FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady will not be on the sideline Thursday night as his New England Patriots open their preseason schedule against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium.
Brady has been “excused from the team (Thursday night) to attend the memorial services of a family member,” the Patriots announced less than two hours before kickoff.
The quarterback, who is suspended for the first four games of the regular season over Deflategate, was not expected to play against the Saints anyway, according to multiple reports Wednesday night. Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett will share quarterback duties for New England.
Before the game, Brady reminisced in a Facebook post about the first preseason game he ever played for the Patriots.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
