Tom Brady Reportedly Sprained Shoulder in Super Bowl 2012 Loss

Tom Brady aggravated an existing shoulder sprain during Super Bowl XLVI after he took a mean hit from New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck in the third quarter, according to Ian R. Rapoport of The Boston Herald

Tuck left Brady lying down on the field for a few anxiety-inducing moments, before the future Hall of Famer rose and made it to the bench to get checked out by the medical staff.

Backup Brian Hoyer began warming up before it was clear that the starting QB would stay in the game.

Rapoport also noted that Brady completed just seven of his last 17 pass attempts after re-injuring his left (non-throwing) shoulder.

It’s obviously no excuse for the Patriots losing the Super Bowl in such a heartbreaking fashion, but maybe it does explain why that infamous ball that Wes Welker dropped was thrown so poorly.

The QB’s ailing shoulder and subsequent inaccuracy may have swung the Super Bowl in the Giants' favor. A 100 percent healthy Brady makes that throw to Welker in stride to help seal the game and win a fourth championship.

Still, that didn't’t happen and it’s a credit to Tuck and the rest of Big Blue’s pass rush.

They had a relentless game and obviously they wanted to affect the way that Brady threw the ball.

The Pats QB wasn’t making it obvious he was hurting, but as Hoyer said, “I don’t know if I’ll ever meet someone as tough as he is.”

Brady is certainly tough and he has to be, as it is going to be a physically and mentally grueling offseason as he rehabilitates this shoulder sprain and thinks about what went wrong in the big game.