Tom Brady on Deflategate: ‘We have all lost’

Feb 2, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (left) and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell pose with the Pete Rozelle trophy during the Super Bowl XLIX-Winning Head Coach and MVP Press Conference at Media Center-Press Conference Room B. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (left) and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell pose with the Pete Rozelle trophy during the Super Bowl XLIX-Winning Head Coach and MVP Press Conference at Media Center-Press Conference Room B. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady has issued a response to the Deflategate ruling that came down this week that wiped away his suspension

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady released a statement on Friday about his recent victory over the NFL in his appeal of his Deflategate-related suspension. Brady is looking forward to facing off against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the season opener on September 10 and the rest of the regular season instead of sitting out the first four games, which was his original punishment.

He said, via his Facebook page, “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 season…. I look forward to the competition on the playing field and I hope the attention of NFL fans can return 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.”

Brady also acknowledge that the Deflategate saga has taken a toll on the league. “I am sorry the league had to endure this,” he said. “I don’t think it has been good for our sport- to a large degree we have all lost.” It is hard to disagree with his statement.

Perhaps the biggest loser in all of this is Roger Goodell who has seen his power undermined yet again. Already in the day after the nullfication of the suspension, NFL owners have already begun to question the role Goodell plays in the CBA. Falcons owner Arthur Blank said via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ““This deflate-gate thing, which isn’t about deflate-gate any longer — it’s about what has been collectively negotiated for decades in terms of the commissioner’s responsibility in terms of disciplining players,” Blank said. “If we have to look at that differently in today’s light, in today’s environment, as an ownership group we should be prepared to do that. The commissioner should be prepared to do that.”

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