Tom Brady Breaks Silence After 'Long Seven Months'
FOXBORO (CBS) – Tom Brady broke his silence on Sunday, speaking to a crunch of reporters for the first since the Super Bowl.
The Patriots quarterback, whose 4-game DeflateGate suspension was overturned by a federal judge on Thursday, has rarely been heard from since the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
Related: In Facebook Post, Tom Brady Says 'We Have All Lost' Because Of DeflateGate
Brady did not speak in the offseason, with the exception of an appearance with Jim Gray at Salem State University.
"I'll be excited to run out there Thursday night. It's obviously been a long seven months for everybody. Now the goal is to focus on what my job is and what I need to go out there to do to help our team win. Everything that's happened over the last seven months, obviously I have a lot of personal feelings, but I don't really care to share many of those," Brady said.
"I really care to think about what I need to do going forward. A lot of guys in this locker room have worked really hard to get to this point. And so have I. I'm excited to be able to go out there and do it."
Brady said the saga of DeflateGate took a toll on his family as well as the family of John Jastremski and Jim McNally, equipment managers who are currently suspended for their roles in allegedly deflating footballs before the AFC Championship Game.
"I think it's been a very tough situation for everybody. It's put a lot of stress on everyone's families. I feel bad that anybody is in the position that we've been put in. Hopefully we can just keep learning from life experiences. I certainly feel terrible for them that they aren't able to be with us right now," Brady said.
"They've been obviously been put through a lot, as my family has."
The quarterback said it's been a stressful seven months for him. He praised the organization for backing him, specifically owner Robert Kraft.
"I think everyone deals with things differently. I dealt with them the best way I know how," Brady told reporters. "Certainly I have so much support from family, friends, the organization. Mr. Kraft has been an unbelievable support for me, just like he would be for any player in this locker room. There's a lot of people that supported me and we'll need that support this season."
Brady didn't comment specifically on the NFL's decision to appeal Judge Richard Berman's ruling, other than adding "that's their choice" and "part of the process."
Mostly, Brady reiterated his eagerness to get onto the field when the Patriots play the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.
"For the last 20 years I've been playing football this time of year and it feels good to be able to do that again," Brady said, concluding the meeting with reporters that lasted just under five minutes.