Not only did Drew Brees suffer 11 rib fractures and a punctured lung in what was likely his last NFL season.
The future Hall of Famer and Saints quarterback also played with a torn rotator cuff (although it’s unclear if it was in his right shoulder) and a torn fascia (connective tissue) in his foot, his wife Brittany revealed in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
“I don’t think I should have taken an epidural while the kids were giving birth,” Brittany wrote.
Brees missed four games due to an injury. He threw 24 touchdown passes and was intercepted six times.
The Saints were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday by Tom Brady’s Buccaneers, and while there has been no official announcement, multiple reports said 42-year-old Brees, who leads the league with 80,358 yards, is retiring. and join the NBC football booth.
“After crying for a few days … I am so grateful for this year,” Brittany wrote. ‘Your twentieth in the NFL, my love. This was the hardest year of our lives, but one of the best in some ways. “
Brittany may have been referring to her husband who faced backlash in June for saying, “I will never agree that anyone doesn’t respect the flag of the United States of America or our country,” when asked about players kneeling during the national anthem in protest against police brutality and racial injustice.
Brees’ comments came as protests swept the country following George Floyd’s death, and they sparked outrage among professional athletes, including some of his teammates.
Brees, who criticized Colin Kaepernick in 2016 for kneeling during the national anthem, later apologized.
Brittany wrote in capitals on Instagram at the time: “We are the problem.”