NFL's Brady empathizes with banned Pats staffers

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said Sunday he didn't care to share his personal feelings about the protracted "Deflate-gate" saga, preferring to look toward the upcoming NFL season now that he's cleared to play.

"Anything that has happened over the past seven months, obviously I have a lot of personal feelings. But I really don't care to share many of those," said Brady whose four-game suspension in the under-inflated ball controversy was vacated by a New York judge on Thursday.

Brady's remarks in the Patriots' locker room in Massachusetts marked the first time he had taken questions from reporters since his post-game news conference after being named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl 49 in February.

Brady expressed concern for Patriots equipment staffers John Jastremski and Jim McNally, who remain suspended after a league investigation pointed at them as figures involved in purposely deflating game balls below league air pressure minimums.

"It's been a very tough situation for everybody," said Brady, who declined to say if he'd been in touch with McNally and Jastremski.

"It's put a lot of stress on everybody's families," Brady said. "I feel bad that anybody is in the position that we've been put in.

"Hopefully we can just keep learning from life's experiences, and I certainly feel terrible for them that they're not able to be with us right now."

Although Thursday's ruling frees Brady to play, the league promptly appealed, and the case is expected to linger in the courts long into the season.
"That's their choice, and I think that's part of this process," Brady said. "My part is to get ready to play football, and that's what I'm really excited to do."

The Patriots launch their campaign for a fifth Super Bowl title on Thursday when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said that he "wasn't surprised at all" that Brady's suspension was overturned.

"Big Ben" told reporters on a conference call that while he hadn't followed the legal ins and outs closely he felt NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had "jumped to a pretty harsh punishment."

Roethlisberger said the Patriots will be harder to beat with Brady at the helm.

"But a bigger part of you as a competitor wants him out there because he is the best," Roethlisberger said.
Source: AFP