Patriots' Brady hopes ailing mom can attend Super Bowl

Tom Brady hopes his mother will be in the stands on Super Bowl Sunday despite dealing with an undisclosed health issue.

The New England Patriots quarterback acknowledged on Wednesday that his mother Galynn Brady has been ill but wouldn't provide any details.

He says: "It's personal with my family, and I'm just hoping everyone's here on Sunday to share in a great experience. But it has been a tough year."

Though he isn't sure if she'll be able to make the game, he acknowledged how much it will mean to him if she is in the stands as the Patriots face the Atlanta Falcons.

He says: "It's (will be) a special moment. It's always been that way. I think this year is — it will be as special as it's ever been."

The 39-year-old Brady said it's important to him to have his family at the game as small way to thank them for everything they do for him throughout the year.

"It's a great game because it's the final game of the year and it's a culmination of a lot of things," he said. "It's the Super Bowl and it's great for your team, but there's also a lot of people who have made an investment in you ... and you want to be able to reward them as well."

When he gets tickets for his family away from Gillette Stadium he always scopes out where they are so he can acknowledge them before he gets to work. He said he'll do that again on Sunday.

"When I go out in pregame and look around I kind of know where they're going to be and I try to make some eye contact and let them know I'm looking at them," he said. "You like to know where they're at, too. It's going to be great."