New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has now spoken out on the Deflategate controversy that has surrounded his team.
According to John Breech of CBS Sports, Brady broke his silence on the Deflategate report that was released by independent investigator Ted Wells on Wednesday. He commented on the matter during an appearance at Salem State University in Massachusetts.
"I don't really have any reaction," Brady said to journalist Jim Gray. "Our owner commented on it yesterday. It's only been 30 hours so I haven't had much time to digest it fully, but when I do, I'll be sure to let you know how I feel about it."
Breech reported that Brady did not back out of the Thursday night speaking engagement, given that it was scheduled over four months ago. In addition, he was in front of "a decidedly pro-Patriots crowd at the event."
"It wasn't clear if Gray would bring up Deflategate -- the two men were scheduled to talk about leadership -- however, the veteran journalist ended up leading with the 'Elephant in the room' out of the gate," Breech wrote. "For almost 10 minutes, Gray peppered Brady with Deflategate questions that Brady chose to sidestep.
Breech noted that the Wells report was 243 pages long. Gray asked Brady when he will address the contents of that report.
"Hopefully soon," Brady quipped. "There's still a process that's going forth right now and I'm involved in that process and whenever it happens, it happens. And I'll certainly want to be comfortable with the statements that I make."
Gray then asked the quarterback how he was handling the controversy.
"I've dealt with a lot of things in the past," Brady said. "I dealt with this [matter] three months ago before the Super Bowl. I dealt with a lot of adversity in the course of my career, my life and I'm very fortunate to have a lot of people who love me, support me."
Brady added that he accepted his role as a "public figure."
"You take the good with the bad and dealing with different adversities in life, you just try to do the best you can do," Brady said. "I was raised by a great mom and dad who support me. I have a lot of great teammates who support me. So we'll get through it."
Gray asked him whether or not the Deflategate controversy has diminished his team's win at the Super Bowl earlier this year.
"What do you guys think?" Brady asked the audience, who said no. "No. Absolutely not."
Brady indicated that he was unfazed by the harsh criticism directed at him due to the Wells report.
"As a public figure, you learn that not everyone's going to like you -- Good, bad, indifferent -- there's a lot of people who don't like Tom Brady and I'm OK with that," Brady said. "I have teammates that I love and support -- that love and support me. I have fans. I have family. I'm very blessed."
According to Breech, Brady's agent, Don Yee, slammed the Wells report as a "terrible disappointment."
"The Wells report, with all due respect, is a significant and terrible disappointment," Yee said. "Its omission of key facts and lines of inquiry suggest the investigators reached a conclusion first, and then determined so-called facts later."
Breech concluded that Brady may not ever reveal his true thoughts on the situation as long as other people, such as his agent or a lawyer, continue to speak for him. However, he conjectured that Brady could spill the beans if the possibility of a suspension exists.
