Tom Brady reveals shocking injury that almost ended his NFL career before it truly began | NFL News
Tom Brady’s iconic NFL career — filled with Super Bowl rings, record-smashing performances, and legendary comebacks — almost ended before it truly began. In a shocking revelation, Brady admitted he seriously considered retiring in 2005 at just 27 years old due to persistent elbow pain that nearly derailed his throwing mechanics and passion for the game.
Tom Brady reveals early career elbow pain nearly forced him into retirement
“I almost retired from the game of football because of elbow pain,” Tom Brady confessed during a TB12 event in 2022. It’s hard to imagine the NFL without Brady’s miraculous 28–3 Super Bowl comeback, or his historic 2020 championship run with the Buccaneers. But without a critical turning point in his health routine, none of it may have happened.Long before becoming the face of longevity in football, Brady was privately battling intense discomfort. “For my first eleven years playing organized sports, I had a very bad elbow,” he shared. From Little League to the Patriots, the repetitive stress never let up. And as Brady put it bluntly: “I really wondered how long I could play if I was never going to be able to throw the football without pain.”What changed his trajectory? Enter Alex Guerrero, Brady’s longtime body coach and TB12 co-founder. Guerrero told Fox News that when he first started working with Brady, the quarterback “couldn’t even throw a ball without wincing.” But within just two days of pliability therapy — the cornerstone of the TB12 Method — Brady noticed immediate relief.“We incorporate muscle pliability work and functional strength and conditioning exercises… The result of pliability is that you recover faster, play better, and spend less time on the sidelines,” Guerrero explained. That system didn’t just restore Brady — it helped revolutionize how athletes approach injury prevention and performance.From a torn MCL in 2020 to broken fingers and ligament damage in both hands, Brady played through more than fans ever knew. “Can’t even bend that finger anymore,” he once said, showing off the damage on his right hand. But instead of giving in, Brady leaned harder into the TB12 philosophy — a method that kept him in peak condition deep into his 40s.Also Read: Tom Brady’s $375 million Fox Sports deal hits major holiday roadblock as Netflix bans shake up NFL broadcastingEven in retirement, Brady’s intensity hasn’t faded. With daily workouts and public training updates, he’s still living like a champion. If not for one pivotal health breakthrough, though, Brady’s NFL story might’ve ended at 27 — before it even had the chance to become legendary.
