Terry Bradshaw once entered a hospital claiming his name was “Thomas Brady”.
The astonishing incident happened in March 1983, when future New England Patriots legend Tom Brady was just five years old and Bradshaw was already a four-time Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bradshaw, then 34, underwent minor surgery for muscle tears on the elbow of his throwing arm at a hospital in Louisiana.
The veteran quarterback decided to use a fake name to keep reporters away from the hospital. “Many times, we have to admit people under an assumed name or under no name to keep the press and the fans away,” Charles Boyd, the hospital’s administrator, told the local press shortly after Bradshaw’s procedure took place.
While Bradshaw’s decision to use an alias makes sense, it’s unclear why he used the name “Thomas Brady”. Brady went on to become arguably the greatest quarterback of all time after entering the NFL in 2000, winning six Super Bowls with the Patriots under coach Bill Belichick before claiming a seventh championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady also wore the same number as Bradshaw – the No. 12 – during his NFL career. Bradshaw’s story recently became common knowledge when Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman – two of Brady’s ex-teammates – recalled it on their ‘Dudes on Dudes’ podcast.
Edelman said: “In 1983, he needed to get an elbow surgery. He didnt want it to be in the papers, so he used an alias name at the Louisiana hospital. You know what that name was?” Gronkowski replied: “Tom frickin’ Brady.”
The orthopaedic surgeon who completed the surgery on Bradshaw was Dr. William Burdick. Speaking in 1983, Dr. Burdick explained that Bradshaw’s injury was “the same thing as tennis elbow”. He added: “Classic tennis elbow is on the outside of the elbow.
“This was on the inside. He should do fine. Lots of pitchers and other athletes who throw have it. It develops from small tears in the muscle.”
A Steelers spokesperson claimed it was “a relatively minor thing caused by wear and tear”. Yet Bradshaw went on to play just one game during the 1983 NFL season before retiring.
Bradshaw and Brady are now teammates on FOX NFL Sunday, with the latter becoming the network’s lead color commentator ahead of the 2024 NFL season. Bradshaw has worked as a broadcaster since retiring from the NFL, joining FOX a decade later.
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