2016 NFL Season Rumors: Rob Gronkowski Believes Patriots QB Tom Brady Will Still Play 16 Games Despite ‘Deflategate’ Suspension

By Carlo Monzon
Tom Brady
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady exits the Manhattan Federal Courthouse in New York, August 31, 2015.  REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Earlier this year, quarterback Tom Brady signed a two-year contract extension with the New England Patriots, which secures his status with the team until 2019. This is despite the four-game suspension imposed on him by the U.S. Second Court of Appeals.

The suspension stems from Brady's alleged involvement in the Deflategate Scandal of 2015. According to a report submitted by the NFL in May of that year, Brady was aware of the fact that some employees of the Patriots intentionally deflated the footballs used during the AFC championship game in January.

The league also claimed that even though the athlete had knowledge about this issue, he still refused to cooperate in investigations.

Since then, attempts to block Brady's punishment, which is a four-game suspension, were made but these were all overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals.

But for Rob Gronkowski, the tight end for the Patriots, he believes Brady still has a chance of successfully appealing his case. He even said that he's confident that Brady will still be able to play in all 16 games of the upcoming season.

"I was actually surprised," he said about the court's decision according to NFL.com. "It was a surprise to everyone. I thought it was totally done and it was crazy to see it happen again. It's kind of getting stupid to the point where it's at now."

"Why it's still going on now...I think he's going to play 16 games again," he added. "That's the way it's been going on, that's the way it's worked, so hopefully that's true."

As noted by the site, Brady has until May 23 to either request for a new hearing or meet with the same panel of judges who imposed his suspension.

Of course, aside from Brady, the Deflategate Scandal also has repercussions on the Patriots. Aside from possibly losing their starting quarterback for four games in the upcoming season, the team's first-round pick during the recent NFL draft event was also forfeited as punishment due to its involvement in the controversy. This caused the Patriots to miss out on selecting a first-round prospect for its roster.

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