Gisele: Breastfeeding Should Be Mandatory

From: http://www.thebostonchannel.com

Super Model Says There Should Be Worldwide Law

• Images: Photos: Gisele Turns 30!

First-time mom and world's richest super model Gisele Bundchen has some pretty strong words about parenting. Bundchen, the wife of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, said in a recent interview that she thinks there should be a "worldwide law" requiring every mother to breastfeed their children."Some people here (in the US) think they don't have to breastfeed," she told Harper's Bazaar UK. "And I think 'Are you going to give chemical food to your child when they are so little?' I think there should be a worldwide law, in my opinion, that mothers should breastfeed their babies for six months." Bundchen went on to recall how easy it was to give birth to her son Benjamin with Brady, thanks to a little meditation.

SURVEY Gisele Bundchen thinks there should be a "worldwide law" requiring mothers to breastfeed for six months. I agree I disagree Not Sure Results | Disclaimer | E-Mail

"It prepared me mentally and physically. It's called 'labor' not 'holiday' for a reason, and I knew that," she said."You want to go into the most intense physical experience of your life unprepared? That doesn't make any sense to me," she said. "Then I was ready and I thought 'OK, let's get to work'. I wasn't expecting someone else to get the baby out of me." She said it, "didn't hurt in the slightest." By the way, her Patriots husband turns 33 Tuesday.

Shots fired at model Gisele Bündchen's wedding

Paparazzi dodge bullets after being caught taking unauthorised pictures of newlyweds Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady

Robert Booth

Shots were fired near Gisele Bündchen's beachfront home. Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Gisele Bündchen, the Brazilian supermodel, and her husband, the American football star Tom Brady, have taken the task of keeping their wedding photos exclusive to extremes, it has emerged.

A pair of celebrity photographers had the back window of their Suzuki SUV shot out by security guards when they tried to flee with snatched stills and videos of the happy couple's big day at Bündchen's villa in Mal Pais, Costa Rica.

The Boston Herald, which claims to have exclusive pictures of the wedding that it plans to publish tomorrow, said the paparazzi were from the INF photo agency, and were hiding in bushes near Bündchen's beachfront home taking pictures of the event when they were caught by the newlyweds' security guards.

"The photographers, identified as Yuri Cortez and Rolando Aviles, were marched to Bündchen's villa where they were ordered to surrender their still photos and video," the paper reported. "The men refused and fled with the security guards in pursuit. Two of the photographers ran to a waiting SUV and jumped in as a guard fired a shot at them, the photo agency said. The bullet shattered the Suzuki's rear window, passed between the two men in the front seat and bounced off the windshield."

No one was injured, but the incident gives a new meaning to the term "shotgun wedding". New York Daily News has a picture of the shot-up car. According to the Can't Stop the Bleeding blog, Cortez was shocked. "I couldn't believe it when I realised what they had done," he told the photo agency. "I could have lost my life for the sake of some pictures that Gisele didn't want published. Are they insane?"

… And Then God Created Gisele

Gisele Bündchen commands the shock value of a close encounter with a giraffe: you can hardly believe an earthly creature is built this way.

read more | digg story

Matt Cassel Traded To Kansas City

Associated Press

The New England Patriots sent Matt Cassel to the Kansas City Chiefs and a message to their own fans: Don't worry about Tom Brady's knee.

One question, though, remained.

Matt Cassel

#16 QB
New England Patriots

2008 STATS

• Att516
• Comp327
• Yds3474
• TD21
• Int11
• Rat89.4

How could the Patriots obtain only a second-round draft choice for a solid, young quarterback and a 12-year veteran leader, linebacker Mike Vrabel?

That mystery persisted Saturday after the Patriots announced the trade for the 34th pick in this year's draft, which the Chiefs earned with a franchise-worst 2-14 record.

Cassel, who hadn't started the previous seven seasons with Southern California and the Patriots, led New England to an 11-5 record, but no playoff berth, after Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener -- on a hit by Kansas City's Bernard Pollard, who said it was an "accident."

