Whisper it, but the Deflategate scandal might finally be over. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady says he will not fight the four-game suspension for his role in the ball-tampering scandal, and will serve out his ban next season.
On Friday, Brady announced the decision on his official Facebook page. “I’m very grateful for the overwhelming support I’ve received from Mr Kraft, the Kraft family, Coach Belichick, my coaches and teammates, the NFLPA, my agents, my loving family and most of all, our fans,” he wrote.
“It has been a challenging 18 months and I have made the difficult decision to no longer proceed with the legal process. I’m going to work hard to be the best player I can be for the New England Patriots and I look forward to having the opportunity to return to the field this fall.”
Brady’s decision comes two days after his case was turned aside by the second US circuit court of appeals. His only remaining hope had been the US supreme court, which accepts about 1% of the appeals submitted.
However, the NFL players’ union left open the possibility of taking an appeal to America’s highest court. It said in a statement: “After careful consideration and discussion with Tom Brady, the NFLPA will not be seeking a stay of the four-game suspension with the second circuit.
“This decision was made in the interest of certainty and planning for Tom prior to the New England Patriots season. We will continue to review all of our options and we reserve our rights to petition for cert to the supreme court.”
Brady, 38, was originally suspended after the Patriots were found to have used underinflated footballs in the 2015 AFC title game against the Colts, which the Patriots won 45-7.
An independent investigator found that it was “more probable than not” that Brady was “at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities” in the game against the Colts, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell handed down a four-game ban.
But a judge overturned the suspension, and Brady was allowed to play the entire 2015 season, again helping his team to the AFC title game. However, in April of this year, a three-judge panel ruled that the original suspension should be reinstated, and that Brady should miss four games.
Brady will be suspended for games against the Cardinals, Dolphins, Texans and Bills, but should return in Week 5 against the Browns. Backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is slated to start in Brady’s place. Despite the suspension, the Patriots remain overwhelming favorites to win the AFC East for the 13th time in 14 seasons, and the gambling website Bovada listed them as the top choice to win the Super Bowl.
An NFL spokesman said the league would have no comment.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who has parted ways with longtime league allies over the punishment, renewed his complaint that the suspension was “unprecedented, unjust and unreasonable”.
“Unfortunately, this stopped being about air pressure a long time ago,” Kraft said in a statement. “This entire process has indelibly taken a toll on our organization, our fans and most importantly, Tom Brady. His reluctant decision to stop pursuing further action and to put this situation behind him is what he feels is best for the team in preparation for this season and is fully supported by me and our entire organization.”
