New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is not one to question the physicality of a game he’s starred playing for the past near two decades. But the 40-year-old future Hall of Fame signal caller fully understands the risks that come with playing such a brutal game for a living.
In speaking out recently about the concussion debate around the NFL, Brady himself had a rather interesting response — one we don’t necessarily hear from players too often.
“I’m not oblivious to them (concussions),” Brady tells CBS Sunday Morning (h/t the Boston Herald). “I mean, I understand the risks that, you know, come with . the physical nature of our game.”
Brady’s wife, Gisele Bundchen, indicated during the spring that her husband suffered a concussion and ultimately played through it last season. Obviously, Brady himself has denied this premise, as has the NFL (more on that here).
For his part, Brady has played through an era in the NFL in which the concussion debate has become prevalent. Though, he’s never missed a game due to a hit to the head. For someone that’s in his 18th NFL season, it’s hard to believe that Brady has never actually suffered a concussion. Instead, it’s likely at least one has gone unnoticed by the Patriots’ medical staff.
For his part, Brady really doesn’t seem too concerned about the entire concussion debate.
“I don’t know what the future is going to look like, you know, and I’m not going to pretend to predict it,” Brady says. “And I’m going to do everything I can to take care of my body in advance of the, you know, of the hits that I’m going to take on Sunday.”
It’s refreshing to see a high-profile player take this stance. Sure there were major issues in previous eras about whether players actually new the risks they were taking by stepping on an NFL field. With the new science, that’s no longer the case. Brady is sitting back here and taking personal responsibility. That most definitely is refreshing.