TAMPA, Fla. — No one has ever questioned the toughness of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, but the latest news of his determination and ability to play through injuries is almost indescribable.
The first report of a knee injury came from the Tampa Bay Times which said Brady played the entire 2020 season with a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee. The Times’ report was backed up and expanded upon by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport who said it was a complete tear of the MCL. Brady had surgery on the knee after the Bucs won the Super Bowl in February.
#Bucs QB Tom Brady’s injury was actually more serious than that. It was a fully torn MCL, sources say, that required surgery following the Super Bowl win. https://t.co/jrSrzjXXWK
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 15, 2021
The future Hall of Fame quarterback was never listed on the team’s injury report last year, meaning either the Bucs hid the injury or were not aware of the injury to their superstar quarterback. For their part, the NFL refused to comment on the issue when approached by Profootballtalk.com about it.
Brady and the Bucs announced earlier this offseason he had successful knee surgery, but the exact injury wasn’t revealed. It’s not the first time Brady has suffered an injury to his left knee. In 2008, Brady tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee when he was hit low by a Kansas City Chiefs player. Brady missed the entire 2008 season because of the injury.
According to ProFootballTalk, Brady had a “moderate” risk of further injuring the knee last season while playing through the torn MCL. The PFT report said Brady was able to play through the injury because of “a custom knee brace” and tape would be added under the brace to “support the knee.”
The nearly 44-year-old quarterback has shown no signs of slowing down and has the Buccaneers in prime position to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Last year, Brady threw for 4,633 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with a fully torn MCL.
Bucs fans should be salivating and opponents should be terrified at the thought of a fully healthy Brady this season.
