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

While the appeal of his suspension dragged on for months, Tom Brady has remained relatively quiet about the DeflateGate situation. Now that the judge has ruled in his favor and overturned the four-game suspension handed down by the NFL, Brady has broken his silence, saying among other things that he’s “sorry our league had to endure this.”

Brady posted the statement on his Facebook account, but is not gloating in victory. “I don’t think it has been good for our sport - to a large degree, we have all lost,” Brady said. He also said it is a privilege to play in the NFL and that he will always try to act in a way that makes the NFL community proud.

While Brady thanked Judge Richard Berman and the legal team from the NFL Players Union, he did not mention NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in the statement. He also appears to be putting the situation behind him, saying he hopes 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.”

Although Brady has appeared to move on, the situation isn’t completely resolved just yet. The NFL plans to appeal the latest ruling, meaning there is still at least one more legal decision to be made. Until then, Brady will suit up and play for the New England Patriots.

Here is the complete statement from the Patriots quarterback:

The regular season starts tomorrow morning and I can’t wait to fully commit my energy and emotion to focus on the challenges of the 2015 NFL season. I want to thank my family, my friends, all of the fans, past and current players and my teammates for the support they have given me throughout this challenging experience. I also want to thank Judge Berman and his staff for their efforts to resolve this matter over the past five weeks. I am very grateful. My thanks also to the union’s legal team who has fought so hard right along with me. While I am pleased to be eligible to play, I am sorry 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. 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!