Drew Brees: I wouldn’t tell my wife if I had a concussion
Saints quarterback Drew Brees offered a brief comment on the concept of self-reporting concussions when asked about Gisele Bundchen’s recent comments about her husband, Tom Brady, and his history with unreported head injuries.
Brees didn’t elaborate much on the issue when asked on the Dan Patrick Show. But he did say that he probably wouldn’t tell his own wife if he were to suffer a head injury of that nature, given that he wouldn’t want her to worry.
Brees agreed with the idea that self-reporting concussions falls in a “gray area.” Players aren’t always self-aware when they have concussions and oftentimes won’t want to leave the game anyway.
“I knew that something was not right. I knew that I was concussed,” Brees said, discussing his only publicly reported concussion, which took place in 2004. “But I didn't take myself out of the game. I mean, I stayed in the game and played as long as I could until finally a coach pulled me aside and was like, 'I'm looking out for you here, and you're not gonna play anymore.' ...
“And that's why it's hard to change that mentality for guys. When you're in the heat of the moment, heat of the battle and it's competitive, you do not want to pull yourself out. That's why the concussion protocols are in place where you've got the independent neurological consultants and the trainers and the referees. Everybody's supposed to be looking.”
Brees, 38, is entering his 17th season in the NFL.
