There was no sign that Tom Brady played with a concussion during the New England Patriots’ championship 2016 season, as his model wife Gisele Bundchen previously claimed, according to a joint review by the NFL and players’ union that included game-by-game reports filed by medical staff and the league’s concussion spotters.
In May, Bundchen told CBS: ‘He had a concussion last year. I mean, he has concussions pretty much. We don’t talk about it, but he does have concussions.’
‘This review identified no evidence of any deviation from the Protocol by the Patriots’ medical staff or the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultants assigned to Patriots’ games or any indication that Mr. Brady sustained a concussion or reported signs or symptoms consistent with having sustained a concussion,’ the NFL’s statement read.
After Tom Brady won his fifth Super Bowl in February, wife Gisele Bundchen claimed in May that he played the 2016 season with a concussion. An NFL report contracted that claim
In August, Brady refused to discuss his wife’s comments with the media.
‘I really don’t think that’s anybody’s business, what happened last year and I’m focused on this year and improving and working on things I need to get better at,’ Brady told reporters at Patriots training camp.
According to the NFL’s statement, the league and players’ union review was ‘comprehensive’ and included input from independent experts.
‘This review included an examination of all game film from every Patriots’ game last season, every report from the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultants and Booth ATC Spotters assigned to those games and Mr. Brady’s medical records, which were produced pursuant to a release signed by Mr. Brady,’ the statement read. ‘We appreciate the cooperation of the Patriots’ medical staff in conducting this review.’
Bundchen told CBS in May that although she and Brady ‘don’t talk about it’ he ‘does have concussions’ and played concussed in 2016
Brady and Bündchen married in 2009 and have two children together
The Journal of American Medicine released a study in July detailing results from neurological analyses of 111 deceased former NFL players’ brains, 110 of which exhibited signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Symptoms of CTE include amnesia as well as chronic headaches, and can take as long as a decade to become apparent.
Brady, 40, has not missed a single game to injury since tearing an ACL in his left knee during the 2008 regular season opener. He previously said he hopes to play until he’s 45.
The NFL created its concussion protocol in 2009 and as more information about the effects of neurological trauma has been learned, that policy has evolved.
Commissioner Roger Goodell launched the NFL’s concussion protocol in 2009, but has been forced to amend its requirements as more has been learned about neurological trauma
Brady stretches during the Patriots training camp in August
‘Our game, of course, is a contact sport,’ NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a letter addressed to fans in September of 2016. ‘Fans love to see the action on the field, including the big hits. While we can never completely eliminate the risk of injury, we are always striving to make the game safer—for our professional athletes down to young athletes first learning how to play.
‘We’ve made important progress in health and safety,’ the letter continued. ‘We’ve made safety-related rules changes, encouraged advancements in equipment, improved medical protocols and care and changed the way we teach the game. Rightfully, much of the public discussion is about concussions—how they happen, how they can be prevented and treated and what is known about their long-term impact.’
Players suspected of suffering a concussion are required to complete a baseline neurological exam before returning to action.
Brady and the Patriots open their season on Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brady and the Patriots will open their season Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs