, an explosive ESPN report exposed a possible fissure between the coach, Brady and Patriots owner Bob Kraft that stemmed from Brady's cultish workout program, his TB12 business, and the realization the 40-year-old will not be the New England quarterback forever. Brady plans to play five more years and showing the world how an aging QB stays at the top of his game was a big part of why he wanted to do the series.

It remains to be seen if that recent off-field drama finds its way to his reality series.

"Tom vs. Time" does promise a glimpse at Brady at home with his supermodel wife Gisele Bündchen and their three kids, in the car, working out, on vacation and hanging out mostly away from the football field to get a better idea of what makes the future Hall of Famer tick. The project, directed by sports documentarian Gotham Chopra, a lifelong Patriots fan who has made films about Kobe Bryant and former Giant Victor Cruz for Showtime, is a dramatic departure from Belichick's notorious cloak of secrecy that covers every inch of the Patriots. Until now.

"I'd say there are mainly two Toms," Chopra told ReligionOfSports.com in a Q&A promoting the docu-series. "There's the on-field guy: the man, the guy who motivates his teammates, trusts his coaches — the football savant. And then there's an off-field version: the father, the son, the husband. It's like Superman and Clark Kent. He's a good guy and a softy with his family, but he's definitely super demanding on the field — he doesn't take any crap and he has very high expectations of his teammates. So, I've definitely seen that while working with him and his teammates tell me they see it, too."

A trailer of "Tom vs. Time" shows the usually private QB at home with his family, and according to a New York Times review, few subjects are off limits. Brady reportedly addresses the Deflategate controversy in a lighter moment, takes Chopra and his camera along for a romantic getaway with him and Gisele, and even lets him film a Montana retreat with Pats receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola.

Chopra said that after years of asking to work together on a film, Brady finally relented last year.

"I kept trying to convince him as I got to know him better," Chopra, the son of author and alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra, said. "He was getting older and still playing extraordinarily well, but you never knew when it was going to be the last go. And he kept saying stuff like, 'I'm not ready — I want to do it, but I don't want the distraction from football right now.' Then last spring, out of nowhere, he called me and said, 'So I'm going to be turning 40 this year. I think we should do that thing you wanted to do.' I was like, 'OK, are you free this weekend?'"

Remarkably, the Patriots are only "nominally" aware of the project, according to the Times.

"These things are always a process," Chopra said. "You start with one idea and then time, experience and perspective shape the relationship. When we started, Tom insisted he was committed to playing five more seasons, so he was very clear this was not a legacy thing — this is right now. It started out as us agreeing to focus exclusively on his physical conditioning: his training, nutrition, holistic approach, etc. But I also wanted to understand mentally how he did it. Over time, I got to see the other side of Tom when he wasn't playing football. He's got three kids, he's got aging parents. He's got a very high-profile life and a wife as successful, ambitious and busy as he is — there's a lot to juggle.

"So we worked toward it. I said, 'Yes, let's document your pliability exercises and your protein shakes, but let's also talk about your mental approach to the game, your relationship with your teammates, etc.' I think once Tom embraced it more, he came up with ideas, and invited me to join him in places like Montana, Costa Rica, etc."

"Tom vs. Time" is scheduled to premiere Jan. 23 on Facebook Watch.