Tom Brady said Friday he has chose to drop the legal challenge to his four-game “Deflategate” suspension.
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With the suspension now in place, Brady will miss the first four games of the season and the Patriots are expected to turn to Jimmy Garoppolo to take over starting duties until Brady is eligible to return on October 9 against the Cleveland Browns.
In a post on Facebook, Brady thanked the Patriots owner, his coaches, teammates, the NFLPA, agents, family and friends before saying he made the “difficult decision” to not proceed with the legal process.
“I love playing against Brady, I get up for him…”
“The track record of this league office when it comes to matters of player discipline is bad for our business and bad for our game”.
Brady was originally suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season but successfully appealed the ruling to have the suspension stayed.
The decision affirmed wide-ranging powers given to the commissioner by the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
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Brady and the NFLPA took the case to court, filing in the state of Minnesota, but the National Football League beat them to the punch by filing in New York City. As such, the Arizona Cardinals will now begin looking forward to their matchup with backup Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 1 – something defensive lineman Calais Campbell says has the defense licking their chops. Buffalo has not beaten the Patriots first team in Gillette Stadium, which opened in 2002, and the Bills players would reasonably take more value from a victory against the Brady-led Patriots. He will be eligible to return to the team Monday, Oct. 10, in preparation for the Patriots’ game against the Cleveland Browns.
