NFL Investigating Gisele Bundchen’s Claim That Tom Brady Suffered Concussion In 2016 Season

The NFL is reviewing Tom Brady’s medical records as part of an investigation after his wife Gisele Bundchen alleged the New England Patriots quarterback suffered a concussion during the 2016 season.

Gisele Bundchen Claims Tom Brady Had Concussion In 2016 Season

“I just have to say, as a wife, as you know [the NFL] is not the most, let’s say, unaggressive sport. Football, he had a concussion last year,” the Brazilian supermodel said in an interview on Wednesday’s CBS This Morning. “He has concussions pretty much every… I mean we don’t talk about it. But he has concussions and I don’t really think it’s a healthy thing for your body to go through. You know, that kind of aggression all the time, that cannot be healthy for you. I’m planning on having him be healthy and do a lot of fun things when we’re like 100 I hope.”

In a statement released Wednesday, the NFL announced it is working with the Players Association — the league’s union — to collect more information from the unaffiliated medical consultants and certified athletic trainer spotters who worked during the Patriots’ home and away games last season. The NFL, which said the investigation had thus far yielded no evidence to support Bundchen’s concussion claims, is also assessing club injury reports given to the league office.

“There are no records that indicate that Mr. Brady suffered a head injury or concussion, or exhibited or complained of concussion symptoms,” the league’s statement read.

“The health and safety of our players is our foremost priority and we want to ensure that all our players have and continue to receive the best care possible,” the NFL added.

The NFL and NFLPA hold a process under their collective-bargaining agreement to look into potential deviations from concussion protocol.

One NFLPA spokesman mentioned a statement that executive director DeMaurice Smith made earlier Wednesday. Smith told CSN Mid-Atlantic the Players Association would “proceed with our process as we normally would for any player” and cited steps the union has taken in recent years to improve player health and safety, particularly regarding the prevention of concussions.

The NFL unveiled new protocols last July designed to examine and remove players with concussion symptoms. Teams that don’t comply could be dealt hefty fines and/or lose draft picks.

In May 2016, Brady said NFL players should seek help for head injuries immediately.

“You’d hate to stop doing something you love to do because of an injury,” the quarterback told ABC News last May. I’ve been very fortunate over the course of my career.”

According to Stats LLC, Brady has missed only 19 games since becoming New England’s starting quarterback in 2001, 15 of them in one season after he injured his knee. The other four games Brady missed came at the beginning of the 2016 season, when he was suspended due to his alleged involvement in the “Deflate-gate” scandal.

Brady has denied any wrongdoing in that scandal, which centered on the Patriots’s use of deflated footballs during the AFC Championship Game victory over the Indianapolis Colts in 2015.

The quarterback, who will be 40 in August, helped lead New England to a Super Bowl LI victory over the Atlanta Falcons in February by mounting largest comeback in the NFL championship game’s history.

The Patriots and Brady’s agent Don Yee had no comment on the NFL’s efforts to improve player health and safety.

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 05: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots celebrates with wife Gisele Bundchen and daughter Vivian Brady after defeating the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. The Patriots defeated the Falcons 34-28. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Article by Pablo Mena