Tom Brady Writes Open Letter on the Impact of Deflategate

Tom Brady is looking to start off the new football season on a clean slate. Before making his way back on the field, the New England Patriots quarterback thought it would be best to air out his feelings and make peace with the infamous Deflategate scandal. On Friday (Sept. 4), Brady took to his personal Facebook account to speak openly about how the incident has affected his career and his fans.

The 38-year-old NFL athlete was initially suspended from playing in four games this season after the New England Patriots were accused of tampering and possibly deflating the footballs used in the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts in January. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback has repeatedly denied his involvement in the football conspiracy. Luckily, U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman dismissed his four game suspension on Thursday Sept. 3, claiming NFL commissioner Roger Goodell went too far with his punishment.

"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," wrote Brady in a statement on Facebook. "I am also sorry to anyone whose feelings I may have hurt as I have tried to work to resolve this situation."

Brady remained very apologetic throughout his entire post, sincerely addressing the backlash that followed his suspension. He also mentioned how grateful he was for the District Judge to side in favor of the Pats. Dealing with such a traumatic scandal after a big Super Bowl victory wasn't the easiest thing to swallow for Brady, but he assured fans his team his extremely eager to prove themselves on the field once again. It's clear how seriously he takes being a member of the NFL and that he wouldn't want anything to come in the middle of his progression as an athlete.

"I love the NFL," the 38-year-old continued. "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."

Not everyone is ready to celebrate the New England Patriots immediate return to the field. The NFL has chosen to appeal the court's decision as they still believe the "Deflategate" scandal threatened the integrity of football. The commissioner is looking to uphold and secure the competitiveness of the game. NFL attorney Daniel Nash submitted a one-page appeal from the league to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. Due to timing and "several significant legal deficiencies," the appeal could take several months to execute.