The New England Patriots offered their continued and undiminished support for injured quarterback Tom Brady on Thursday, denying a report that they are upset that he opted against the team's preferred doctors and decided to have surgery on the West Coast.
After two published reports surfaced Thursday saying Brady needed two more operations to clean out an infection in his surgically repaired knee, ESPN.com, citing a source it did not identify, reported that "the Patriots, as an organization, are upset with the situation because they were clear that they wanted Brady's surgery done under the direction of doctors of their choosing in Boston."
Later Thursday, the Patriots issued a one-paragraph statement affirming their support for the quarterback who led them to three Super Bowl titles.
"This unsubstantiated report does not represent the team's views whatsoever," the statement said. "We have supported Tom Brady one hundred percent from day one of this process and will continue to do so. ... Today, we reiterate our total support for Tom as he recovers from his injury."
Brady was injured in the first quarter of the season opener on a hit by Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard. It has been widely reported he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but neither he nor the team have given specifics on the injury or commented on his recovery.
Brady acknowledged on his Web site for the first time last week that he had undergone a second procedure, following his initial knee surgery on Oct. 6, to clean out an infection in the surgically-repaired knee.
The Boston Herald reported on Thursday that Brady has undergone two more procedures since then to try to fight an infection. The newspaper said Brady is on a six-week course of intravenous antibiotics and will continue to have follow-up exams at the clinic in Los Angeles where he had the surgery.
If the infection is not brought under control, the Herald reports, the patellar tendon graft used to replace Brady's anterior cruciate ligament could become compromised. If that happens, Brady could need to redo the surgery -- likely delaying his rehabilitation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
