Tom Brady's four-game Deflategate suspension officially began Saturday, so he's banned from doing anything with his teammates and coaches until that suspension ends on Oct. 3. So, for the first time since Brady tore up his knee in 2008, the Patriots are living in a post-Brady world.
They're not handling it well. First, the Patriots' Twitter account posted images of the Gillette Stadium lighthouse, which was transformed into a tribute tower for the quarterback. And then, there's what receiver Julian Edelman said Sunday.
Edelman compared Brady's suspension to an actual jail sentence.
"I'm not going to lie, it's like one of your buddies going to jail," Edelman said, per ESPN. "It's one of those type of things, and the whole situation is unfortunate, but it's happened and we have to move on. Love him to death -- on the field, off the field, he's been a great help in my life. But we have to deal with the situation, and right now the situation is thinking about the Arizona Cardinals and who's going to be out there to play against these guys."
So yeah, that's a clear exaggeration given Brady will be allowed to hang out at his own home with his family, eat meals cooked by his private chef, and travel out of the state to serve as Michigan's honorary captain. Instead, the quote just serves as yet another example of Edelman's undying love for his quarterback.
In this year alone, Edelman has admitted that he pretended to be Brady at recess as a kid, screamed "Free Brady!" onstage at a concert, showed off his wicked good Brady impression, and photoshopped himself into a picture of Brady and Justin Timberlake.
Everyone has noticed. Current teammate Rob Gronkowski blasted Edelman on Instagram for his all-too-obvious love of Brady. And ex-Patriots receiver Wes Welker once said said that Edelman would probably commit a crime if Brady asked him to.
