NFL launches inquiry after wife claims Tom Brady suffered concussions
The NFL has begun a review of Tom Brady's medical records to determine if he ever suffered a concussion or had concussion symptoms. The inquiry was launched after Brady's wife, Gisele Bündchen, said Wednesday on "CBS This Morning" the New England Patriots quarterback had a concussion last year. It was apparently never reported.
During his celebrated 17-year career, Brady has never been officially sidelined by a concussion. But Bündchen said he's still been hurt by all those hits.
"He had a concussion last year. I mean, he has concussions pretty much every -- I mean, we don't talk about, but he does have concussions," Bündchen said Wednesday on "CBS This Morning."
The NFL is taking a closer look at the Patriots' injury reports and all reports about Brady filed by the brain injury specialists and spotters who worked at Patriots games last season.
"Football players playing through concussions is sort of the dirty little secret," said Chris Nowinski, CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation. "In many situations, the player may not know they have a concussion. They may not recognize they have a concussion for another day or two."
Last July, the NFL announced new protocols to evaluate and remove players with concussion symptoms. Teams that don't comply can be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars and lose draft picks.
Brady said last May that football players should seek help for head injuries right away.
"You'd hate to stop doing something you love to do because of an injury. I've been very fortunate over the course of my career," Brady said on ABC News in May 2016.
According to Stats LLC, since he took over the starting quarterback job in 2001, Brady has missed just 19 games, 15 of them in one season when he injured his knee and four due to his "deflategate" suspension. He has injured his arms, legs and shoulder, but not his head.
"I don't really think it's a healthy thing for your body to go through, like, you know, through that kind of aggression, like, all the time, that could not be healthy for you, right?" Bündchen said.
The NFL told us health and safety is its foremost priority, a sentiment repeated by the players' union. CBS News also reached out to the New England Patriots and Tom Brady's agent. They told us they had no comment.