Tom Brady turns 40: What are athletes doing to excel late in their careers?
Tom Brady turns 40 on Thursday, although his diet devoid of sugars, dairy and white flour could make the New England Patriot quarterback’s birthday cake different from most who celebrate the big four-oh.
Brady, already the oldest non-kicker in the NFL, has said he wants to play into his mid-40s and leans on his mostly vegan diet and his approach to fitness that will be detailed in an upcoming book.
There are myriad explanations for Brady’s longevity: newer rules that protect the quarterback, along with advances in diet and training. Brady is hardly alone in the 40-and-over club: The NHL’s Jaromir Jagr (45), Major League Baseball’s Bartolo Colon (44) and the NBA’s Vince Carter (40 1/2) are the oldest in their respective leagues.
“The information teams provide in the areas of training, recovery and nutrition are being used by athletes throughout the year even when they’re not with the team,” Scott Caulfield of the National Strength and Conditioning Association said in an email to USA TODAY. “You’re seeing athletes make commitments to hiring trainers for the offseason, having their own nutritionist or chef and taking advantage of recovery methods.”
Caulfield said recovery methods include cryotherapy — in which the body is exposed to temperatures lower than minus-200 degrees to address muscle soreness — and more advanced massage techniques.
Advances in sports medicine, including ever-improving surgical techniques, also can’t be overlooked.
"Tom Brady is an exception (in the NFL)," Bob Girandola, an associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Southern California said. "Medical techniques and drugs have been able to keep people active longer."
As can lifestyle decisions.
“The attention to nutrition and lifestyle, sleep specifically, has been the biggest change and has the greatest impact on longevity,” Matt Nichol, a former strength and conditioning coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs, said in an email. “I know some successful young players who don’t eat or sleep well and party too much, but not very many older ones.”
While banned, there's also the performance-enhancing cycle route that aging players have chosen in the past.
Of the list USA TODAY Sports compiled of 40 athletes who have had success past 40, three (Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and David Ortiz) have been linked to the use of PEDs later in their careers.
"I cannot specifically single out any athlete, but drugs like anabolic steroids, corticosteroids for pain and human growth hormone all can be used to delay the effects of aging," Girandola said. "When you look at the salaries that these athletes are making, it would be reasonable for someone to try to continue their career."
For NFL players, there are three letters that are more worrisome than knees or shoulders not holding up: CTE.
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Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a debilitating and progressive brain disease that has been traced to concussions and other brain trauma, has been found in 110 of 111 former NFL players whose brains were donated for study by researchers, according to an updated study published last week. Ann McKee, director of Boston University’s CTE Center and one of the co-authors of the study, said researchers are exploring the role the length of an athlete’s career factors into incidences of CTE.
“I think there is exponentially more information available on the effects football has on the human body then there was 20 years ago,” famed agent Leigh Steinberg told USA TODAY Sports. “Players are increasingly aware of the toll football takes and increasingly more conscious about having a healthy body post-career. The code of silence and denial that used to exist — where former players weren’t inclined to discuss their limitations — have been broken. Younger players are aware of the fact that each year of pro football imperils their ability to lead a normal life after football.”
Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Jared Veldheer said Tuesday he took a personal day last week after the CTE study was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association. Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel, 26, unexpectedly retired last Thursday, although he didn’t mention concussion concerns. San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland cited the potential long-term effects of head injuries when he retired two years ago at age 24 after just one season in the NFL.
The average NFL career is three to six seasons, according to NFL Players Association and NFL statistics. That means players who have been in the league 17 seasons like Brady are outliers.
Steinberg said the majority of players will continue to play as long as possible: “They accept the risk that most of us would run from. Most will play as long as they can until they’re too injured to continue or nobody wants them.”
40 athletes who had success past 40
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – NBA career scoring leader, six-time champ and six-time MVP
Morten Andersen – retired at 47 as NFL’s all-time leading scorer (2,544 points).
Kristin Armstrong – three-time Olympic gold medalist road cyclist
Craig Biggio – collected his 3,000th career hit at age 41.
George Blanda – NFL Player of the Year in 1970 at age 43.
Barry Bonds – Won 2004 NL MVP award the year he turned 40.
Chris Chelios – At 46 became the oldest active player to win a Stanley Cup.
Oksana Chusovitina – 41-year-old from Uzbekistan, has been competing in Olympic gymnastics since before most of her competitors were born.
Roger Clemens – Won NL Cy Young award in 2004 his age-41 season.
Bartolo Colon – In 2016 named an All-Star pitcher and hit his first career home run at age 43.
Ernie Els – South African won the 2012 British Open at 42.
Brett Favre – Pro Bowl quarterback for the 11th time as a 40-year-old in 2009.
George Foreman – Oldest heavyweight champion in history at 45.
Julio Franco – Played seven seasons of baseball after turning 40, finishing with a .298 average.
Tom Glavine – All-Star for the 10th time in 2006 at age 40.
Lou Groza – “The Toe” played for the Cleveland Browns (1946-67) before etiring at 43.
Bernard Hopkins – Oldest boxer in history to win a world title at 46, 48 and 49.
Gordie Howe – Scored career-best 103 points in 1968-69 at age 40; played in NHL till 52.
Jaromir Jagr – Oldest in NHL to score a hat trick (at 42).
Randy Johnson – Threw a perfect game at age 40.
Wladimir Klitschko – Heavyweight still a contender at 41.
Bernard Legat – Distance runner was the U.S. champion in the 5,000 meters at 41.
Nicklas Lidstrom – Won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman for the seventh time at age 41.
Greg Maddux – Earned 37 of his 355 wins and a pair of Gold Gloves after turning 40.
Phil Mickelson – Won his fifth career major at 43.
Warren Moon – Led NFL in passing yards per game at age 41.
Martina Navratilova – Oldest grand slam champion in tennis history at age 46, winning mixed doubles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Jack Nicklaus – Won the Masters at 46.
Phil Niekro – Knuckelballer won 125 games after 40th birthday.
David Ortiz – “Big Papi” led the American League with 127 RBI and a 1.021 slugging percentage at 40.
Satchel Paige – MLB’s oldest rookie in 1948 at age 42 and all-star pitcher at 45 and 46.
Richard Petty – Earned seventh season championship at 42 and 200th victory at 47.
Jerry Rice – Named to his 13th Pro Bowl at 40.
Nolan Ryan – Threw two of his record seven no-hitters after 40th birthday.
Vijay Singh – PGA Tour’s leading money-winner at 40, PGA Champion at 41.
Sam Snead – “Slammin’ Sammy” won the Masters at 41 and is oldest to win a Tour event at 52.
Ichiro Suzuki – Batted .291 at age 42.
Dara Torres – Anchored U.S. 4x100 meter freestyle relay team to Olympic silver at 41.
Adam Vinatieri – All-Pro at 42 after converting an NFL-best 97% of his field goal attempts and going 50-for-50 on extra points.
Tom Watson – At 59, nearly won British Open but bogeyed final hole and lost in a playoff.