Damar Hamlin scare has Tom Brady thinking only of today, not 2023 season

Habitually tight-lipped about his football future, Tom Brady certainly isn’t going there when the subject arises these days.

Like virtually all of his NFL peers, the frightening on-field incident involving Bills safety Damar Hamlin gave Brady pause, and even more perspective. Next year? Brady said Monday he is looking no farther than the next practice.

“I want to say one thing,” Brady said to co-host Jim Gray on his weekly “Let’s Go!” podcast Monday. “What did this last week teach us with what the brave and courageous Damar Hamlin went through? We’re not promised anything, none of us are, not one play. So just take it for what it is.

“And I’m not thinking about next (year) and this and that and this — no. We’ve got a chance to go practice, let’s be great at that, and that’s how I feel. That’s what we should all take from that, that’s the lesson we learned.”

The NFL community — and the nation, to an extent — rallied around Hamlin, 24, after his heart stopped upon making what appeared to be a routine tackle in the first quarter of a Jan. 2 game against the Bengals. The contest was initially suspended before officially being canceled later in the week.

In the most uplifting sign of his recovery to date, Hamlin was discharged Monday morning from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and flown to western New York, where he will continue his recovery. He was listed in stable condition at Buffalo General Medical Center.

“(Football) means a lot because we put a lot into it, and it could be gone pretty quick,” Brady said.

“It could be gone for a 45-year-old ... it could be gone for a 25-year-old, it could be gone for a 15-year-old. ... It’s another thing that I’ve learned just from watching a very serious event kind of transpire, and then turn into something that brought a lot of us together. And a lot of those prayers are going to continue to flood Damar’s inbox because, what a courageous guy.”

Brady said the long-term impact of Hamlin’s collapse “remains to be seen,” but added he thinks the sports world in general will be more prepared for such emergencies “as they should be and as they were a week ago Monday.” During pregame ceremonies prior to the Bills’ home game Sunday against the Patriots, the medical staff that helped save Hamlin’s life on the field were recognized.

“And at the same time, I said earlier, I hope we all have the right perspective on it, too,” Brady added.

“Let’s not take anything for granted. Let’s just do our best and do things you love to do as well. We’re not promised much, we’re not promised anything, and nothing’s forever, so we’ve just got to continue to do our very best however we can.

“And when you have the chance to run in to help people, do that too.”

Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls.

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