Brady's Father Says He'd Be Hesitant To Let Son Play Football With New Info
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tom Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the sport of football, but if he had been born 30 years later, he may never have gotten the chance to even play the game.
Brady's father, Tom Brady Sr., spoke to Yahoo! Sports' Michael Silver, and he said that given the revelations about concussions and brain injuries suffered in football, he's not sure he would have allowed his son to play football had he been equipped with that knowledge during the quarterback's childhood.
"No, not without hesitation. I would be very hesitant to let him play," Brady Sr. told Silver. "This head thing is frightening for little kids. There's the physical part of it and the mental part – it's becoming very clear there are very serious long-term ramifications."
Brady Sr. told Silver that he supports Kurt Warner for saying he wouldn't let his own son play football, and that those criticize Warner "don't take their own parenting responsibility very seriously, or they don't value their children's health as much as they should."
Still, despite his hesitancy, the elder Brady said he would be able to be convinced to allow his son to play.
"If he were 14 now, and he really wanted to play, in all likelihood I would let him," he told Silver. "But it would not be an easy decision, at all."
Brady Sr. said he kept his son active with baseball, soccer and basketball, until he allowed him to play football at age 14. In fact, the idea of professional football really never crossed either Brady's mind back at the start of his football career.
"Even getting out of high school, we thought his career would be in baseball," Brady Sr. said. "Eventually, football just kind of became his sport of choice."
And the football world -- particularly those members in New England -- will forever be thankful.
