The Sports Xchange

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said in a statement Friday night on his personal Facebook page that everyone in the NFL lost in the Deflategate saga.

The Patriots leader lamented the ordeal that has embroiled the league, his team and the fans this offseason.

Brady, who had been silent since winning the battle to overturn his four-game suspension, showed remorse and regret in his statement.

“While I am pleased to be eligible to play, I am sorry our league had to endure this. I don’t think it has been good for our sport — to a large degree, we have all lost,” Brady wrote on Facebook. “I am also sorry to anyone whose feelings I may have hurt as I have tried to work to resolve this situation. I love the NFL.”

Brady’s four-game suspension by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was nullified by U.S. District Court Judge Richard M. Berman on Thursday.

The action in federal court cleared Brady to get back to football and his starting job with the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots when they open the regular season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.

“The regular season starts (Saturday) morning, and I can’t wait to fully commit my energy and emotion to focus on the challenges of the 2015 NFL season,” Brady said on Facebook. “I want to thank my family, my friends, all of the fans, past and current players and my teammates for the support they have given me throughout this challenging experience.

“I look forward to representing the New England Patriots on Thursday night in our season opener. I hope to make all of our fans proud this year … and beyond!”

—The Washington Redskins plan to keep Robert Griffin III as their backup quarterback and did not release him Saturday when the team reduced the roster to the mandatory 53-man limit.

Head coach Jay Gruden Gruden announced Monday that Kirk Cousins would be the starter this season but downplayed speculation over Griffin’s future with the team.

“His future is with the Washington Redskins,” Gruden said Monday.

NFL Media and the Washington Post reported that Griffin would remain on Washington’s 53-man roster.

Griffin was scheduled to start last Saturday night in a preseason game in Baltimore, but he was scratched the previous day in the wake of a concussion suffered on Aug. 20 against the Detroit Lions.

Redskins owner Daniel Snyder and president Bruce Allen want to keep Griffin despite the financial risk associated with retaining the former Heisman Trophy winner, a source told ESPN.

Snyder, general manager Scot McCloughan and Gruden all have approved the decision to keep Griffin, according to NFL Media.

Griffin was scheduled to consult with an independent neurologist Friday. The Redskins still are awaiting word for RG3 to be fully cleared in the league’s concussion protocol.

Colt McCoy has been told that he will be listed as No. 2 on the depth chart for the Week 1 game against the Miami Dolphins, Albert Breer of NFL Network reported.

—Arizona Cardinals right tackle Bobby Massie was suspended two games by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy,

Massie initially was facing the prospect of a three-game ban before getting the suspension reduced under appeal.

Massie will be eligible to return to the Cardinals’ active roster on Monday, Sept. 21, following the team’s Week 2 game against the Chicago Bears.

The suspension reportedly is the result of an incident from Super Bowl week. Massie was arrested for being intoxicated behind the wheel at the Cardinals’ facility.

—The Pittsburgh Steelers signed free agent cornerback Ross Cockrell to a one-year contract.

Cockrell, the 6-0, 190-pound Duke product, entered the NFL as a fourth-round (109th overall) draft selection of the Buffalo Bills in 2014 and appeared in seven games during his rookie season. He was released by Buffalo last month.