Patriots legend Tedy Bruschi recovering after suffering second stroke

ATTLEBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - New England Patriots legend Tedy Bruschi is recovering after suffering a stroke on Thursday.

In a statement posted to Twitter on behalf of his family, Tedy’s Team announced that Bruschi suffering a stroke, known as a TIA, and recognized the warning signs immediately.

“He recognized his warning signs immediately: arm weakness, face drooping and speech difficulties. Tedy is recovering well, and would like to thank the nurses, doctors and staff at Sturdy Memorial Hospital for all they have done. Tedy and his family thank you for your ongoing encouragement, and kindly ask for privacy at this time.”

Bruschi was treated at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro and released.

Bruschi, a former third-round pick out of the University of Arizona, is a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots. He was a two-time All-Pro selection. In his career, Bruschi had 668 tackles and 30.5 sacks. He also forced 18 fumbles and had 12 interceptions. He scored four defensive touchdowns in his career. He announced his retirement in 2009.

In 2005, Bruschi suffered a stroke just 3 days after the Super Bowl after suffering numbness and blurred vision and was diagnosed with a mild stroke. In his book, Bruschi says he briefly considered retiring from football and sat out the 2005 season, but he later announced that he would return and played in several regular season games that season.

Bruschi was named to the New England Patriots Hall of Fame in 2013. He spent his entire career in New England.

Dr. David Thaler, Chairman of Neurology at Tufts Medical Center specializes in strokes and says he credits Bruschi for recognizing the symptoms of a stroke and acting fast.

He says a TIA, a lapse in blood flow to the brain, is different from the type of stroke he suffered in 2005 which stemmed from a hole in the athlete’s heart.

“Specifically for those types of strokes, the risk is about one to one and a half percent per year,” Thaler said. “It is estimated that in some strokes, a million brain cells a minute are dying. So, every minute counts.”

At just 46-years-old, Bruschi is very physically fit and his former teammates say he will bounce back stronger than ever.

“You know, you think about Tedy Bruschi as a guy who is in amazing shape and you don’t even really think about you know, crazy stuff like that when you see somebody who just ran a marathon and having to deal with a second one,” Former Patriots tight end Jermaine Wiggins said.

Bruschi returned to the field 8 months after his first stroke, earning AFC honors for his remarkable comeback.

“He came back and played professional football from dealing with a stroke before so, that is one guy you would never count out and like I said, I would never count out,” Wiggins said. “I know how mentally tough he is and you know, physically how much he works to obviously keep himself in the right type of shape. So, yea he is a guy I would never count out.

Other former teammates posted their support on Twitter including Ted Johnson, Damien Woody, and Tom Brady.

(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)