Tom Brady’s dad reveals ‘life and death’ battle with Covid-19
Tom Brady’s father spent almost three weeks in the hospital with Covid-19, he revealed Monday, calling it a “matter of life and death.”
Tom Brady Sr., the father of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, opened up about his experience battling the virus in an interview with ESPN Radio’s “Greeny” show.
“When the (NFL) season started this year, I was in the hospital with Covid for almost three weeks, and my wife was sick with Covid at the same time,” Brady told host Mike Greenberg. “We didn’t even see the first two games of the year.”
The father of the NFL star said he and his wife, Galynn, were both “sick as a dog,” although Galynn did not require hospitalization. Brady’s parents are both 76 years old, and his mom is a breast cancer survivor.
“For the first two games when I was in the hospital, I didn’t even care if they were playing much less missing game,” Brady said. “It was a matter of life and death. Just like anybody goes into the hospital, it’s serious stuff. And Tommy fought through it, and so now it’s just in the rearview mirror.”
Brady’s interview comes toward the end of a very different football season. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the NFL had to implement a handful of Covid-19 protocols, including a ban on gatherings outside of team facilities and a mandate that team personnel wear personal protective equipment at all times while in a team facility or traveling.
Teams were given a stern reminder that they must follow the health and safety protocols already in place or risk the financial consequences and competitive imbalance that would come from missing games.
Now that he and his wife have recovered, Brady said they do plan to attend the upcoming Super Bowl to watch their son and the Buccaneers go head-to-head with the Kansas City Chiefs.
“We’re healthy, we’re happy,” he said, “and everything is good.”
The game is set for February 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, meaning the Buccaneers will be the first team to play in a Super Bowl in their home stadium.
