A new book titled “The Dynasty” by Jeff Benedict has some amazing details surrounding the injury to former New England Patriots and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady’s thumb on his throwing hand that happened during the week prior to the AFC Championship Game in the 2017 playoffs between the Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Benedict chronicles Brady’s severe thumb injury that occurred in practice and the toughness and resolve that the future first ballot Hall of Famer played with in that game.

The New York Post has detailed excerpts from “The Dynasty” regarding Brady’s thumb injury with some behind-the-scenes notes and conversations between Brady, head coach Bill Belichick, Dr. Matthew Leibman, who was the Patriots hand and wrist surgeon.

The Dynasty

On the Wednesday before the AFC Championship game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Patriots were practicing outside in the bitter cold. On a routine play, Brady handed the ball off to running back Rex Burkhead. In the exchange, the ball jammed back into Brady’s thumb, hyperextending it with such force that the skin at the base of the thumb split open. With blood gushing, Brady let out a yell and rushed off the field, clutching his hand. Burkhead and his teammates looked on in stunned silence.

Minutes later, Dr. Matthew Leibman’s cell phone rang. Leibman was the hand and wrist surgeon for the Patriots, Red Sox, and Bruins. He was having lunch outside Boston when Patriots assistant trainer Joe Van Allen reached him.

Van Allen was frantic. “Matt, we need you at the stadium right now,” he said. “Brady hurt his hand. It’s bad. It’s bleeding.”

“What happened?” Leibman said.

Van Allen quickly explained that Brady’s thumb had somehow gotten jammed and bent backward during a handoff. “There’s a pretty big laceration,” he said.

“Is it his throwing hand?” Leibman said.

Van Allen said he’d text a picture.

Leibman hung up. Seconds later, the image was on his phone. It looked as though Brady’s hand had been slashed by a blade. The base of his thumb was split wide open. The laceration was gaping.

The rest of the passage from the New York Post is quite gripping, and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

While Brady’s thumb injury occurred three years ago in his time as a Patriot, Bucs fans will likely appreciate the toughness their new quarterback showed at the age of 40 while trying to get New England its sixth Super Bowl championship. After beating the Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game with a touchdown pass to Danny Amendola to key the fourth quarter comeback, Brady set a Super Bowl record with 505 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 41-33 loss to Philadelphia despite playing with his right thumb injury.