It wasn't so long ago that Tom Brady Sr. didn't allow his son to play football. Well, not until the future New England Patriot was 14 years old.
Armed with even more information about the dangers of concussions, Brady Sr. isn't sure if he'd let his son play football at all.
"No, not without hesitation," Brady Sr. told Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports. "I would be very hesitant to let him play." (Those are Silver's italics. But who are we to doubt his italics judgement?)
Former NFL player and current broadcaster Randy Cross actually gave Brady Sr. the idea of delaying football until his son was physically developed enough to play. Cross didn't allow his son to play until he was in seventh grade.
Brady Sr. is obviously happy that his son played football in the end, but he never stops worrying when he watches games.
"That never goes away. The answer is yes, I'm concerned," he said. "(Tom) claims that he's only been dinged once or twice, but I don't know how forthright he's being. He's not gonna tell us, as his parents, anything negative that's going on. I wouldn't be shocked that he would hide that."
We suspect that Brady's final conclusion mirrors a lot of parents out there. He's conflicted, but ...
"If he were 14 now, and he really wanted to play, in all likelihood I would let him," he said. "But it would not be an easy decision, at all."
