The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Brady back with Pats after suspension ends
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady sat out the final game of a four-game suspension on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills and was eligible to return to practice with the team on Monday.
FOXBOROUGH, MASS.>> He’s baaack.
And minus a surprise setback Sunday against Buffalo, it’s almost like Tom Brady never left.
Despite being without their franchise centerpiece for the past month while he served his four-game “Deflategate” suspension, the New England Patriots welcomed Brady back on Monday sitting at 3-1 after a 16-0 loss to the Bills.
When Brady returned to the Patriots facilities, it put an official stamp on the 21-month odyssey that has hovered over the franchise since an NFL investigation concluded the Patriots intentionally underinflated footballs used in the AFC Championship game on Jan. 18, 2015.
A federal judge initially overturned the sus- pension, allowing Brady to play last season, but an appeals court reinstated it this spring. Prior to training camp in July, Brady announced he would end his legal challenges and accept the league’s punishment.
The NFL won that fight, but with a nearly unblemished start to 2016, the Patriots have barely missed a beat.
That’s not to say they haven’t had their trials. New England won games it wasn’t expected to and watched the balance of the AFC East struggle to keep up. It did it all with a roster that has hadits issues with health at key positions.
Asmuch as the teamhas rallied behind Brady understudies Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett the past month, there is also no denying the eagerness in the Patriots’ locker room to see No. 12 back in uniform.