Brady wants to move on from ‘Deflategate’
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady just wants to move on.
Making his first public comments since the “Deflategate” court ruling, Brady said he is focused on preparing for Thursday’s game against Pittsburgh. He also recognized his family, friends and Patriots owner Bob Kraft for their support.
“Everything that’s happened over the past seven months, obviously I have a lot of personal feelings, but I really don’t care to share many of those,” Brady said Sunday.
“I really care to think about what I need to do going forward. We’ve got a lot of guys in this locker room who worked really hard to get to this point, and so have I, and I’m excited to be able to go out there and do it.”
Brady’s four-game suspension for his role in using underinflated footballs during the AFC championship game was overturned Thursday by a federal judge who criticized NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for going what he said was “far beyond” the investigative conclusions of attorney Ted Wells.
Brady said the NFL’s decision to appeal the ruling is “their choice.”
“I think that’s just part of this process,” he said. “My part is to get ready to play football, and that’s what I’m really excited to do.”
It could take months for the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to hear the case because the league would have to show it would suffer irreparable harm to speed up the timetable.
Browns trade West: The Browns have given up on running back Terrance West, trading him to the Tennessee Titans for a seventh-round pick in the 2016 draft.
West was a third-round pick in 2014. He rushed for 673 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie, but never fulfilled the Browns’ expectations. On Friday, coach Mike Pettine referred to West’s “ups and downs,” saying he “flashes at times brilliance and then other times where he gets a minus on the grade sheet.”
West’s departure came one day after Cleveland finalized its 53-man roster and released running back Shaun Draughn. He could be re-signed.
The Browns have been ravaged by injuries to their backs all summer. Rookie Duke Johnson is in the NFL’s program for concussions and it’s not known if he’ll be ready for next Sunday’s season opener.
Isaiah Crowell is expected to be the Browns’ starting back.
Cowboys add a running back: The Dallas Cowboys have acquired running back Christine Michael in a trade from Seattle.
Michael was sent to the Cowboys on Sunday for a conditional 2016 draft pick.
Michael was a second-round pick out of Texas A&M in the 2013 draft. He ran for 254 yards over 14 games the past two seasons with the Seahawks after running for 2,791 yards and 34 touchdowns in four seasons for the Aggies.
After losing NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray in free agency during the offseason, the Cowboys have multiple options at running back this season. Michael joins Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar in Dallas.
Broncos cut Ball: The Denver Broncos waived running back Montee Ball and center Gino Gradkowski on Sunday to make room for two players they were awarded off waivers.
The Broncos bolstered their O-line by claiming center James Ferentz, who was cut by the Houston Texans. And they propped up a thin tight end group by adding Mitchell Henry from the Green Bay Packers.
Ball’s ouster wasn’t a surprise. The second-round pick in 2013 never lived up to expectations in Denver after scoring an NCAA-record 83 touchdown at Wisconsin.