Advertisement

Tom Brady returns, talks scissors, suspension

By The Sports Xchange
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady throws against the Denver Broncos during the AFC Championship game at Sport Authority Field at Mile High in Denver on January 24, 2016. Denver advances to Super Bowl 50 defeating New England 20-18. Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady throws against the Denver Broncos during the AFC Championship game at Sport Authority Field at Mile High in Denver on January 24, 2016. Denver advances to Super Bowl 50 defeating New England 20-18. Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI | License Photo

Tom Brady returned to the New England Patriots on Tuesday, and the quarterback kept a tight lip for why he received an excused personal absence while also explaining his scissors mishap that prevented him from playing against the Chicago Bears last Thursday.

Brady was reportedly excused from team the past two days but didn't shed light on the issue.

Advertisement

"I just had to take care of something, so it's good to be back with the team," Brady said. "I missed everybody, so just getting caught up on everything."

Brady elaborated in much deeper detail when it came to the scissors incident that left him with a sliced right thumb. He called it "a silly mistake."

"I was ready to go, had everything on, and I was just trying to get something out of my shoe," Brady said. "The scissors slipped. Just a silly accident."

Advertisement

The injury caused Brady to be scratched shortly before kickoff against the Bears.

Asked his reaction when he noticed the severity, Brady said he uttered a word he shouldn't repeat.

"Yeah, I let out probably a pretty loud word I wouldn't repeat in front of my kids," Brady said. "I couldn't believe it; I just went and got checked out. It was just a silly accident.

Brady said he hopes to play in Friday's exhibition game against the Carolina Panthers. Coach Bill Belichick hasn't yet made a decision on that front.

Brady has begun lobbying in hopes of persuading Belichick to play him against the Panthers.

"Absolutely. I like to be out there every time I get a chance to play," Brady said. "You only get so many opportunities a year. I'm getting [only] so many opportunities left in my life, so I'd like to take advantage of any and all of them if possible."

Still looming is the four-game suspension Brady faces as part of the Deflategate situation in which the Patriots were found to be tinkering with the air level in footballs.

Jimmy Garoppolo will serve as the starter while Brady sits out but Brady said he is not swaying from his normal routine in terms of getting ready for the regular season.

Advertisement

"I try to approach it the same way. I think that has been successful for me," Brady said. "I don't try to change a whole bunch of things up, I try to work hard every day and I try to do what I need to do on the practice field to prepare myself.

"That's just kind of what the routine is, so we'll deal with those four weeks when they come. In the meantime, I'm just trying to prepare this week like I would have last year and the year before, and try to just prepare the best I can so I can be the best quarterback that I can for this team."

Of course, the scissors' caper wasn't part of the script. And Brady feels like he dodged a bullet with his silly mistake.

"I'm glad it wasn't the regular season and I learned from it," said Brady, "and hopefully I won't be operating any more scissors for a while."

Latest Headlines