'Grateful' Tom Brady releases statement, says 'we have all lost' from Deflategate
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}ALLSTON, MA - MAY 29: NFL player and Best Buddies honorary co-chair Tom Brady speaks on stage during a Guy Fieri celebrity chef tailgate for the Best Buddies Challenge: Hyannis Port 2015 at Harvard Field on May 29, 2015 in Allston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images for Best Buddies)
Tom Brady is getting the last word.
The New England Patriots quarterback -- whose four-game suspension in the Deflategate scandal was lifted Thursday -- posted a statement to his Facebook page on Friday, expressing gratitude over the ruling but also saying the saga was not good for the NFL.
"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."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The ongoing saga has ping-ponged back and forth for months, creating hundreds of headlines and casting clouds over both NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and his disciplinary policies and Brady and the Patriots themselves. Brady offered an apology for his role.
"I am also sorry to anyone whose feelings I may have hurt as I have tried to work to resolve this situation," he wrote.
Here's the statement in full:
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The nixed suspension means Brady is eligible to play Thursday in the Patriots' regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.