TAMPA, Florida – Tampa Bay Buccaneers defender Tom Brady will undergo minor knee surgery this season, an ESPN source confirmed.
The next surgery was first reported by the Tampa Bay Times.
A source close to the situation told ESPN that this was not a recent injury and that Brady, who led the Bucs to a victory last Sunday in the Super Bowl LV, has been planning the procedure for months.
Brady was not included in Bucs’ injury report all season. He was mentioned in the report as “unrelated to injury” when he was offered a few days off by coach Bruce Arians, which the Bucs did with Rob Gronkowski, Ndamukong Suh and other veteran players.
Brady wore a left knee brace on Wednesday during the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl boat parade on Wednesday. But wearing a brace is not uncommon for Brady, 43, who also wears it when he plays golf and during other recreational activities.
Brady was named Super Bowl MVP on Sunday for the fifth time in his career, after passing for 201 yards and three touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s 31-9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
With the win, Brady has more Super Bowl titles (seven) than any franchise in NFL history, surpassing every six won by the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. Brady also became the only player with five MVPs in the Super Bowl; Joe Montana is the second of all time with three.