Mrs. Brady’s truth
A QB’s wife lets slip a concussion confession
Rivals of the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots no doubt hoped for a burgeoning scandal after Gisele Bundchen revealed recently that her husband, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, played through a concussion last season.
It would be potentially scandalous if the team hid a concussion, since Mr. Brady would have missed at least one game while going through the league’s concussion protocol.
But the suspicion is irrelevant. Professional football players have been conditioned so well to play through pain that it is not difficult for them to hide an injury. Mr. Brady has been in the NFL since 2000; he is surely skilled at masking pain.
No, the discussion of Ms. Bundchen’s interview with Charlie Rose should be focused on the larger truth she told — the degree, and damage caused by concussions in the NFL.
To its credit, the NFL has been much more proactive in recent years. In September, the league announced that it was contributing $100 million toward developing more shock absorbent equipment and medical research. The decision was more about self-preservation than generosity. The NFL is facing a possible bill of $1 billion over the next decades after settling a lawsuit with retired players who have been plagued by effects of repeated head injuries.
However, the centerpiece of the league’s effort to cut back on head injuries — the concussion protocol — was placed in doubt following an October statement by Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin, who said that many players have learned how to ace sideline questioning from medical personnel, who are responsible for diagnosing a concussion. It sounds as though Mr. Brady is one of those players.
The NFL is still, far and away, the most popular sports league in the nation. And one of the reasons it is so popular is the action, including the hard hits. But at some point — during a game or after retirement — those hits are going to have consequences. A lot of strong and brave young men aregoing to be disabled old men.
Fans should be concerned with how the NFL can keep Mr. Brady and his fellow players healthy, well into old age.