Just how big was the risk for Tom Brady's Super Bowl reward in 2020?
Amid reports that the Buccaneers quarterback played the entire season with a torn MCL in his left knee, the risk was "moderate" for further damage, according to one medical expert.
Mike Ryan, a sports medicine analyst for NBC Sports and Sunday Night Football, told Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio that Brady managed to play with the injury because of his custom knee brace.
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"Ligaments stabilize joints," Ryan told Florio. "With a compromised ligament, the joint has more laxity. The greater the instability of the ligament, the greater the looseness of the joint."
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It remains unclear just how mangled Brady's knee was last season; reports range from a partial tear to a full tear. Ryan said that ultimately, just how torn the MCL was doesn't make much of a difference.
No matter the size of the tear, the Buccaneers failed to list Brady on any of their injury reports in 2020 with a knee ailment.