On Wednesday afternoon, folks on Twitter and probably all of New England were searching for a breath after news emerged that New England Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady left practice with an apparent left knee injury.

Related: Should Tom Brady Sit Out The Remainder Of The Preseason?

The Patriots have undergone a tumultuous off-season that has been highlighted by the arrest and murder charge against former star tight end, Aaron Hernandez. In turn, the last two words that any New England fan wanted to hear heading into the 2013 NFL season was “injury” and “Brady.” The scariest part of this ongoing situation is the fact that Brady’s left knee, which was injured on Wednesday afternoon, is the same knee that caused him to nearly the entire 2008 season.

While much of the NFL awaits news of Brady’s status, there is no direct word on how bad, if at all, the injury really is. Video of the play in which he was injured has already surfaced, but there’s no definite word on things just yet. Brady left the practice field, returned for a few more snaps, but he was then removed from practice for the day and seen limping off the field.

NFL.com‘s Ian Rapoport later reported on Wednesday afternoon that Brady was not wearing his knee brace on Wednesday — an interesting twist considering he has been very supportive of its added protection since his return to the gridiron following that 2008 injury.

New England needs Brady and they know it. For now however, they must continue to hold their collective breath.

Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS and add him to your network on Google.