Tom Brady and the NFL Players Association clearly will never reach an agreement with Roger Goodell and the NFL, so the Deflategate drama will rage on, despite already being in headlines for nearly 500 days.
Defensive end Rob Ninkovich claimed Monday at his Ninko’s Ping Pong Challenge charity event that the New England Patriots aren’t caught up in their quarterback’s legal drama.
“You don’t even think about it,” Ninkovich told NESN. “You’re all just working together to try to get better. You can’t let that distract you from your ultimate goal.”
If Brady didn’t fight the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit’s recent ruling, he would be suspended four games, which is why he filed a petition “en banc” on Monday in an attempt to overturn the ban for the second time.
“Tom’s a tremendous competitor,” Ninkovich said. “I’ve been with him for a long time now, so that whole thing that’s going on, obviously we all support him. He’s a great teammate.”
And if Brady loses and is forced to serve that four-game suspension?
“We all work together,” Ninkovich said. “It’s a team game. It’s not just a one guy on the field game, so all three phases have to do their job and support each other. …
“Everyone across the board, throughout the year, there’s always going to be ups and downs when everyone has to step up every year, not just this year but years past. It’s just the way it goes.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
