FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In the almost nine months since Tom Brady was last seen on a football field, he has added a wife, a few pounds and a knee brace that won’t let him forget the injury that cost him nearly all of last season.
“The reality is, in this sport, you really never know. Any day could be your last day in football,” the Patriots quarterback told a crush of reporters after practice on Thursday. “I don’t think about the end too often. Hopefully this is still, relatively, in the early part of my career.”
In his first news conference since torn knee ligaments finished his 2008 season in the opening game, Brady said he has moved on from the injury. But his comments showed that he’s used some of his time off to think about the role football plays in his life.
Having married supermodel Gisele Bundchen and spent some extra time with his 21-month-old son, Jack, Brady said he has grown more appreciative of the things that are important to him.
One of them is football.
“I think when you sit on the sidelines for an entire year, you realize how much you love it,” Brady said.
Brady added that the Patriots will find a way to replace offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who left to coach the Broncos.
“That’s part of the NFL: Things change every year,” he said.
Brady, who has a son with actress Bridget Moynahan, also denied Bundchen is pregnant.
“One is enough,” Brady said. “I have dogs, and that’s all I need.”
Footnotes.
The Chargers rejected a developer’s proposal to build a $1 billion stadium as part of a redevelopment of the land surrounding Qualcomm Stadium.
• Former Lions defensive back and receiver Terry Barr, a rookie on Detroit’s last championship team in 1957, died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 73. The Associated Press