Cassel's steady improvement sent his stock soaring as he entered free agency. So the Patriots put the franchise tag on him, requiring any team that signed him to give them two first-round picks. But that tag would have cost the Patriots $14.65 million if they kept Cassel as insurance if Brady's health was questionable.

By shipping him out so early, they must be sure that 2007 NFL MVP Brady will be ready for the regular season after undergoing surgery for torn ligaments in his left knee on Oct. 6 and a later operation for an infection in the knee.

On Feb. 18, Brady said his recovery was on schedule for him to be ready for the opener.

"I'm feeling great. I'm feeling really good. Everything is progressing just as I expected," he said at a charity event.

Cassel and Vrabel join a team being run by new general manager Scott Pioli, who went to the Chiefs in January after serving as vice president of player personnel for the Patriots, the team he joined in 2002.

"I have a long history with both players," Pioli said. "Mike and Matt are men that I respect both personally and professionally. I look forward to having them as new members of the Chiefs family."

About a month after joining the Chiefs, Pioli fired coach Herm Edwards and replaced him with Arizona offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick praised Cassel in a statement issued by the club.

"It is very easy to root for guys like Matt Cassel, who do everything the right way and flourish as a result," he said. "As much as we would have loved to continue working with Matt, we wish him nothing but the best as he takes this next step forward in his career."

The Chiefs needed help at quarterback after Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard were hurt and Tyler Thigpen, the first player from tiny Coastal Carolina to be drafted by the NFL, struggled as their replacement but did throw for 21 touchdowns and 2,994 yards.

Cassel, meanwhile, finally showed what he could do after waiting behind Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and two-time Super Bowl MVP Brady.

The seventh-round draft choice in 2005 took over when Brady was hurt midway through the first quarter of the first game and went on to throw for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while starting 15 games.

Vrabel fills a need for guidance and playing ability in a Kansas City defense that managed just 10 sacks all season and allowed a team-record 54 points to Buffalo. His departure also creates space under the Patriots' salary cap.

"Mike Vrabel epitomizes everything a coach could seek in a professional football player: toughness, intelligence, play, leadership, versatility and consistency at the highest level," Belichick said. "Behind the scenes, Mike's wit and personality is one of the things we have all enjoyed about coming to work every day."

But the Patriots restocked at linebacker last season with rookies Jerod Mayo, the Associated Press' defensive player of the year, Gary Guyton, Vince Redd and Shawn Crable. They also have veterans Tedy Bruschi and Adalius Thomas.

The day after their season ended, Vrabel lamented missing the playoffs.

"It's tough," he said. "You try to think that it's a pretty positive ending to a season, a good finish. You finish 11-5 and then you come in here and you realize that you're cleaning your locker out."

Cassel, standing nearby, looked to the future.

"This is a satisfying season for me," he said. "I proved a lot to myself and to a lot of others."

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

Tom Brady on target: QB is throwing, and he's on track for 2009 opener

By Christopher L. Gasper and Shira Springer Globe Staff / January 28, 2009

TAMPA - Tom Brady is progressing on pace in his rehabilitation from reconstructive left knee surgery and is now dropping back and throwing passes, according to a medical source familiar with the Patriots quarterback's case.

No additional surgical procedures are planned, according to NFL and medical sources.

Since Brady suffered a postoperative infection, there was concern that the damaged knee would require more surgery to deal with the buildup of scar tissue and other possible complications that could prevent him from being ready for the 2009 season.

The medical source said Brady is "on track to be fine for the opening game of the season.

"Based on anybody else doing an ACL rehab, he's going right along. He had a shaky start, but he's caught up," said the source.

The source added that Brady, who suffered torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in the Patriots' opener against the Chiefs Sept. 7 and had surgery to repair both ligaments Oct. 6, is throwing, running, doing his skill drills, and getting in shape.

Still, the sources acknowledged that Brady has "laxity" in the MCL and some stiffness in the joint.

Additionally, sources said Brady has not regained full range of motion, though it is not unusual for patients who have undergone ACL reconstruction to have lingering range-of-motion issues, especially in cases of infection.

