Tom Brady Follow-Up

Wow what a week to write about Tom Brady.

In the two days since I posted about him we’ve had pictures come out of him and Gisele in New Mexico (on the front page of the Herald, no less), news from the Globe that he’ll be ready for the start of the season and a column from Dan Shaughnessy basically going through all the stuff in our post. Just remember: you heard it at WKFTB first.

The first order of business: Brady is going to be ready for the start of the season, at least according to a medical source “familiar” with his procedure. I have no clue what that means, but the good news is encouraging.

And just to clear things up, Brady did have an infection:

“The surgery went well and my doctor described my knee as ‘rock solid.’ Unfortunately, in the week following the surgery, I developed an infection. The infection is very treatable and, through a course of antibiotics, it will be knocked out of my system.”

--From a press release from Tom that you can still find on his official website, http://www.tombrady.com/.

The news a few month ago from NBC that said his 2009 season was in jeopardy was based on him having more procedures to clear that infection up. Apparently he doesn’t need to.

As for the Shaughnessy column, here are a few tidbits:

“We were OK when Tom posed wearing the Stetson, holding the baby lamb. We didn't call him elitist when he endorsed Movado high-end watches and private jets (working-class fans certainly can't relate to that). We applauded when he met the pope and went to the State of the Union Address. We agreed it was none of our business when he broke up with Bridget Moynahan and it turned out she was having their baby.

“Tom and Gisele buying half of California? Why not? Interested in a painting by Eugenio Lucas y Padilla, a follower of Goya? All good. We would never suggest that Tom was forgetting his roots and becoming a man of only the finest tastes.

“We didn't raise questions when he lost the Gillette Stadium parking space awarded to the guy who arrives earliest, leaves latest, and practices hardest. We didn't hammer him for not sticking around on crutches to help from the sideline. We bought the company line that Tom did not want to create a distraction. We gave him a pass when he failed to grant a single interview about his condition. We didn't rip him when he finally did an interview - a radio spot in Toronto - and it turned out he was just promoting a new sports cream.”

And this:

“Yesterday was the last straw. You know what I'm talking about. You opened your newspaper (or perhaps viewed online) and saw the photograph of Gisele Bundchen feeding Brady at poolside in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. That did it. The tipping point. The coup de grace. The shark jumped. She was feeding him. Our quarterback, one of the five most decorated athletes to play in Boston, is looking like a wimp in front of the whole world.”

Is Tom Brady too big of a celebrity?

Is Tom Brady too big of a celebrity?

It’s an interesting question for sure. The Patriots’ QB has seldom been heard from since suffering a season-ending knee injury against the Chiefs in the first game of the regular season.

In fact, outside of a brief charity appearance in Foxboro around Thanksgiving, we haven’t heard a single thing from Tom Terrific all year until his brief interview with a Toronto radio station last week.

So what gives? Why can’t Brady just do an interview or two, address his millions of fans and legions of New England followers and give us an update on how he’s doing? I understand the Patriots’ clandestine approach to injuries, but c’mon, as the face of the franchise you have some type of obligation to the masses. Right?

Is that too much to ask? I don’t think so. So much attention is paid to Tom and Gisele and the ongoing are they engaged, are they not engaged saga. TMZ and Access Hollywood follow him in the streets of New York and in grocery store parking lots in California. We know every time he visits his son, or goes to Costa Rica, but we can’t find out about his infection in his surgically repaired knee.

I can rationalize his lack of appearances during the season. It would be hard for him to be seen in the locker room, most likely drawing all the questions away for his teammates who actually are playing. And appearing on the sidelines during games would probably be a distraction too. The last thing the Krafts and the Patriots’ brass want is the camera glued on one player for the entire game. But after the season is different. At least it should be.

It’s just a little tiresome, to be honest. The line between quarterback and celebrity is blurred to begin with, but this takes it to an entire new level. Tony Romo is accountable, even when he’s whisking Jessica and Witten to Cabo. Brett Favre, say what you want but at least you can pin him down. As for Brady…good luck. Osama bin Laden is easier to find. Is he in New England? New York? California? Who knows…

Will he play this season? Is his knee OK? Again, it’s like tossing darts blindfolded – you just have no idea. So is Brady too big of a celeb?

The signs were there last season, when he was seen shaking hands with Pat O’Brien (former host of The Insider and Access Hollywood) before the Super Bowl against the Giants, and again at the beginning of this season when he was mysteriously prevented from playing a down of preseason football.

Still, this is our Tom Brady. The 6th-round draft pick, humble no-name working-class wonderboy, unheralded out of Michigan. Where is he???

Find that man.

---Nick