TAMPA - — Bucs quarterback Tom Brady's getting ready for his tenth Super Bowl appearance. That, along with his six Super Bowl wins are the most all-time. At 43, Brady's considered an ironman by NFL standards, but one of his toughest battles this season came off the field- and it didn't even involve him.
Brady's parents Tom, Sr. and Galynn both had battles with COVID-19. Tom, Sr. had to be hospitalized. The future Hall of Famer said this year shined a new light on what's important off the field.
"My situation, it could be my parents, but also I have kids," Brady said during his Thursday news conference. "I still obviously love going out there and competing, but on the other side of that there’s a lot of family things that are very important to me. Certainly the health of my parents is very important."
Brady's parents, both 76, have fully recovered, and they plan to attend the Super Bowl.
The NFL season didn't exactly hit the ground running with regard to a preseason program, and that's carried over into the regular season. COVID-19 protocols and physical distancing still have Brady wondering when he'll get to actually speak with all of his teammates in person.
"There’s a lot of people in here that I just have never really gotten a chance to get to know," he said. "We’re not able to be together in certain rooms. We’re not able to eat together. We’re not able to travel well. We don’t get the normal camaraderie. Under the circumstances, we’re all doing the best we can do."
