Tom Brady continued to sniffle his way through his Super Bowl media engagements on Thursday, confirming that he was still battling the cold that he caught from his wife and children but reiterating that he did not expect it to affect his performance during Sunday’s game against Seattle.
“I’ve been through it plenty of times,” said Brady in response to a question about playing through such an illness. “Like I say, it kind of ran through our house. I’m glad it happened early in the week, and I feel a lot better, so it was good to run around yesterday. I’ll be ready to go.”
It was much the same line that he had delivered when journalists first picked up on his illness on Wednesday. Only in a Super Bowl week could such a mild ailment draw such keen interest from reporters, but Brady’s suggestion that he was eating a lot of garlic to combat the illness also raised eyebrows.
The validity of this remedy was even discussed live on ESPN, Sal Paolantonio noting that the bulb contains “a chemical compound, allicin, which fights bacteria”, before going on to state that his Italian grandmother was also a keen believer in this mode of fighting infection.
If there is any real concern for the Patriots it is only that the illness could run through the rest of the roster. Danny Amendola was also sniffling during the team’s media session on Thursday and told reporters that he had caught the cold from Brady.
Rob Gronkowski joked that he might know the cause. “Who’s sniffling, all the receivers and Tom?” he asked after being informed of Amendola’s condition. “They must be hanging out extra time to get a little extra ball thrown their way! I’m just messing … but I don’t want that [cold]! I’m good, gotta keep up on my vitamin C.”
Brady was also asked about the future of his great rival, Peyton Manning, who is yet to confirm whether or not he will return to play in the NFL next year. “I certainly hope he comes back, because the league will miss him if he doesn’t,” said Brady. “But those decisions are up to him. I’m sure it’s up to whether he’s mentally and physically [in shape] – that’s what he wants to do. But I certainly hope he’s back.”
