Brady: My medical (concussion) history isn't anyone's business

[PatsFanSince74]

I'm always amazed at how many posters seem to know Tom Brady and what is best for him.

I've posted what I think in other threads. Let me boil it down to a simple scenario.

I have a few years on Tom Brady (OK, more than a few ...I attended my first Pats game before he was born, so you do the math). I have very good genes, with my mother living to 94 and my great grandmother to 103.

So, 25 years from now, I hope to be sitting in my living room with my children and grandchildren and listening on TV (or whatever it will be by then) to a mentally sharp, fully alert, highly intelligent and witty Tom Brady talking about his 65th birthday party, whether he retired from the NFL at the age of 40, 45 or 50.

 

[Jackson 2]

On one hand....this forum ridicules the NFL and Goodell for their mishandling/lack of awareness/lack of proactivity/purposeful neglect of all things concussion related

On the other hand, this forum cheers Brady's position of 'mind your own business" when the concussion focal point is one of their own. Brady's response is eerily similar to Manning's HGH response.......a response that was completely rejected by his detractors.

Just saying.....

Yoko really put her man in an awkward position

Yeah, you're right. Imagine the nerve of that f###### *****. She should turn her attention to other matters other than the health and well-being of her husband and the father of their children. We don't give a f### what happens to him, we want, need and goddammit deserve more Super Bowl wins. You should be proud.

 

[sb1]

You keep saying this and it remains completely untrue.

Show us, in the NFL's policy for concussion protocols, where it says that a PLAYER is required to report a possible concussion to the team, and that if the player doesn't do that, then he is in violation of a rule and he will be punished by the NFL

You cannot, because such a rule does not exist.

Players are under no obligation to report a concussion. It truly is none of anyone's business to ask the player to self-report, to anyone, at least according to the NFL rules. Teams and team doctors may well have policies of their own, but that has nothing to do with the rules of the NFL that you keep talking about.

Independent observers, team trainers, and maybe to some extent the refs are responsible for noticing the symptoms and initiating the protocol, by the NFL's specific, written, and unambiguous guidelines.

The player is neither required nor expected to initiate concussion protocol.

Exactly- the fact Brady could be hiding concussions and the team's obligation to put him in the protocol when its suspected are two completely different things.

With that said I hope he isn't hiding concussions. It really isn't in the interest of his health nor the team if he is doing that. He ought to know better.

 

[sb1]

He didn't say it was none of their business, he said it was none of *anyone's* business (besides family). The problem with his statement is that it's simply not true according to concussion protocol and the injury reporting rules of the NFL.

Given the league office's obsessive vendetta against all things Patriot, that wasn't the wisest way to handle it. He should simply have said "we are looking forward to 2017, not looking back to 2016." That would have been the perfect non-denial way to avoid the question.

He was talking to the media. I don't think he literally meant it is none of anyone's business just the people asking.

And the league won't do squat against the Patriots. Especially not on this issue.

 

[rochrist]

I played division 1 in high school. There were some very large psychos roaming those fields (played against Fred Smerlas) and I got my bell rung a few times.

Did I have any concussion? Maybe, maybe not. But I'd rather not discuss my past.

Seriously though, I may have had a concussion or 2 but nobody did anything about that stuff. We just showed up for practice on Monday

Well, that's great and all, but really...I mean, at one point they thought that blood letting would remove your evil humours.

 

[XLIX]

You keep saying this and it remains completely untrue.

Show us, in the NFL's policy for concussion protocols, where it says that a PLAYER is required to report a possible concussion to the team, and that if the player doesn't do that, then he is in violation of a rule and he will be punished by the NFL

You cannot, because such a rule does not exist.

Players are under no obligation to report a concussion. It truly is none of anyone's business to ask the player to self-report, to anyone, at least according to the NFL rules. Teams and team doctors may well have policies of their own, but that has nothing to do with the rules of the NFL that you keep talking about.

Independent observers, team trainers, and maybe to some extent the refs are responsible for noticing the symptoms and initiating the protocol, by the NFL's specific, written, and unambiguous guidelines.

The player is neither required nor expected to initiate concussion protocol.

You're trying to skirt on a technicality and if that helps you sleep at night, good for you. The reason why it is not the responsibility of the players is because concussed players tend to not be in the right frame of mind to know what is in their own good.

