Tom Brady is known for his incredible longevity and youthful presence on the field, even at 45. More than two years after his retirement, rumors of a comeback still swirl as well — a testament to how well he has maintained his athleticism at 47. However, just because he doesn’t look his age doesn’t mean he escaped the physical toll of playing pro football. When Brady hung up his cleats, he carried with him the wear and tear that comes with over two decades in the game.
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Brady took his fair share of beatings — perhaps even more brutal than what QBs endure today, given how much the game has changed. But what mattered to him was how quickly he got up, even if his opponent was Ray Lewis. Not only that, but he made sure to prepare and heal his body well before every season and game — even if it meant taking unconventional approaches.
Now that he’s in the booth instead of on the gridiron, he can feel the physical toll of those grueling 23 years in the league. This became evident during a cook-off with his favorite chef, Nick DiGiovanni, when he opened up about his messed-up right hand.
While picking up hot waffles with his bare hands straight out of the waffle maker, Nick noted that Brady had chef hands.
“Wait, so Tom, I’m impressed again. You have the chef hands. That means you can touch really, really hot stuff, and you don’t flinch. You don’t have any issue with it, and this is impressive.”
The cameraman then proceeded to ask Brady if there was a correlation between chef hands and football hands. And that’s when Brady shared a shocking revelation.
“These hands got pretty beat up over a long period of time,” Brady said. “See that finger? (points to middle finger) Can’t even bend that finger anymore. Even if I tried to straighten it.”
The former Patriots QB then pointed to each finger on his throwing hand, detailing where and how he got hurt. Only the thumb was spared.
“Torn ligament (index finger), torn ligament (middle finger), broken (ring finger), ripped open (palm), broken.”
It was clear that while Brady gave football his entire life, it came at a cost. A cost he has to make peace with for the rest of his days.
Even then, Brady’s love for throwing footballs hasn’t died down. Recently, he was seen slinging a pigskin and grinding on the field like he was still a player. He posted a still from his workout and captioned it, “True love.“
