NFL News: Gisele Bundchen Says Patriots Tom Brady ‘Has Concussions’ Every Year – ‘We Don’t Talk About It’
Concussions in the NFL are very serious, and the league has taken numerous steps to keep players safe and healthy, but has one of the greatest been getting them more than others? Gisele Bundchen, the wife of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, revealed that her husband has a concussion “pretty much every year.” She said it is something that has worried her, but they really just don’t talk about it.
On Wednesday morning, Bundchen appeared on CBS This Morning to talk with Charlie Rose, and of course, the subject of Brady came up. According to CBS Boston, Rose asked Bundchen about some comments that Brady made back in February about him possibly retiring. It was then that he said if his wife had things her way, she would make him retire.
When Rose asked Bundchen if she was going to let Brady retire from the Patriots and the NFL, she dropped a bit of a bombshell.
“You know, I just have to say as a wife, I’m a little bit, its, as you know, it’s not the most like, let’s say, un-aggressive sport, right? Football, like he had a concussion last year, I mean he has concussions pretty much every–you know, we don’t talk about it but he does have concussions. I don’t really think it’s a healthy thing for your body to go through like, through that kind of aggression like, all the time–that cannot be healthy for you, right? I mean I’m planning on having him be healthy and do a lot of fun things when we’re like 100, I hope.”
At this point, Rose didn’t really know what to say about these alleged concussions, and he didn’t have any follow-up questions either. The conversation just moved on, and nothing further was said about the concussions he may or may not have suffered.
TMZ raises a good point that this could be an incredibly serious situation for the New England Patriots and for Tom Brady. While Brady was listed on the injury report a couple of times during the 2016 season, he was never once listed on there for a concussion.
There was also no report that he was ever in the league’s concussion protocol.
Whenever a player is diagnosed with a concussion during a game, that person may not return to the field for the remainder of the game, according to the NFL’s concussion protocol. That player can return the next week for the following game if cleared by a doctor and make it through that protocol.
As reported by SB Nation, the NFL concussion protocol is as follows.
- When a potential concussion is identified, the player shall be removed immediately from the field.
- The NFL team physician and the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant (UNC) will: A. Review the video of the play and B. Perform a focused neurological examination.
- Madden Rule: If there is suspicion of a concussion, the player will be escorted to the locker room for a full assessment.
- If the player is diagnosed with a concussion, there is no same-day return to play.
- If the player passes the exam, he will be monitored for symptoms throughout the game.
After Bundchen’s interview regarding Brady and concussions from 2016, the Patriots have yet to comment.
While this revelation from Gisele Bundchen may be something that the New England Patriots and NFL already know, it could make for some interesting discussion. If the league takes this information and realizes they weren’t aware of concussions suffered by Tom Brady, it could cause some problems for the team and the player. Either way, Bundchen’s words show that concussions are a true concern for players, coaches, and family members.
[Featured Image by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images]
