This rumor is interesting. IMO, it wouldn't be unheard of for Tom to agree to a smaller contract to play in a country she likes.
After receiving big contracts in Spain ('06), Russia ('07) and Japan ('08 ), she agreed to less money to go back to Italy ('09).
So after signing big contracts in China (2010) and Turkey (2011), I could see her taking less money to go to Brazil for a year.
About Bernardinho, he certainly is an interesting character.
Tom isn't exactly a stranger to Brazilian coaches - she had them in Spain and more recently, Ze in Turkey. She has a strong personality and speaks her mind and knows the language well enough to do exactly that. She doesn't mind demanding coaches and she's not a player who is easily offended by "coaching terms" as long as the coach makes good technical sense.