Tom Brady says he’s ending ‘deflategate’ legal battle, won’t appeal latest suspension decision

BOSTON — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on Friday said he would end his legal battle against the National Football League over the decision to suspend him for four games as a result of the “Deflategate” scandal.

“It has been a challenging 18 months and I have made the difficult decision to no longer proceed with the legal process,” the star player said in a statement posted to his official Facebook page.

“I’m going to work hard to be the best player I can be for the New England Patriots and I look forward to having the opportunity to return to the field this fall.”

On Wednesday, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York declined to review its April decision to reinstate the suspension of Brady, 38, who was twice the league’s most valuable player.

Brady was suspended after the NFL discovered underinflated footballs were used in the Patriots’ 45-7 rout of the Indianapolis Colts in the January 2015 AFC championship game.

The win propelled the Patriots to Super Bowl XLIX, where they beat the Seattle Seahawks, giving Brady his fourth title.

Brady’s decision ends an 18-month saga that had become a major distraction for the NFL, which also faces criticism over player safety and the link between football and concussions.

The union that represents NFL players said it supported Brady’s decision.

“This decision was made in the interest of certainty and planning for Tom prior to the New England Patriots season,” The NFL Players’ Association said in a statement. “We will continue to review all of our options and we reserve our rights to petition for cert to the Supreme Court.”

The nation’s top court, currently operating with just eight of nine seats filled, reviews only a small fraction of cases brought to it.

Even Boston’s daily newspapers, which obsessively covered every step of the legal battle around the beloved quarterback, had been skeptical that Brady would get a hearing from the Supreme Court.

“America has an unhealthy obsession with football,” wrote Boston Globe sports columnist Christopher Gasper following Wednesday’s 2nd Circuit decision. “An institution that deals with weighty issues that affect the lives of millions, such as marriage equality, reproductive rights, and campaign finance, is now going to intervene in a power struggle between millionaires and billionaires over who gets to play in football games? No thanks.”