I stated that I believe a player being injured - especially concussed - is something that his own team has the right to know. It is not something that is "none of the team's business." That doesn't mean I don't think players hide such injuries/concussions when they are able to. I am just saying that I don't support the notion that a player can get hit in the head and when his own team and his own coach tries to investigate, he can respond "none of your damn business!!"

Furthermore, I do not believe for a second that Brady got concussed and did not speak to his own team and trainers about it. He may have kept it hidden during the game, but I don't believe he didn't get treatment or that none of the coaches/trainers knew about it.

 

[XLIX]

And 'becoming a media story' is not a consequence. It is meaningless.

Yeah. Sure. It's a meaningless media story. So was deflategate the morning after the AFCCG. It's only a "meaningless media story" so long as the NFL decides not to investigate.

Considering the league suspended an innocent man 4 games and took a 1st rounder away from the team for something which didn't happen, what do you think they would do over a transgression to the team for something which probably did?

 

[XLIX]

So this is about parsing words? Their is no requirement that he report anything.

I never said he was required to report, did I? (Although I would gladly wager the Patriots have a team policy that would require such a thing, but that's another matter and something I freely admit I could never prove)

What I said was that getting a concussion is not "nobody's business." Huge difference in those 2 statements, so please respond to the statement I made, not the one you're pretending I made.

Here's a simple question: If a player feels he has gotten a concussion, do you believe the team has the right to know? Does Belichick have the right to know what players have been concussed? Please note I am not asking you what the rules say, I'm just asking your opinion on if you feel a team has the right to know about a player' health, or if it's none of their business.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

I never said he was required to report, did I?

Yes, you said quite clearly that, in your opinion, his position is contrary to the NFL's rules.

you said, verbatim:

"...he said it was none of *anyone's* business (besides family). The problem with his statement is that it's simply not true according to concussion protocol and the injury reporting rules of the NFL."

I asked you to show me, in the written rules of the NFL and concussion protocol, what makes his statement untrue. Show me where it says that he has to share his thoughts on his injury status or else he would be in violation of concussion protocol and the injury reporting rules of the NFL.

You can't.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

What I said was that getting a concussion is not "nobody's business."

What you said was that getting a concussion is not "nobody's business because it is contrary to concussion protocol and the injury reporting rules of the NFL.

It is not contrary to any NFL rule, whatsoever.

It may be a good idea, it may be complying with what you wish the rules were, and it even may be the right and sensible thing to do.

But it is not required by the NFL

 

[Ivan]

If he had a concussion then he shouldn't be expected to know it, after all it's a concussion, so putting the onus on Brady to report something he didn't know he had is really unfair.

 

[Jackson 2]

Doesn't Brady have his own doctor that he sees?

3. Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine and Dr. Howard.

 

[XLIX]

Yes, you said quite clearly that, in your opinion, his position is contrary to the NFL's rules.

you said, verbatim:

"...he said it was none of *anyone's* business (besides family). The problem with his statement is that it's simply not true according to concussion protocol and the injury reporting rules of the NFL."

I asked you to show me, in the written rules of the NFL and concussion protocol, what makes his statement untrue. Show me where it says that he has to share his thoughts on his injury status or else he would be in violation of concussion protocol and the injury reporting rules of the NFL.

You can't.

The Patriots have the responsibility to report such injuries to the league. It is the league's business, especially where concussions are concerned. You're desperately trying to argue whether or not any rules were broken, but that's an entirely separate matter.

(It is actually kind of pathetic how comfortable you are with the notion that Brady was concussed and kept it all to himself, but that's another matter entirely)

Meanwhile, I'll ask you the same question I asked another poster... Please note I am not asking you what the rules say and I am not arguing technicalities. I am simply asking your opinion:

If a player feels he has gotten a concussion, do you believe the team has the right to know? Does Belichick have the right to know what players have been concussed, which ones may not be playing at 100%, etc.... or do players have the right to tell Belichick "my health status is none of your business!!"..?

 

[PatriotsReign]

Well, that's great and all, but really...I mean, at one point they thought that blood letting would remove your evil humours.

My post wasn't a statement on concussions in the NFL, CTE or anything else. Hopefully you caught that.

It was just my experience and I thought others would relate to it.

 

[PatriotsReign]

Yes, you said quite clearly that, in your opinion, his position is contrary to the NFL's rules.

you said, verbatim:

"...he said it was none of *anyone's* business (besides family). The problem with his statement is that it's simply not true according to concussion protocol and the injury reporting rules of the NFL."

