Grave Illness Of Brady's Mentor 'Very Tough' On Patriots Quarterback
BOSTON (CBS) - New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady is deeply saddened by the news that his mentor, Tom Martinez, has just a few weeks to live.
"I just can't say enough about him, and what he's meant to me," Brady said to Sports Illustrated's Peter King in his Monday Morning Quarterback Column. "When I heard how serious it was the other night, I was there in bed with my wife, and it was just a sad moment. Very tough on his family, and on ours.''
Martinez, who has battled complications from diabetes for years, received unfortunate news from his doctor that he has less than a month to live. He began tutoring a 15-year-old Brady back in 1992.
Read: Brady Mentor Tom Martinez Gravely Ill
"We've been trying to get together this offseason for a session, and finally we met last Sunday at an indoor facility in San Carlos," said Brady. "We spent two hours there. He analyzed what I was doing, just like always. And when I got in the car with my dad afterward, I said to him, 'It's unbelievable how much he knows -- how much he helps me.' ''
In King's article, Brady stressed how important Martinez' lessons were to his success, and it all started with the mechanics he instilled upon him at a young age.
"Every time you step on the field, whether there's weather, whether you're on the road, where you've got a big pass-rush coming, it always comes down to mechanics. He instilled in me the importance of doing things the right way, every time,' said Brady.
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"There's so many people I owe so much to -- high school, college and the NFL,'' he said. "But he is right at the top of the list. Second to none."
