Tom Brady rarely shows any deep emotion during press conferences, so it was strange when he got misty-eyed answering a question about who his hero is on Tuesday.
After being asked who his hero is, Brady responded, “My dad,” while showing the beginnings of some tears.
Later on, when asked what provoked the emotional response, Brady explained that this has been a trying year for his family.
“It’s been a challenging year for my family, just for some personal reasons. It’ll just be nice having everyone here watching us this weekend,” he said, per Tom E. Curran of CSN New England. “That’s my mom and dad. They’ve been so supportive my entire life, it’s nice to be able to show them . . . to try to make them proud . . . My mom hasn’t been to a game this season. My dad has been to [only] one. It’s very atypical.”
Curran passed along information from a source about why it’s been so challenging.
“A Brady family source told me Tuesday that Brady’s mother, Galynn, has been dealing with health issues for the past 18 months. She’s been doing much better recently, but her illness has been a major source of concern for the family, including Tom Brady Sr., and Brady’s sisters, Julie, Maureen and Nancy.”
That’s a lot for any family to absorb, not to mention the personal challenge of dealing with being suspended the first four games of the season due to the NFL’s ruling on Deflategate. Thankfully Brady’s mother and father, along with the rest of his family, will be attending Super Bowl LI.
We wish the entire Brady family well as they continue to cling to one another for support and as Galynn Brady continues to fight the illness that has plagued her.