I asked you to show me, in the written rules of the NFL and concussion protocol, what makes his statement untrue. Show me where it says that he has to share his thoughts on his injury status or else he would be in violation of concussion protocol and the injury reporting rules of the NFL.

You can't.

I broke my hand playing high school football (centuries ago )

I missed 1 game and got the cast off and started practicing even though my doctor told me not to for another week. I told my coach I had the green light.

If it weren't for the fact my coach ran into my dad, I would have played that Saturday. That's how much it meant to me to play.

Brady is far more fanatical than I was. If he get his bell rung, I guarantee you he'll mask it and say nothing when he gets to the sideline.

Medical staff doesn't automatically check guys unless the show signs of a concussion or they self report.

If Brady does all he can to hide signs of concussion, I'm ok with that and so should everyone else. It's his body and his life.

 

[PatriotsReign]

You were lucky. He's a very large man.

I had guys on my own team as large as Fred. They just weren't as mean as Smerlas.

We had a tackle named Booley who was 6'3" and 260lbs and back then, that was huge. He was an all-scholastic his junior & senior years and there was an article in the Globe about him facing off with Smerlas head-to-head.

I was 5'8"/180lbs and I played inside linebacker and offensive guard

Like I said, guys weren't as big back then

 

[Jackson 2]

I'm pretty sure MLB and the NBA don't have mandatory injury reports. Anyone know about the NHL? My understanding is that the NFL injury report exists to accommodate gamblers. Why would a league which consistently distances itself from gambling even have an injury report requirement? I have no idea...

 

[Tony2046]

The Patriots have the responsibility to report such injuries to the league. It is the league's business, especially where concussions are concerned. You're desperately trying to argue whether or not any rules were broken, but that's an entirely separate matter.

(It is actually kind of pathetic how comfortable you are with the notion that Brady was concussed and kept it all to himself, but that's another matter entirely)

Meanwhile, I'll ask you the same question I asked another poster... Please note I am not asking you what the rules say and I am not arguing technicalities. I am simply asking your opinion:

If a player feels he has gotten a concussion, do you believe the team has the right to know? Does Belichick have the right to know what players have been concussed, which ones may not be playing at 100%, etc.... or do players have the right to tell Belichick "my health status is none of your business!!"..?

Wow, I've never seen you this far off target.

You expect Brady or any player to self evaluate themselves during a game and determine the difference between getting dinged and suffering a mild concussion? That isn't going to happen. Hence why the concussion protocol exists in the first place.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

It is actually kind of pathetic how comfortable you are with the notion that Brady was concussed and kept it all to himself, but that's another matter entirely.

Show me where I said that. I did not, and you are a liar.

Personally, I think hiding a concussion is the wrong thing to do, but I was pointing out that concealing such info is within NFL rules. You were arguing that his position (in your own words) went against "concussion protocol and the injury reporting rules of the NFL."

That is not a technicality. Now you are trying to weasel out of your stupid position that rules were broken. It is pointless for me to continue debating with a person who puts words in my mouth and cannot comprehend basic facts.

If a player feels he has gotten a concussion, do you believe the team has the right to know?

No. No such right currently exists, by any statute that I know about. Rights do not exist just because of a touchy-feely notion that having a certain right is a great idea.

It sounds wise that such a right ought to exist. Maybe it's a good idea, but no such right now exists, and will not until the players agree to forfeit their privacy rights.

Does Belichick have the right to know what players have been concussed, which ones may not be playing at 100%, etc.... or do players have the right to tell Belichick "my health status is none of your business!!"..?

Belichick has all of the rights that the laws of our country, his league, and his team, and the collective bargaining agreement affords him. No more, no less. It does not, to my knowledge, include the right to demand such information.

Maybe the league would be safer if such a right did exist. Your fantasy world may be a good idea. It just is not reality, however.

 

[XLIX]

Wow, I've never seen you this far off target.

You expect Brady or any player to self evaluate themselves during a game and determine the difference between getting dinged and suffering a mild concussion? That isn't going to happen. Hence why the concussion protocol exists in the first place.

No, I don't expect that. A competitor like Brady, even if he knew he got his bell rung, would not volunteer to come out of the game.

However, I do expect that when the game is over and it is midweek, players should be honest about their status, including injuries sustained the prior game. Furthermore, I do not believe for a second that Brady had a concussion AND he kept it entirely to himself.