New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has revealed that he believes everyone involved in the deflategate scandal "lost" following the eradication of his four-game suspension.
The 38-year-old was banned for four matches by the NFL for being generally aware that members of his side's equipment staff had deflated football in the Patriots' win in the AFC championship game.
Brady appealed his ban, which was upheld by commissioner Roger Goodell, only for the quarterback to take the matter to court, with the assistance of the NFL Players Association.
US District judge Richard Berman took the decision to vacate the suspension by the NFL, leaving Brady free to play in the 2015 season.
The quarterback wrote on Facebook: "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."
The Patriots open the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers next Thursday.
Simon Sinclair
