The New England Patriots were prepared to wait until Week 7 to raise their most recent Super Bowl champions banner if Tom Brady’s four-game suspension was upheld.
In an interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston on Thursday, Patriots president Jonathan Kraft confirmed that the team would not have raised its Super Bowl XLIX champions banner before its Week 1 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers if Brady was not allowed to be present.
As Phil Perry of CSSNE.com noted, Kraft also hinted that the Patriots were planning to unveil a banner honoring their suspended quarterback if it came down to it.
Was it a “Free Brady” banner? Or would it say “12” somewhere?
Kraft explained that ” ‘1’ and ‘2’ was on it. Not ‘free.’ And there may have been some other things that were on the banner. It was much more factual and substantive than that. Tom may have been a three-time Super Bowl MVP and a four-time Super Bowl winner, and that may have been a part of it too.”
Since New England has a bye Week 4 and then road games against the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts the following two weeks, Brady wouldn’t have been present for a home game until Week 7.
Obviously, the Patriots are better off with Brady on the field. They probably also dodged a bullet from a PR standpoint, as there would have been a ton of criticism if they raised a banner supporting a player who was suspended for allegedly cheating.
Then again, we doubt they care. The Patriots have remained defiant throughout the entire appeals process and blatantly trolled the NFL after Brady’s suspension was overturned. Fans made it clear that they didn’t want a banner raised without Brady playing, and they were going to get their wish. Because of Roger Goodell’s incompetence, it never came to that.
H/T Deadspin
