NFL legend's cryptic post lands amid two Angels' 'girl code' feud

Tom Brady isn't saying much about the supermodel drama around him, but one Instagram Story has fans convinced he's said plenty.

The NFL legend, 49, posted a quote on Thursday, Nov. 5: "You are not responsible for correcting every false version of you that exists in someone else's head."

He added three red heart emojis and a song, and nothing else, according to The Blast. Other frames in the same Story showed clouds from a plane window, an outdoor pool and an unlit fire pit.

The timing is what got people talking.

Two Angels, one quarterback

Brady has been linked to Victoria's Secret model Candice Swanepoel, 38, since October. Us Weekly reported on Oct. 24 that the pair had been dating "for a while," and People confirmed the romance a day later, according to Sports Illustrated. They reportedly know each other through mutual friends in Miami, where both live.

Then came the twist. A second Us Weekly source claimed Brady and Swanepoel's fellow Angel Joan Smalls, also 38, "were seeing each other on and off for about a year between 2023 and 2024."

"They were hooking up for a while and still kept in touch afterward," the source said, describing it as a casual fling. Neither Brady nor Smalls has confirmed it.

'No girl code'

According to Us Weekly, Smalls was "blindsided" when the Brady and Swanepoel reports broke. "To her, it was just the ultimate breaking of girl code," a source said, adding that Smalls had confided in Swanepoel about Brady.

Both women walked the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in October, but they weren't photographed together, Hola! notes.

Smalls then allegedly left a string of comments online, all since deleted, Us Weekly reports: "I'm not friends with backstabbers," "There is no girl code with some people," and, on a Just Jared post, "Two words: SUMMER HOUSE ! That'll explain everything."

Fans have linked the last one to the reality show Summer House, but that's unconfirmed.

'A friendship that Candice will always respect'

Swanepoel's camp has kept it short. "Candice has always been exceptionally private about her personal life, with her focus remaining on raising her children," her spokesperson said on Oct. 28. "She and Joan share a longstanding history and a friendship that Candice will always respect."

Rumours went up a gear when Swanepoel was photographed on Oct. 30 wearing a gold band on her left ring finger. But a source told People on Nov. 2 that she isn't engaged, and is "not rushing" the relationship. "She likes spending time with him," the source said. "Tom's independent and has a busy life too, which works well for her."

Swanepoel has two sons, Anacan and Ariel, with former partner Hermann Nicoli. Brady has three children: son Jack with Bridget Moynahan, and Benjamin and Vivian with ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, to whom he was married from 2009 to 2022.

Brady himself hasn't addressed the feud directly. For now, the Instagram Story is all anyone has to go on.