Last month, Tom Brady revealed he needed the same surgical procedure he underwent in February even prior to his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But the injury may have been more severe than initially believed.
Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports Brady had a full MCL tear prior to the beginning of the 2020 NFL season and finally underwent surgery after the Bucs' Super Bowl LV win in February.
"The injury gradually worsened during his first year with the Bucs and he finally had surgery to repair the MCL in late February after winning his seventh Super Bowl ring," Stroud wrote in a story published on Thursday.
Brady told reporters at the Bucs' minicamp last month that he's confident "he'll be able to do some different things" he was unable to do in 2020 now that's finally had the surgical procedure he needed since last offseason, but declined to give specifics on his injury at the time.
"It was an injury I dealt with really since last April, May," Brady said on June 9. "I knew I would have to do something at the end of the year. Happy I did it.
"Something that certainly needed to be done. And there was a great outcome. I'm happy about that. I feel I'll be able to so some different things this year than I was able to do last year."
Brady and head coach Bruce Arians provided updates on his recovery throughout the offseason since the surgical procedure took place in February.
Despite the injury, Brady still managed to win his seventh Super Bowl victory and first with the Buccaneers after 20 seasons with the New England Patriots.
In February, Brady recorded 201 yards and three touchdowns on 21 of 29 passing in Super Bowl LV, winning a record fifth Super Bowl MVP Award, which surpassed his own previous record set in Super Bowl LI (2017).
Brady now owns a 7-3 record all-time in the NFL's biggest game and surpassed his own previous record for most Super Bowl wins by a quarterback (6) set in February 2019. The 43-year-old also broke his own record as the oldest quarterback to both start and win a Super Bowl also set in 2019.
The win was Tampa Bay's second Super Bowl victory in franchise history. The Buccaneers are also the only team in NFL history to both host and win a Super Bowl in their home stadium.
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