An infection after Brady's surgery required at least two surgical irrigations of the area and a six-week course of antibiotics that delayed the start of his rehab.

The infection is no longer considered an issue and the rehabilitation schedule has not been significantly compromised.

As the intensity of football-related and other rehab activity increases, all indications are Brady will continue making steady progress.

NFL sources, however, caution that there remains a lot of work before the opener, with months of rigorous rehabilitation remaining.

Brady is continuing to rehab under both Dr. Neal S. ElAttrache, who performed his surgery in Los Angeles, and the Patriots medical staff. ElAttrache has flown between Los Angeles and Boston to follow up with Brady.

While the Patriots obviously want Brady, the 2007 MVP, back for the start of the 2009 season, the greater concern is how strong the knee will be when he returns, how long the knee will hold up, and how it will affect his play.

Brady, who turns 32 in August, and the Patriots likely will not have definitive answers to those questions until this summer, when the quarterback can test himself in game-like situations at training camp.

All the more reason for the Patriots to place the franchise tag on backup quarterback Matt Cassel, who proved a more than capable starter while filling in for Brady.

The Patriots can't franchise Cassel, preventing the QB from becoming an unrestricted free agent, until Feb. 5.

Still, the latest reports on Brady's knee seem more encouraging than a month ago, when an NBCSports.com report said both the ACL and MCL were loose and a second reconstructive surgery would be required to repair the problem.

The report said the second surgery could cost Brady the 2009 season.

Now it appears that barring an unanticipated setback, Brady is on track to play in 2009. But whether he'll be the same player he was before the knee injury remains to be seen.

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.

Brady says rehab 'going very well'

Tom Brady did not provide a timetable for his return at any point during the interview.

TORONTO (AP) -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said in an interview Wednesday that his rehabilitation from season-ending knee surgery was "going really well," but he did not offer any timetable for a return to the football field.

In some of his first public comments since being injured in the first quarter of the regular season opener in September, Brady also told Toronto sports radio station The Fan 590 that he did not think the Patriots would be hurt badly by the defections of key personnel such as offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Scott Pioli, the team's former vice president of player personnel.

Brady was not asked during the interview if he expected to be ready for training camp or the start of the 2009 regular season. Nor was he asked about ongoing speculation that his recovery from surgery has been slowed by a post-operative infection in his left knee.

"It's going really well," said Brady of his rehab. "Anyone who's come back from injuries that require surgery knows it's just a process and there are some good days, some bad days and you just have to keep plugging through them."

Brady was operated on Oct. 6 in Los Angeles and confirmed on his Web site a couple of weeks later that he had a second procedure after developing an infection.

In the interview, in which Brady promoted a sports cream, the 2007 NFL MVP described himself as the Patriots "biggest cheerleader" after the injury. He said he watched every game and shared the team's disappointment in missing the playoffs with an 11-5 record.

He also noted that the Patriots defeated the NFC's representative in the Super Bowl, the Arizona Cardinals, by 40 points (47-7 on Dec. 21).

Brady said he was confident the team would make improvements in the offseason to try to get back to the playoffs, and he downplayed the departures of Pioli and McDaniels.

McDaniels was hired as coach of the Denver Broncos and Pioli general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs.

"There's change every year and you have to get used to it," he said, adding that the team's ownership and head coach remain intact.

"As long as we have Robert and Jonathan Kraft and as long as we have coach [Bill] Belichick, we'll be just fine," he said.

Matt Cassel, Brady's backup for the previous three seasons, played well after taking over as starter and reports have indicated that the Patriots are considering placing the franchise tag on Cassel as insurance should Brady not be ready for next season.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Gisele: We Are Not Engaged

Supermodel Denies Reports Of Engagement To Brady

BOSTON -- Gisele Bundchen said she and Tom Brady are not, despite several reports to the contrary, engaged to be married.Photos: Tom & Gisele

However, Bundchen told the magazine Caras, in her native Brazil, that she and Brady will marry someday, according to an account of the interview in The Boston Herald.

