Tom Brady Injury: Updates on Patriots QB's Thumb and Return

Scott PolacekAug 18, 2016

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was set to start against the Chicago Bears on Aug. 18, but he missed the preseason game after he "sliced his right thumb with a pair of scissors," per Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com. However, he is ready to return to the field.

Continue for updates.

Brady Returns vs. Panthers

Friday, Aug. 26

The Patriots confirmed Brady's entry into the matchup vs. Carolina after taking over for Jimmy Garoppolo, who started the game.

Brady Comments on Injury

Tuesday, Aug. 23

“It’s good to be back with the team,” Brady said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “I feel good. I was ready to go, had everything on and was just trying to get something out of my shoe, and the scissors slipped, and it was just a silly accident.”

Brady added that he believes he could have played with the cut, but head coach Bill Belichick held him out to avoid "aggravating" the injury.

Phil Perry of CSNNE.com shared an image of the cut on Brady's thumb during the press conference:

Latest on Brady's Practice Status

Tuesday, Aug. 23

ESPN.com's Mike Reiss reported Brady returned to practice Tuesday morning.

Belichick Comments on Brady Injury

Thursday, Aug. 18

"Yeah, I made the decision for him not to play," Belichick said, per Josh Brogadir of WCVB.

Brady's Agent Comments on Injury

Thursday, Aug. 18

Brady's agent, Don Yee, sent a text to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network that read: "An accident occurred, and Tom will be [OK] in time."

Brady Injury Details Revealed

Thursday, Aug. 18

While Curran noted it isn't known whether Brady needed stitches or how much time he'll miss, he did report the quarterback left Gillette Stadium in civilian clothes.

“It is standard practice for the Patriots to let players who are not playing in preseason games to leave the stadium,” Curran wrote.

Brady was reportedly attempting to remove something from the bottom of his cleat when he suffered the injury, per Curran.

Brady's Suspension Creates Question Marks for Pats

The silver lining for the Patriots is that Brady had plenty of time to heal if the injury had persisted. The NFL suspended him for the first four games of the regular season because of his role in the Deflategate scandal, which means his season debut won’t come until Oct. 9 against the Cleveland Browns, at the earliest.

Brady is one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the sport, and he has four Super Bowl rings, 11 Pro Bowl appearances, two Associated Press MVP awards and three Super Bowl MVPs to prove it.

He may be 39 years old, but he has shown no signs of slowing down after topping 4,000 passing yards in six of the last seven years. He threw for 4,770 yards and 36 touchdowns last season and has 58,028 passing yards and 428 touchdown tosses in his illustrious career.

The only impact of the cut was additional preseason reps for Jimmy Garoppolo. He will be trusted with the New England offense while Brady is suspended and could use the additional game action, since he has only 31 pass attempts in his NFL career.