Tom Brady has said he is sorry the NFL has had to “endure” Deflategate after a judge overturned the New England Patriots quarterback’s suspension over the saga.
“The regular season starts tomorrow morning and I can’t wait to fully commit my energy and emotion to focus on the challenges of the 2015 NFL season,” said Brady in a statement on his official Facebook page. “I want to thank my family, my friends, all of the fans, past and current players and my teammates for the support they have given me throughout this challenging experience. I also want to thank Judge [Richard] Berman and his staff for their efforts to resolve this matter over the past five weeks. I am very grateful.”
Brady acknowledged that Deflategate had been damaging for the league’s image, with the NFL and one of its biggest stars at odds for most of the off-season. A league investigation found that Brady was probably aware that footballs had been deliberately underinflated during the Patriots AFC Championship victory over the Indianapolis Colts and suspended the quarterback for the first four games of the new season. On Thursday, Berman voided the suspension. “While I am pleased to be eligible to play, I am sorry our league had to endure this,” said Brady. “I don’t think it has been good for our sport - to a large degree, we have all lost. I am also sorry to anyone whose feelings I may have hurt as I have tried to work to resolve this situation”
Despite Brady’s clash with the NFL, he emphasized he was proud to represent the league. “I love the NFL,” he added. “It is a privilege to be a member of the NFL community and I will always try to do my best in representing my team and the league in a way that would make all members of this community proud. I look forward to the competition on the playing field and I hope the attention of NFL fans can return to where it belongs - on the many great players and coaches who work so hard every week, and sacrifice so much, to make this game great.”
The Patriots play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night in the opening game of the new season.
