Patriots Bruschi Has Come a Long Way Since Suffering a Stroke

Jan 28, 05:19 AM

Jan. 28--P HOENIX -- They sat at a restaurant in Boston planning Tedy Bruschi's life after football.

Bruschi, the New England Patriots' veteran linebacker, was recovering from a mild stroke he suffered in February 2005, less than two weeks after winning his third Super Bowl and days after playing in his first Pro Bowl.

He had regained his coordination, vision and was back in training. In the midst of discussing investments, insurance, annuities and post-career opportunities on that late summer day, Bruschi tapped his agent, Brad Blank, on the knee, leaned over and whispered the unimaginable.

"I'm going to play again," Bruschi said.

"I know, next year," Blank said, trying to appease his client.

"No," Bruschi said, "I'm going to play again in four weeks."

Bruschi's wife, Heidi, didn't want him to play football again. Neither did his doctor, Patriots owner Robert Kraft or Blank. Bruschi already owned three Super Bowl rings, had three sons and plenty of money in the bank.

"He knew better to ask my opinion," said Blank. "I told him it was crazy. I said, 'I don't want you to be the next Reggie Lewis,' the Celtics player who died from heart issues."

Bruschi turned down a generous retirement package offered by the Patriots. He passed every physical the doctors gave him that summer. He was activated on Oct. 29, 2005, and started nine of the last 10 games of the season. He led the Patriots in tackles in 2006.

But those two seasons ended with road losses in the playoffs. Not until this week, with the Patriots returning to the Super Bowl with an unblemished 18-0 record and favored to win their fourth championship in seven years, did it dawn on Bruschi just how far he has come since that night of Feb. 15, 2005.

That's when a blood clot passed through a small hole in the upper chamber of his heart and lodged in his brain. Had the clot moved a few more millimeters, it might have killed him.

"After my stroke, I was just thinking about being a functioning father and husband," said a misty-eyed Bruschi. "I thought I'd never be a regular person again. Once I kept getting better and better, I couldn't believe this was even a possibility. Then, it looked like I was going to be able to come back. I just kept working and kept working ...

"And then to play the way I've been playing, and help our team get to this point now, I can't tell you how satisfying this feels."

----

Bruschi's lasting memory prior to the stroke was having the field in Jacksonville all to himself as he romped around with sons Tedy Jr. and Rex before the Patriots beat Philadelphia in Super Bowl XXXIX.

"That's the last image I have before everything sort of went haywire," he recalled. "The Pro Bowl was sort of a blur. The feelings I'm experiencing right now, I wish I could explain to you, but I can't."

Bruschi, 34, led the Patriots with 99 tackles in 2007, and his 15 tackles in two playoff games are second to fellow linebacker Junior Seau's 16.

He also made one of the key plays in the AFC championship game when he got a hand on a pass intended for San Diego tight end Antonio Gates in the end zone, forcing the Chargers to kick a field goal in New England's 21-12 victory.

"I think his story is incredibly inspirational," Dr. David Greer, a specialist in stroke neurology who treated Bruschi, told the Boston Herald. "It's a pretty amazing thing what he's been able to do. I didn't know that he'd be totally normal by the end, but he is. I put him through the wringer, and the football field has put him through much more of a wringer than I ever could.

"I use him as an example that will often light up patients' faces to hear about him, and hear how he beat the odds. Sometimes I have patients who had the same type problem as him. He's talked about the little hole in the heart. That comes up in two or three of every 10 patients. So that's something in particular that's helpful."

Bruschi, in fact, wrote a book, Never Give Up: My Stroke, My Recovery and My Return to the NFL as a means to inspire stroke victims. Each year, about 700,000 Americans suffer a stroke -- a sudden injury to the brain caused by a blood vessel bursting or becoming blocked. Only 10 percent of victims recover almost completely, while 25 percent more recover with minor impairments.

"I wanted to raise stroke awareness," said Bruschi, an official spokesman for the American Stroke Association. "When I had my stroke, I didn't realize I was having a stroke when I was going through it at the moment. I would hope this would open some eyes to particular people in my age group that it can happen ... and this is what I went through, this is how I was able to come back and stand in front of you right now."

Bruschi also learned something about himself while writing the book.

"It was a very emotional book," he said. "I talk about how the stroke affected my marriage, and reliving every single page was sort of emotionally trying at times. One of the main things I learned was as professional athletes, we think we're such big, strong individuals and confident and mentally tough that we can handle anything ourselves. Sometimes you can't, and you need the help of people, and there are a lot of people that helped me come back."

----

When Bruschi takes the field on Sunday against the New York Giants, it will be his fifth Super Bowl and his 22nd playoff game, which would move him into a tie for 14th on the all-time list for postseason games.

His contract expires after this season, and after serving as his own agent for most of his first nine seasons, Bruschi will be represented by Blank, whom he called upon for help after the stroke.

"We had mutual friends, and I used to criticize him because he was always taking the hometown discount on contracts," Blank said of Bruschi, who earned $1.35 million this year, well below market for someone of his accomplishments.

Blank can't get a read on whether Bruschi will continue to play next year, especially if the Patriots finish the season 19-0.

It may be the perfect way for Bruschi, who played at the University of Arizona, to ride into the sunset.

"There might be other stories that are great comeback stories," Blank said. "There's always those sports movies like 'Invincible' or 'The Rookie' or the 1980 Olympic hockey team or 'Seabiscuit', where the themes are similar.

"But I can guarantee you there's no one who ever had a stroke and played professional football after that."

And won a Super Bowl.

To reach Randy Covitz, NFL writer for The Star, send e-mail to rcovitz@kcstar.com

-----

To see more of The Kansas City Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.kansascity.com.

Copyright (c) 2008, The Kansas City Star, Mo.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. Patriots Bruschi Has Come a Long Way Since Suffering a Stroke
Back to Current Headlines