HOUSTON -- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady became very emotional during Super Bowl LI Opening Night when speaking about his father, Tom Sr., and what he has meant to him.

Super Bowl 2017: Media Night Takeaways

Brady Betpas was asked Tuesday why he got choked up discussing his father, who he called his "hero." Brady acknowledged this has been a difficult season for him.

But Brady was not referring to his four-game Deflategate suspension to start the year.

According to a report by CSN New England, Brady's mother, Galynn, has been dealing with undisclosed and previously unreported health issues for about 18 months. CSN reports her condition has improved recently, and she will attend Sunday's game, but "her illness has been a major source of concern for the family."

Brady did not discuss his mother's illness Tuesday, but he alluded to it.

"You just have different things that your family goes through throughout the course of your life," Brady told reporters at the team's hotel Tuesday afternoon, via Newsday.

"It has been a challenging year for my family for some personal reasons. It will be nice to have everyone here watching us this weekend. My mom and dad, they have been so supportive my entire life, and it is nice to be here to show them and try to make them proud."

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Brady's emotional response to the question came one day after his father defended the quarterback against Goodell for the commissioner's handling of Deflategate, a scandal from two years ago in which Brady was accused of intentionally deflating footballs to gain a competitive advantage.  

"(Goodell) went on a witch hunt and went in way over his head and had to lie his way out in numerous ways and the reality is that Tommy never got suspended for deflating footballs," Brady Sr. said.

"He got suspended because the court said that he could, Roger Goodell could do anything he wanted to do to any player for any reason whatsoever. That's what happened. The NFL admitted they had no evidence on him."

A 7-year-old reporter got an emotional response when he asked Tom Brady who his hero is #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/kURdueeDnz

-- Jon Satriale (@WEBNtvSATCH) January 31, 2017 James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.   

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