I would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers as I start down the long road towards surgery and recovery. The outpouring of support from Patriots fans in New England and all over the world has been tremendous, and has seriously touched my heart in a lot of ways. I will forever be grateful for all your kind words. And I’m sure that if I could get in touch with the mother of my child, actress Bridget Moynahan, and my son, or my girlfriend supermodel Gisele Bundchen, I’m sure they would appreciate your thoughts and prayers about me as well. Even the hate mail I receive and all the criticism I get from the sports media experts is all welcome, because as it’s been said, people only hate you because they are jealous, especially when you’re a former 6th round pick with multiple championships, a whole lot of lucrative sponsorships, and attractive sex partners that have both been ranked on Maxim’s Hot 100.
Suffering an injury is one of the toughest things about being a professional athlete, tougher than even winning a championship. As this is my first serious injury, I am not sure what to expect. Before I go into surgery, I will talk with some of my teammates, like Tedy Bruschi (who suffered a stroke), as well as other NFL players who have suffered through serious injuries like mine, such as spinal injury victim Kevin Everett of the Buffalo Bills. We are all warriors in our own way, and I am sure whatever they can tell me about their difficulties will help me deal with mine.
As I’m sure Kevin or Tedy would say, recovering from a surgery requires a gameplan, just like an NFL game, and even when you have a gameplan in place, sometimes audibles are required, which is what all the preparation is for. I want to make sure I’m ready for whatever might be headed my way. So don’t worry, folks — this three-time Super Bowl winner isn’t going under the knife without being ready first!
As for everyone that thinks the Patriots are done for the season — watch out! Bill Belichick is arguably the best coach I’ve ever played under, and he’s got an offensive and defensive system in place that is sure to win lots of games. And as my backup Matt Cassel showed against a quality up-and-coming NFL secondary like the one they have in Kansas City under coach Herm Edwards, he’s more than ready to take over. After all, I don’t want to toot my own horn, but he was my backup as I threw an NFL record 50 TD passes, so he was bound to learn a few things about football from someone like me! And even if Coach Belichick decides to go to the free agent market for a new QB — even if it’s Phil Simms’ kid — I’m sure everything will be fine, and I will make myself available for whatever questions they have. As long as they don’t ask me for Gisele’s cell number, that is — ha ha ha ha ha!
Of course, everyone on the team will have to step up to help, from your Pro Bowl defensive lineman to your practice squad place holders. NFL football, more than any other sport, is all about teamwork. And as we proved after the tragedy of 9-11, when we came onto the field all at the same time before the start of Super Bowl XXXVI), the New England Patriots are all about the team concept, which is what America is all about. And as soon as I’m able, I’ll be there on the sidelines, doing whatever I can to help the Patriots do what they do best — win a championship the American way.
In conclusion, I would like to assure everyone out there in the sports world and beyond that I am doing OK, and that the Patriots are doing OK, and my supermodel girlfriend is doing OK, and my child’s mom is probably doing OK, and I’m sure my kid is OK, and together we will all be pretty OK overall. So as Madonna once sang, don’t cry for me, New England football fans — the truth is I’ll never leave you like Brett Favre left Green Bay for a worse team like the Jets. So let’s go Patriots!
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was picked in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos as a catcher.