As if nothing had happened, Tom Bradywas out at practice Thursday, in full pads, like the rest of his Patriots teammates, doing all the things he normally does on a football field.
He's very fortunate he could treat this like any other day, after what the quarterback experienced just hours earlier.
At around 6:30 this morning, Brady was on his way to work when he was involved in a two-car accident at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Gloucester Street in Boston. Brady's Audi sustained some front-end damage, based on pictures from the scene posted on the Internet, while the other vehicle, a mini-van, appeared dented in on the right side.
A passenger in the mini-van had to be extricated from the vehicle and then taken to the hospital for treatment. That person's injuries are reportedly considered not life-threatening.
Medics who responded to the scene attended to Brady, who was said to be a bit "shaken," but otherwise unharmed. He then phoned a friend, presumably, to make arrangements to get on with his day. With his car out of commission, Brady found a way to proceed to Gillette Stadium, arriving a little later than usual. On a normal day, players are at Gillette Stadium by around 8 a.m. for morning meetings and sometimes walkthrough sessions.
According to the Patriots media relations department, Brady arrived in time to take part in the walkthrough, but was busy catching up on what he'd missed in the morning meetings during the media's open locker room hour. As a result, he was not seen until the team took to the practice field in the early afternoon.
Brady's teammates told reporters that head coach Bill Belichick explained at the morning team meeting what had occurred and that Brady was OK and would be late. That provided some sense of relief for the players.
"It's kind of crazy, unfortunately, but I think he's alright," said centerDan Koppen. "I think you'll have to talk to him about that, how he feels.
"Hopefully, everybody came out of it OK. You just never want anything like that to happen to anybody."
"He's here, he's ready to go," tight end Alge Crumplerdeclared.
"We're just all thankful he's fine, and glad he's back here already, and back working," added rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski.
The number of media in attendance far outweighed a normal Thursday, as TV news crews and other outlets descended on Foxborough to cover the story. The overcrowding in the Patriots locker room may have rankled some players, who, by mid-morning, seemed confident that their quarterback was safe and sound.
"We're still talking about Tom. I want to talk about the game," running back Fred Taylor insisted when several reporters tried to press the issue with him after he politely refused to comment on Brady's condition.
"I don't want to sound like a jerk about it, but … we're here to play football. That's what I want to do and that's what I want to talk about."
Left tackle Matt Light, in his typically sardonic, wisecracking fashion, didn't stop to talk, but said, to no one in particular as he strode through the locker room, "It's just a car accident, people."
Thankfully for all involved, a relatively minor one.
Thu 9/9 Practice Notebook
For news and notes from Thursday's practice, please visit the PFW Blog.
