Tom Brady returns after 'silly accident' with scissors

Tom Brady is back on the field, even if he'll have to wait to make his regular-season debut.

Four days after cutting his thumb on scissors and sitting out the New England Patriots' second preseason game, the quarterback returned to practice Tuesday and said the injury was just a "silly accident." Brady has been excused the previous two days for a personal reason.

Brady, who was suspended four games for his alleged role in the Deflategate scandal, has yet to play this preseason. The Patriots planned to start him Thursday before he sliced his thumb trying to get something out of his shoe during pregame. He missed the preseason opener to attend the funeral services of a family member.

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“I wanted to go and coach (Bill Belichick) said it’s probably best ... to just take it easy,” Brady told reporters in his weekly news conference. “So that’s what I ended up doing. I wish I could have played. I’ve been missing playing.”

Brady said he hopes to play Friday against the Carolina Panthers.

The two-time MVP did not reveal why he had been excused from the team on Sunday and Monday, saying only, "I just had to take care of something."

Follow Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz on Twitter @MikeMSchwartz.

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