Tom Brady did all he could to hide the details of his hand injury throughout the week leading up to the AFC Championship Game, but the star quarterback finally came clean after the Patriots pulled off another amazing comeback.
Sort of.
Following New England’s 24-20 win over the Jaguars, Brady was asked about his injured right hand. He did his best to downplay it.
Tom Brady on his hand injury: 'I've had a lot worse'
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) January 21, 2018
Later, when speaking with CBS broacaster Jim Nantz, Brady joked about the secretive way the Patriots handle injuries.
"I said, 'We'll see.' So how'd it go?" – Tom Brady pic.twitter.com/yOim4gckeM
— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) January 21, 2018
Earlier in the week, Brady was asked by a reporter if he’s going to be able to play on Sunday. He seemed irritated and would not commit one way or another.
After the Pats won, Brady eventually admitted that he suffered a cut on his hand.
“Coach Belichick doesn’t like us talking about injuries, but just for you guys here, it was just a pretty good cut,” he said. “I dealt with it the best I could. I’m lucky to have the best teammates in the world. Without them, we’re not standing up here heading to Minneapolis to play in the Super Bowl.”
Reports about the extent of Brady’s injury have been all over the place. We initially heard that he needed four stitches to close a nasty cut that bled quite a bit, but reports prior to kickoff made the 40-year-old’s hand sound like it was in a lot worse shape.
In any event, Brady completed 26 of 38 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns against a top-notch secondary. His hand looked just fine, and it should be even better in two weeks when the Patriots play in their eighth Super Bowl in the past 16 years.
