New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady broke his media silence on the Deflategate saga, which included a four-game suspension handed down by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in the wake of the findings of the Wells Report that was vacated upon appeal by Brady and the NFLPA before U.S. Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan federal court this week. Via a personal Facebook post, Brady suggested that not only has the league suffered as a result of the protracted battle, but fans of the NFL have as well.
"While I am pleased to be eligible to play, I am sorry our league had to endure this," Brady wrote. "I don't think it has been good for our sport -- to a large degree, we have all lost."
While Brady successfully appealed his four-game ban, the league and Goodell have vowed to appeal Berman's decision. Brady ultimately received the result he wanted via a legal battle with the NFL, but he didn't seem to be in a celebratory mood.
"I am sorry to anyone whose feelings I may have hurt as I have tried to work to resolve this situation," he said. "I love the NFL. 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.
"Most importantly, I look forward to representing the New England Patriots on Thursday night in our season opener. I hope to make all of our fans proud this year ... and beyond!"
Brady, now preparing for the Patriots season-opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, did his best to shift the focus to the coming season, while offering a "thank you" to the Pats fans and others who supported him throughout the process.
"I can't wait to fully commit my energy and emotion to focus on the challenges of the 2015 NFL season," he wrote, before thanking "my family, friends, all of the fans, past and current players and my teammates for the support they have given me throughout this challenging experience."
