How did Tom Brady play on a torn MCL? Injury expert explains originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
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.
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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.
"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.