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A joint review by the NFL and NFL Players Association determined New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady did not suffer a concussion in 2016. The league and players' union reviewed Brady's medical records with his permission as well as the records of the Patriots' medical staff and independent concussion spotters. The review announced Wednesday also confirmed Brady did not report any signs or symptoms related to a concussion last season.
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Brady's wife, Gisele Bundchen, said in May on "CBS This Morning" that her husband suffered a concussion last season and in other years.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy issued a statement to media outlets.
"The NFL and NFLPA have conducted comprehensive evaluations of the Concussion Protocol as it applied to Tom Brady during the 2016-17 season," the statement read. "This review included an examination of all game film from every Patriots' game last season, every report from the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultants and Booth ATC Spotters assigned to those games and Mr. Brady's medical records, which were produced pursuant to a release signed by Mr. Brady.
"This review identified no evidence of any deviation from the Protocol by the Patriots' medical staff or the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultants assigned to Patriots' games or any indication that Mr. Brady sustained a concussion or reported signs or symptoms consistent with having sustained a concussion. We appreciate the cooperation of the Patriots' medical staff in conducting this review.
"As a reminder, under the NFL Concussion Protocol, the NFL and NFLPA encourage all players to report any signs or symptoms of concussion promptly and openly to their team medical staffs."
Brady neither confirmed nor denied whether he sustained a concussion during the 2016 season while answering questions from reporters in early August for the first time since the day after Super Bowl LI.
"I don't want to get into things that happened in my past, certainly medical history and so forth. I really don't think that's anybody's business," the 40-year-old Brady said Aug. 4. "What happened last year -- I'm focused on this year and improving and working on things I need to get better at. So that's how I approach everything.
"I'm not sitting here worried about last year or five years ago. There are other people that do worry about that -- my wife, or my parents, or my sisters, people that love me and care about me. But I do the best I can do to be prepared to play -- mentally and physically -- and I give the game everything I can."
Bundchen, during the CBS interview, was asked by Charlie Rose of her thoughts on Brady's plans to play into his mid-40s and whether she wants him to retire from football.
"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," she said. "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."
On Thursday night, the Patriots begin their quest for a sixth Super Bowl title in the coach Bill Belichick-Brady era when they host the Kansas City Chiefs to open the season.
