A week ago, if someone were to walk down the streets of Boston, or any town in New England for that matter, they would have likely seen many posters and t-shirts reading “Free Brady.” New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady allegedly knew about the use of deflated footballs when the Patriots played the Indianapolis Colts in the American Football Conference Championship game last winter. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell decided to punish Brady for his alleged involvement in the scandal, now known as “Deflategate,” by suspending him for the first four games of the regular NFL season. For the last eight months, Patriots fans have been on the edge of their seats hoping that Brady would win the appeal and play in the first four games of the season.
Last week, after months of investigation and appeals, Federal Judge Richard Berman ruled to overturn Brady’s suspension. Much to the pleasure of Patriots fans, Brady has been “freed,” and the Patriots can rest assured knowing that their four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback will be present to lead the Patriots to yet another successful season like that of last year.
Some critics of Judge Berman’s decision say that his personal connection to Patriots owner Robert Kraft may have influenced his decision to drop the charges against Brady and the rest of the Patriots organization.
Though, even Brady’s longtime rivals, such as Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, even came out in favor of dropping the charges Goodell filed against Brady.
Despite the tension with the NFL the Patriots have faced in the past several months, there is still hope for the team.
Second-string quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, who resembles a young Greek god, led the Pats to a respectable 2-2 preseason record.
The Patriots have the same preseason record as other highly ranked teams such as the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks, and an even better record than last year’s AFC runner-up, the Indianapolis Colts.
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