DeflateGate: Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady Issues Statement, Apologizes for Roger Goodell's Ineptitude

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady issued a statement over Facebook so he has the backing to tell all future reporter inquiries "I've already said my piece."

Brady's note was apologetic in tone, but not for any wrongdoing on his part. He's sorry that football fans had to go through one of the dumbest scandals in the history of football because the NFL was too proud to admit that they were wrong.

"We have all lost," Brady wrote.

Brady's statement is below (paragraphs have been added for ease of reading):

The regular season starts tomorrow morning and I can't wait to fully commit my energy and emotion to focus on the challenges of the 2015 NFL season.

I want to thank my family, my friends, all of the fans, past and current players and my teammates for the support they have given me throughout this challenging experience. I also want to thank Judge Berman and his staff for their efforts to resolve this matter over the past five weeks. I am very grateful. My thanks also to the union's legal team who has fought so hard right along with me.

While I am pleased to be eligible to play, I am sorry our league had to endure this. I don't think it has been good for our sport - to a large degree, we have all lost. I am also sorry to anyone whose feelings I may have hurt as I have tried to work to resolve this situation. I love the NFL. It is a privilege to be a member of the NFL community and I will always try to do my best in representing my team and the league in a way that would make all members of this community proud.

I look forward to the competition on the playing field and I hope the attention of NFL fans can return to where it belongs - on the many great players and coaches who work so hard every week, and sacrifice so much, to make this game great. Most importantly, I look forward to representing the New England Patriots on Thursday night in our season opener. I hope to make all of our fans proud this year ... and beyond!

While Brady has nothing to apologize for, he is clearly looking forward to put this storyline in the past. We'll be all-too-happy to acquiesce.

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Sidenote:

@MikeReiss thanks, this is what I saw. pic.twitter.com/h1viq6rDfh

— BestofBSMW (@BestofBSMW) September 5, 2015

@BestofBSMW I never wrote those words and my byline should have never been attached to it.

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 5, 2015

Someone at ESPN wrote an article saying that Brady apologized for putting the league "through the legal saga" and slapped Reiss' name on it. That statement clearly places blame for DeflateGate- not the footballs, but the aftermath- at the feet of Brady. Reiss denies writing it, and the article has since been updated to a more neutral tone. But still. C'mon ESPN.