Darrelle Revis would prefer talking about Jets, not Tom Brady and DeflateGate
Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis speaks to reporters during an organized team activity on Wednesday, May 20, 2015, in Florham Park, N.J. Credit: AP / Julio Cortez
Standing in front of his old locker Wednesday, surrounded by many of the same reporters and camera operators who used to surround him there three years ago, Darrelle Revis didn't really want to talk about the two seasons he spent in exile from the Jets.
Especially when the topic came to underinflated footballs and the four-game suspension levied against his old teammate, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
"I'm with a new team now, so I'm not really, uh -- I'm trying to really focus on that," Revis said when asked about the sticky DeflateGate affair. "It's Tom's situation, and he has to handle it accordingly."
Revis, of course, earned a Super Bowl ring playing with Brady and the Patriots last season before returning to the Jets as a free agent this spring. On the second day of the Jets' organized team activity, though, he found himself dodging questions about whether being accused of being involved in illegally doctoring footballs will taint Brady's accomplishments and his legacy.
"I guess I'll be watching, just like you, a couple years from now, how people judge his career and how successful he's been in that career," Revis said. "It's people's opinions and how they feel. At this point, the NFL is handling the situation and they put out the suspension and the fines.
"I'm not even really focused on it," he insisted. "I'm just not. New England had situations in the past. This is another situation and the organization will have to handle it. They have to handle it. As of right now, I'm here trying to work."
Revis desperately wanted to talk about the Jets trying to build chemistry during the OTAs under new coach Todd Bowles. But when he was finally done dodging questions about Brady, he found himself dodging questions about defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, who is a no-show this week.
"Everybody has their own situation, man," said Revis (who has held out on the Jets a couple times himself) of Wilkerson. "He's not here at this point. Everybody would love him to be here. He has his own situation. We're rooting for him. He's a brother to us, and we'll see what happens. I don't know, there's really nothing to really talk about; he's not here."
