After 18 months, Tom Brady has given up the fight.
The Patriots quarterback announced on his Facebook page that he will no longer pursue legal action against the NFL and he'll reluctantly accept his four-game suspension for Deflategate. The four-time Super Bowl champion has been fightning the league since the whole scandal of underinflated footballs broke in January 2015.
Brady has been under scrutiny ever since the dominating performance with questionable footballs in the AFC championship against the Colts. New England went on to win the Super Bowl against the Seahawks that season.
After a 2nd Circuit Court denied Brady's appeal of an initial 2-1 court ruling that the suspension should be held up, he posted about accepting the ban.
"I'm very grateful for the overwhelming support I've received from Mr. Kraft, the Kraft family, coach Belichick, my coaches and teammates, the NFLPA, my agents, my loving family and most of all, our fans," Brady wrote on Facebook. "It has been a challenging 18 months and I have made the difficult decision to no longer proceed with the legal process. I'm going to work hard to be the best player I can be for the New England Patriots and I look forward to having the opportunity to return to the field this fall."
Jimmy Garoppolo will now be under center when the Patriots open the season on Sept. 11 against the Cardinals in Arizona. He'll also suit up for the next three contests against the Dolphins, Texans and Bills.
Brady, who turns 39 in August, finished last season with a 64.4 completion percentage, while throwing for 4,770 yards with 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
He'll sit out Weeks 1 through 4 after finally backing down and accepting the four-game ban.
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