New report details the extent of Tom Brady's injury and which teammate caused it
The Tom Brady hand injury saga — which is either the critical injury that will cost the New England Patriots a trip to the Super Bowl or a non-story, depending on who you ask — has become the focus of the week leading up to the AFC championship game.
Chatter and speculation about Brady’s hand in the media has left no room for discussion of the actual game between the Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Well, new information has emerged, courtesy of the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, and if it turns out the injury affects Brady’s ability to throw the ball, running back Rex Burkhead might want to consider the witness protection program.
Turns out that Burkhead, while taking a handoff in practice Wednesday, slammed his helmet into Brady’s hand, opening up a big gash with “blood all over the place” and requiring four stitches to close the wound, according to Garafolo.
“Rex Burkhead was the running back,” he said Saturday on “Good Morning Football.” “They were colliding as they were doing some kind of handoff little drill. … It resulted in a cut.”
But Garafolo said he’s been told Brady was “spinning the ball pretty well in practice” and “should be good to go.”
Ian Rapoport confirmed Garafolo’s comment about Brady’s ability to throw the ball, leaving most football observers to conclude that this is exactly the sort of minor injury that happens all the time in a violent game.
Of course, that hasn’t stopped all the gamesmanship and cloak-and-dagger for which the Patriots are infamous.
Coach Bill Belichick, when asked for details in a Thursday press conference, said simply, “We gave out the injury report.” Asked whether Brady would be able to throw the football normally on game day, Belichick said, “I don’t know.”
Brady, who was wearing gloves on both hands, was elusive as well in his part of the news conference:
How is your hand?
“I’m not talking about it.”
Thumbs up or thumbs down for Sunday?
“We’ll see.”
Did you throw any footballs today?
“I’m not talking about that.”
Did you practice today?
“I was out there.”
Were you out there for the entire practice?
“Yeah.”
How was practice?
“It was fun.”
So relax, folks. Brady didn’t injure his hand by stabbing himself with a needle while letting air out of the footballs, nor did he break the hand punching a clubhouse wall or anything like that.
It was a freak accident involving a botched play in practice, and all reports speak to the incident not significantly affecting Brady’s play.
Just one question remains: How on earth do you slam your helmet into someone’s hand while taking a handoff? Was Burkhead trying to grab the ball with his mouth like a dog?
Meanwhile, there’s a football game to be played, and the Jaguars might just get a “what about us” chip on their shoulder come Sunday.
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