Brady’s mentor may be on the mend

Brady’s mentor may be on the mend

By Doug Farrar

Great news for former College of San Mateo coach and longtime quarterback guru Tom Martinez — after recent reports that complications from diabetes may have given Martinez a very short time to live, it now appears that there's far more hope than originally thought. Martinez, who has been Tom Brady's(notes) primary quarterback guru for over 20 years and has trained many other NFL players as well, was given between a week and a month to live in early June.

However, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, a second opinion Martinez received at UCLA's medical center this week revealed that the primary issue with his health may have been a pacemaker he received right around the time that the more somber diagnosis was made. "I'm feeling better and I'm optimistic after being almost completely certain that I was going to die," Martinez said after the pacemaker was adjusted. Amazingly, he felt good enough on Saturday to attend his 33^rd annual quarterback camp

Now, the man who taught Brady how to be a quarterback (the two conferred about Brady's mechanics just recently in a meeting that also included Pats receiver Julian Edelman(notes)) could very well be in line for a kidney transplant. After his condition was reported on Facebook, several people volunteered to help. A donor was recently found, and Martinez will undergo further tests to insure that he's strong enough to handle the procedure. From there, a heart transplant might be a possibility as well. "Incredible, isn't it? They might try to do a double transplant if everything works," he said.

One kid I used to coach said he would give both his kidney and his heart, but obviously I couldn't do that," Martinez told the Chronicle. "It was all very touching."

Brady is Martinez's most famous success story, but the longtime football mentor is still a bit haunted by his most talented failure — former Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell(notes), who bombed out of the NFL despite an amazing arm.

"When he got to Oakland and started to struggle ... I always at the end of every kid I work with, I give them a quarter," Martinez told the Chronicle. "…If you need help, if there's anything you think I can help with because I watch every game, call me. And here's a quarter. ... Brady used his quarter, and I had to give him another one, and he used that, and I gave him a different one. JaMarcus still has his."

If Russell ever wants to use that quarter, it appears that he'll have more time to do so. Tom Martinez is making a more amazing comeback than any of his quarterbacks ever have.

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