Tom Brady lets nothing stop him from being ready for his debut as the new quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It is not the COVID-19 pandemic, nor the NFLPA warnings and, of course, neither science nor common sense health advice.
He continues to work with his new teammates, and nothing seems to stop him.
Brady works again, doesn’t ‘fear’ COVID-19
After a bit of practice Tuesday, Brady again trained with his teammates on Thursday, publicly ignoring the NFLPA medical director’s guidance that players should not meet to train until the start of training camp. He’s not deaf to the criticism he got for it, but he made it clear that he just doesn’t care in an Instagram story he posted on Thursday.
Another quote on Instagram by Tom Brady, again practicing with Bucs teammates in Tampa today after the NFLPA medical director advised players not to practice in groups: pic.twitter.com/2wqVT7hN8c
– Greg Auman (@gregauman) June 25, 2020
Brady quotes President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who said that phrase during his 1933 inaugural address in reference to the Great Depression and the seemingly insurmountable problems it had caused.
In stark contrast, Brady is using that phrase to ignore fears about COVID-19 and implies that being afraid of the coronavirus is the real problem. According to Brady, who is used to doing and getting what he wants, we need not fear a highly contagious virus that has infected more than 2 million people in the US alone, killing more than 120,000. He wants to exercise, and the prospect of catching COVID-19 and passing it on to his teammates, his wife, or his children is just “scared” that he could easily get away with a quote from a dead president.
Tom Brady says he is not afraid of coronavirus, although he definitely should be. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images for The Match)
Brady’s record in science is doubtful
This is not the first time that Brady has apparently rejected science. He even did it earlier this week. On Tuesday, after publicly ignoring the NFLPA’s advice not to meet to train, Brady posted an Instagram story to promote one of his TB12 immune supplements. The caption read “Every day! Your health is your wealth.”
Brady released these supplements in May and wrote that “this product was designed to provide exactly what you need to stay healthy, strong and resilient for whatever comes your way.” It is illegal to market a supplement as a cure for a disease, so the description stays on the right side of the line, but the Food and Drug Administration does not require the producers of these supplements to prove any of their claims. Each bottle contains this warning:
“These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. “
The guy who touts $ 45 immunity supplements with unproven “scientific” claims during a panic-inducing pandemic is definitely who you want to listen to when it comes to disease protection, right?
NFL can’t stop Brady’s workouts
The fact that Brady has scoffed at NFLPA guidance (as well as common sense health advice and real science) has not gone unnoticed by the NFL. On Thursday, NFL Medical Director Dr. Allen Sills was asked about Brady’s workouts, and did his best not to directly answer the question.
NFL medical director Dr. Allen Sills asked about Tom Brady and his stance on training only says that the NFL and NFLPA will continue to educate players on how to try to mitigate the risks of the spread of COVID.
– Mike Jones (@ByMikeJones) June 25, 2020
Legally, the NFL cannot prohibit this type of training. But Sills says players must understand “risk reduction and risk mitigation.” Players will share the same risk but also the same responsibility among themselves. “
– Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) June 25, 2020
Brady’s two workouts came after some Bucs players tested positive, amid an alarming COVID-19 spike in Florida. Sills said the players have a mutual responsibility, but it is clear that Brady is concerned only with himself.