“I will realize the dream of marriage, to have children and a family, of course. I’m sorry (to) disappoint you, there is no date set yet,” Bundchen said. “I’m in love and you will see my wedding on the right day.”Bundchen told the magazine that she was surprised by two separate stories of the engagement in the past month.“I don’t know how people are so creative,” said Bundchen. “First they said he proposed to me in a plane. Imagine, it was Dec. 24, Christmas, we were flying to Boston, then there was some champagne and we celebrated the date.“Someone deduced I was getting engaged! I received more than 100 e-mails from friends commenting about the proposal," she continued. "Now there’s a new rumor, that he proposed to me on last Friday. I wasn’t even there, how can that be true?”

"I’m in love and you will see my wedding on the right day." - Gisele Bundchen

Bundchen did say that when she and Brady do marry, they will have a small wedding for just family and close friends.

Copyright 2009 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Brady Pops Question With Diamond Solitaire

Star Couple Planning Wedding

BOSTON -- Tom Brady got down on one knee and proposed to girlfriend Gisele Bundchen in Los Angeles during the weekend, according to People's Web site.


Images: Tom & Gisele

The New England Patriots quarterback proposed to the 28-year-old super model on Friday. Brady, 31, gave Bundchen a diamond solitaire ring, and the couple is now planning their nuptials.

The couple is considering a wedding in Costa Rica, where Bündchen has a home, the magazine reported.A knee injury in the Pats' 2008 season-opening game sidelined the quarterback for the year. He underwent surgery in October.

Report: Brady behind in schedule for return

ESPN.com news services

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has fallen behind in his recovery efforts from knee surgery and could risk missing next season if another operation is needed, NBCSports.com has reported.

AFC East

ESPN.com's Tim Graham writes about all things AFC East in his division blog.

• Blog network: NFL Nation

Brady, who underwent surgery Oct. 6 after tearing the ACL and MCL ligaments in his left knee in the first quarter of the team's first game of the season, had subsequent operations on the knee after it became infected.

That infection resulted in a buildup of scar tissue, which may require surgery on the knee, the Web site reported, citing an anonymous NFL source.

The scar tissue also has affected Brady's ability to begin fully rehabilitating his leg, the report said, and the repaired ligaments remain loose. Another surgery also could be needed for that condition, the Web site reported.

NFL.com Video

Watch highlights from the New England Patriots' 13-0 win over the Buffalo Bills.

The Boston Globe cited league sources and sources close to Brady that dismissed the report. According to the newspaper, the infection appears to have cleared and Brady's rehab is progressing as expected.

Backup quarterback Matt Cassel replaced Brady as the starter and has helped lead the Patriots to an 11-win season, but New England fell short of the playoffs when Miami beat the Jets on Sunday to win the AFC East.

Report of Tom Brady's knee problems 'ridiculous'

Albert Breer
Sporting News

An internet report Thursday quoting unnamed sources portended an end to the career of New England Patriots QB Tom Brady, the reigning NFL MVP, because of complications linked to infections that followed his October knee reconstruction.

A source with intimate knowledge of Brady's condition told Sporting News on Thursday afternoon that "nothing could be further from the truth." The source said Brady is "right on track" to recover in time for the 2009 season, adding his rehab is going "perfectly."

Brady tore his ACL and MCL in the club's Sept. 7 opener against Kansas City and had the reconstructive surgery on his left knee Oct. 6. A post-surgery infection prompted doctors to perform three follow-up procedures on the knee to contain the infection.

Sporting News sources say the infection was successfully contained, and Brady was able to start the rehabilitation process like any other athlete with such an injury.

In October, Dr. James Gladstone, chief of medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, told Sporting News that, "If (the treatment for the infection) works like it's supposed to work, he's got every chance to do as well as anyone with his rehab."

The report of a major, career-threatening setback that surfaced Thursday morning quoted an unnamed orthopedic surgeon with knowledge of Brady's injury as saying, "(His career) is dead. It's over -- plain and simple."

Sporting News' source called that diagnosis "ridiculous."

Staff writer Albert Breer covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at abreer@sportingnews.com.

Pats have decisions to make on Cassel, Brady

November 22, 2008 10:00 AM

	Stew Milne/US Presswire
	Should the Patriots bank on Tom Brady returning to full health or should they invest in a young quarterback on the rise?

