The New York Times-20080128-Brady Says Ankle Was Hurt on Sack Against Chargers

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Brady Says Ankle Was Hurt on Sack Against Chargers

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Tom Brady and his right ankle arrived here for the Super Bowl on Sunday night, and with flashes from more than a dozen cameras going off just feet from him, he handled his first significant challenge of the week. Wearing brown wingtips, Brady, the Patriots quarterback, scaled the two steps to the podium with only the slightest limp and climbed down with apparent ease.

Moments after Coach Bill Belichick extended the guessing game about Brady's health for a few more minutes, declining to describe Brady's condition except to say he would issue the injury report Wednesday, Brady revealed that he had been hurt when he was sacked early in the third quarter of the American Football Conference championship game against the San Diego Chargers a week ago.

Then Brady, who had stayed out of view of reporters when the Patriots gathered to begin preparations for Super Bowl XLII on Thursday and Friday, acknowledged that he had been only a spectator at practice last week. The injury has been described as a mild high ankle sprain.

How's the ankle? Brady said, repeating a question. What did Coach say?

When told by a reporter that Belichick had said to ask Brady, Brady replied: God, that's different. It's feeling good. I'll be ready to go. I think we need three great days of practice, which I hope to be participating in. I hope. It's a couple of days away. But I'm feeling better.

Brady said he did not practice last week, but he did jog around and drop back and throw passes. For the Patriots, who keep injury information as secret as possible, that Brady has any doubt that he may practice Wednesday counts as a startling admission.

Brady endured an unusual week, even for one of the N.F.L.'s most recognizable players. When he exited a sport utility vehicle on a Greenwich Village street in New York last Monday, he was surprised to see cameras, which captured the unexpected sight of a walking boot on his right foot.

That set off a frenzy of speculation and tabloid stories about Brady's well-being -- The New York Post's headline read, in part, Girlie Man Limps Home. The intrigue was only heightened when he emerged later wearing regular street shoes after dinner with his girlfriend, the model Gisele Bundchen.

The next day, Brady, trailed by photographers, was again seen in regular shoes as he shopped in SoHo. Through it all, Brady remained silent.

On Sunday, Brady appeared with the Patriots at a Gillette Stadium rally before the team departed for Arizona, and he moved without obvious discomfort.

When he was asked how he felt about New York now, Brady replied: I love beating New York. Yeah, it was an interesting week. I'm much lighter on my toes than I thought. I was glad to be back in Boston. I was glad to be back in our insulated locker room. I'm glad I have my offensive line around to protect me this week. Don't chase me around -- I won't be as nice this week.

I was just trying to get in the house as fast as I could, Brady added. I was trying to hobble along. It caught me off guard. Those places I used to go for refuge aren't necessarily the places to go anymore.

Even before Brady became a megastar, his ankles dominated Super Bowls. In the 2001 season, when the Patriots were vying for their first title, Brady's ankle -- injured in the A.F.C. championship game -- was the subject of intense focus at the Super Bowl. He played and the Patriots won. Seven years later, the Patriots can only hope for the same result.

[Illustration]PHOTO: The Patriots' Tom Brady arriving at a news conference in wingtips Sunday night. (PHOTOGRAPH BY LUCY NICHOLSON/REUTERS)