Brady backs down from Deflategate battle

Tom Brady (Reuters)
Tom Brady (Reuters)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has announced that he will not appeal his four-game suspension handed down by the NFL.

The decision ends a bitter year-and-a-half-long battle between the two parties over the 'Deflategate’ scandal.

"It has been a challenging 18 months and I have made the difficult decision to no longer proceed with the legal process," the star player said in a statement posted to his official Facebook page.

"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."

Brady backs down from Deflategate battle

On Thursday (NZT), the second US Circuit court of Appeals declined to review its decision to reinstate Brady, who turns 39 next month.

Brady was suspended after the NFL discovered underinflated footballs were used in the Patriots 45-7 thumping of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game. The Patriots went on to win SuperBowl 49 in the following game, beating the Seattle Seahawks 28-24, and giving Brady his fourth title.

The NFL players’ union said they support Brady's announcement.

"This decision was made in the interest of certainty and planning for Tom prior to the New England Patriots season,

"We will continue to review all of our options and we reserve our rights to petition for cert to the Supreme Court."

Brady will miss games against the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills before returning in week 5 against the Cleveland Browns.

Newshub.