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

An innocent question to stimulate conversation ignited outrage.

One reader demanded I resign from ESPN.com. Another implored my bosses to terminate my blog completely. They wrote in to ridicule my intelligence, mock my background and question my journalism ethics.

All for asking a question to which I didn't give my opinion.

What I dared to do was broach the subject of what's going on with the New England Patriots quarterback situation and the uncertainty clouding it.

Sporting icon Tom Brady is rehabbing his surgically rebuilt, infection-prone left knee. Information has been scarce. So much is unknown.

Matt Cassel has developed into a bona fide NFL starter before our eyes, but he will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.

This is the exact question I posed before opening the floor to comments:

Do you bank on the superstar maintaining his elite status, or invest in the rising prospect, who years from now still should be in his prime when the veteran retires?

That line didn't seem inflammatory when I typed it, but after the backlash from incensed readers, I decided to check with some professionals to see whether they thought I had raised a legitimate issue or I was nuts.

Charley Armey

Background: Former St. Louis Rams general manager, New England Patriots assistant director of player operations.

Note: As Rams director of player personnel, Armey dealt with Trent Green's season-ending knee injury and emergence of unheralded Kurt Warner en route to a Super Bowl title.

The risk is too great not to move forward with the quarterback you have right now. You have to get him signed and give your team stability at the position. There's no absolute. That's the problem. You've got to protect yourself and the organization.

I would do whatever I had to do to sign him. I would try to structure the contract so that at some point in time I could deal the player if it's convenient but keep him around until Brady is back and 100 percent.

After Brady is back, you address what you do with both quarterbacks. You have to proceed as though Cassel will be your quarterback until proven otherwise. There are no other options for the Patriots. They have to get the guy signed.

This kid [Cassel] has proven that his arm is getting better and better. They've invested the money and the time to get him to this point. He's a commodity now. You can't let him get away for nothing. I would figure out how to get it done. I would not let him out of there, period.

But the deal can be done. [Cassel] ought to feel a strong sense of loyalty for to the organization for drafting him when they did, showing faith in him and investing in him the way they did.

You know who the quarterback is when he's healthy, but it sure is a nice problem when you have two. Otherwise, you're looking for a free-agent quarterback who's 105 years old to come in and be the backup.

It took Trent Green almost two years and maybe three years until he was comfortable on that knee. Some guys come back and are comfortable on it right away.

You don't know how [Brady's knee] is going to react until you start working out in game mode. He has to step up, take a hit, pivot on it, slide to the left, slide to the right, plant it, come off it. You won't know until you get in a game situation regardless of how the off-field rehab goes.

Brady updates fans about his knee

Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham

Tom Brady has been doing his best D.B. Cooper impersonation since suffering a season-ending knee injury.

But the New England Patriots quarterback has posted an open letter to his fans on www.TomBrady.com. Here's the message in full:

I would like to thank everyone for the well wishes and support you have given me throughout my career. It has been particularly helpful during these past six weeks. It is great to know you are all behind me, not only during the good times, but also during the challenging times. On October 6, I had surgery to repair my knee from the injury that took place four weeks earlier in our season opener.

The surgery went well and my doctor described my knee as "rock solid." Unfortunately, in the week following the surgery, I developed an infection. The infection is very treatable and, through a course of antibiotics, it will be knocked out of my system. We were proactive with the infection and the doctors went in for a second procedure this past Wednesday to clean and to test the wound. The results of the tests have all been positive and we are very thankful. I am excited to begin rehabbing my knee and will continue preparing for 2009. I'm looking forward to supporting my teammates throughout the rest of this season, as we strive to achieve the goals we set as a team months ago. Thanks again for your letters and well wishes. The support has meant so much to me during these past few weeks.

I encourage all of my young fans to keep your bodies and minds as fit as possible and to deal with whatever challenges you may face. We never know what life is going to throw us. The best offense is to be prepared whether for the next school test, the next game, or for an unexpected challenge.

Thanks again -TB

Tom Brady