Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Did Tom Brady win Super Bowl LV with injured knee?

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Feb 11, 2021 5:15 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady built upon his G.O.A.T. status by breaking his own records and winning a seventh Super Bowl championship and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award for the fifth time.

The 43-year-old may have done so while less than 100%.

According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians told reporters that Brady will undergo a minor surgical procedure on his left knee, something Arians referred to as "a cleanup."

However, Ben Volin tweeted that Brady may be dealing with more than just a minor inconvenience:

Re: Brady's injured left knee, a source told me that he needs more than just a little clean-up. "When it comes out, all this does is build his legend even greater." pic.twitter.com/ri6wm3hXAF
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) February 11, 2021

Same knee. The plant leg https://t.co/nj8YZKhFjS
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) February 11, 2021

Brady did not miss a game or even a single practice because of injuries during his first year with the Buccaneers, and he finished the regular season tied for second in the league with 40 touchdown passes. He then added 10 touchdown throws and a rushing score during the postseason run that ended with a Super Bowl LV victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium.

Brady turns 44 years old in August but he vowed both before and after the Super Bowl that he's coming back for at least the 2021 campaign. One can't help but wonder, though, if his knee will prevent him from earning an eighth title before he calls time on his Hall of Fame career.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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