Start without Brady

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots are getting ready for the season — and the prospect of playing their first four games without quarterback Tom Brady.

The Patriots reported for training camp on Wednesday. Brady can take part in practice and the preseason, but he will miss the first four regular-season games. That’s his punishment for his part in what the league found to be a scheme to illegally deflate footballs in the 2015 AFC championship game.

Coach Bill Belichick said there is finally some “definition” to the penalty, which has dragged on for 18 months.

Belichick gave no indication how he would use the practice time to prepare his quarterbacks. Jimmy Garoppolo is the backup, and the team also drafted Jacoby Brissett this year.