Tom Brady Sounds Extremely Sick, And He Doesn't Know Why: 'Very Strange'
BOSTON (CBS) -- A familiar face is returning to Foxboro this weekend. Yet when Tom Brady spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon, he did not have a familiar voice.
The 44-year-old quarterback gave his weekly press conference for the media in Tampa, and immediately, his raspy voice was startling to hear. Brady has had some on-and-off rasp over the past couple of months, but Thursday certainly sounded like the sickest he's been.
After answering a few questions, Brady was finally asked about the condition of his throat.
"I don't know. I've had a few of these days. I don't know what the deal is, so I gotta try to figure this out," Brady said. "I said my throat's more tired than arm. Imagine that."
Brady was reminded by a reporter that he had a similar hoarseness to his voice in the summer.
"Same thing -- I know," Brady said. "It came back. I know. Very strange. Something must be a little -- I can't explain that, so."
Tom Brady's voice is in rough shape. Sounds and looks under the weather. pic.twitter.com/hR1v3jQQBI
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) September 30, 2021
Later, when asked if he'll be having family at the game Sunday night against the Patriots in Foxboro, he joked that perhaps the hectic schedule of the first four weeks of the season has contributed to his condition.
"A lot -- first four weeks have been tough on me. The home opener, and then California [last week], Patriots. So after this I'm like, done for the year," Brady said. "I'm tired of it, so maybe that's the problem with my voice."
Brady did recently reveal that he tested positive for COVID-19 back in February, after winning the Super Bowl, though the quarterback offered nothing to suggest that his sore throat is at all related to that matter.
It's not the first time that Brady has sounded hoarse before a big game. He was sick in the days leading up to Super Bowl XLIX against the Seahawks. He ended up winning that game, turning in a fourth quarter for the ages to win his first Super Bowl in a decade. So he's likely not too worried about how his current sore throat will impact his performance on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.