Since Gisele Bundchen, the wife of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, told CBS This Morning that Brady had a concussion last year and has had other concussions, neither the Patriots nor Brady have said anything. The man who forced the NFL to finally face the realities of concussions has said plenty.
“I believe it is something angelic to speak up,” Dr. Bennet Omalu told TMZ. “She’s an angel. An angel of truth and an angel of love. . . . The truth will always prevail. We should not be afraid of the truth because of the inconvenience of the truth. But when we embrace the truth, just like Gisele has done, the truth is empowering, is enlightening and is vindicating. . . . So, [Gisele] is my hero.”
All of this assumes that her version of the truth is accurate. Despite the language barrier, the term “concussion” has acquired great significance over the last decade, and it’s very hard to imagine Bundchen claiming that Brady has suffered concussions if he hasn’t.
That’s why it’s important for Brady to address the situation, sooner than later. Did his wife misspeak? Did he actually have concussions and hide them from the league and/or from his team?
The problem for Brady is that answering some questions could lead to more questions. How many concussions did he have? When did they happen? What were the symptoms? What treatment if any did he obtain on his own? How hard was it to ensure that no one from the team noticed any of the symptoms?
It’s also possible that, if the official Brady family position is that Gisele misspoke, she will address the situation with a statement or another interview. Given the importance of precision, it’s likely that either or both will speak via a written statement, which possibly includes an explanation that neither will have anything more to say on the matter.