Tom Brady on Deflategate: ‘To a large degree, we have all lost’

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady made his first public statements since a federal judge overturned his four-game suspension for his role in the Deflategate scandal. He thanked everyone for their support and then apologized for the the never-ending controversy.

The four-game suspension was overturned on Thursday, just a week before the Patriots kick off the 2015 NFL season at Gillette Stadium against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFL has said that it will appear Judge Richard Berman’s decision, but it will not request a stay that would prevent BRady from playing on Sept. 10. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will not be attending the season opener.

Brady stayed quiet on the ruling until Friday night with a Facebook post. He started off by thanking his friends, family and his fans, as well as the NFL Players Association’s legal team and Judge Berman. However, he notably said he felt sorry that “our league had to endure this.”

“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,” Brady wrote. “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.”

Brady went on to write that he is looking forward to competing on the field and putting this behind him. “ 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!” he wrote.

On Sept. 10, the Patriots will also unveil their Super Bowl XLIX championship banner. Patriots president Jonathan Kraft joked that the team would have raised a Brady banner if Brady was not able to play.

image courtesy of Elder Ordonez/INFphoto.com