The NFL Says Brady Never Showed Signs of Concussions but I Can't Bring Myself to Feel Good About It
NFL.com – The NFL on Wednesday responded to comments made by Gisele Bundchen, the wife of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who said earlier in the day on CBS This Morning that her husband had a concussion last year and that “he has concussions pretty much.” …
“We have reviewed all reports relating to Tom Brady from the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultants and certified athletic trainer spotters who worked at Patriots’ home and away 2016 season games as well as club injury reports that were sent to the league office,” a league spokesman said Wednesday.
“There are no records that indicate that Mr. Brady suffered a head injury or concussion, or exhibited or complained of concussion symptoms. Today we have been in contact with the NFLPA and will work together to gather more information from the club’s medical staff and Mr. Brady.”
OK. So far so good. The first shoe to drop since Gisele Yoko’ed the Patriots to Charlie Rose is the NFL admitting that it’s not up to players and teams, it’s up to the league. Which is why they have these unaffiliated neurotrama consultants (UNCs) and trainers. These guys get paid to look for symptoms specifically because you can’t trust players to admit they’re on Queer Street or depend on coaches whose jobs are on the line to take a player out. Granted, the system is complete bullshit. Window dressing to make it look like the league is “doing all it can” when really they just want players on the field. And unless say, Case Keenum literally has cartoon birds flying around his head Roger Rabbit style …
he’s expected to rub some dirt in it and call the next play. But at least the NFL is talking about their own UNCs and it would appear the Patriots are not in the crosshairs.
Yet. I’ve been called paranoid before, and like I’ve said, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean sons of bitches aren’t actually out to get you. This still has all the feel of a perfect opportunity for the league to make an example of the Pats like they’ve done before, establish all sorts of draconian precedents and make Roger Goodell look like a tough guy in ways that will have him dancing naked in front of his mirror with his junk tucked.
Of course they have no way to prove it. But since when has that stopped them? Every fiber of my being tells me Goodell is going to have his goons dig around until he finds something, anything, in ways that he never did in Peyton Manning’s HGH story, the Jets tampering with Darrelle Revis, Josh Brown’s family needing protection from him or a hundred other real scandals. But for the time being anyway, they seem to be dodging a bullet. At least until Gisele’s next interview.