Patriots planned to unveil Tom Brady banner if QB remained suspended

While it's an exercise in futility now, the New England Patriots apparently had big plans for Thursday's opening night festivities had quarterback Tom Brady remained suspended by the NFL for Week 1.

Rather than unveil a fourth Super Bowl banner in the absence of the face of their franchise, the Patriots were prepared to raise a Brady banner in Gillette Stadium prior to their home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, team president Jonathan Kraft told Boston's 98.5 The Sports Hub on Thursday.

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The banner featured Brady's No. 12, Kraft said. "And there may have been some other things that were on the banner," he added. "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."

Presumably, the 2014 banner would've been unveiled alongside the ones from 2001, 2003 and 2004 when Brady returned to action. Following Judge Richard M. Berman's decision to vacate the two-time NFL MVP's four-game suspension, however, the Patriots will now raise it on Thursday night.

Unfortunately, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell won't be there to see it. And there's the thing. While this banner bit is a moot point with Brady now scheduled to take the field against the Steelers, the fact the Patriots planned this surprise, which likely would've been broadcast on national TV, offers further insight into how the team views the league office at this point. Let's just say they're not happy, even if Kraft also conceded that New England has no plans to appeal its $1 million fine and loss of draft picks.

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The unveiling of a Brady banner would've been the equivalent of a middle finger made out of cloth.

As for Kraft's reaction to Brady's ruling, that wasn't suitable for children, either. The Patriots president was on a conference call when he heard the news. "I yelled out an expletive and told the people on the phone goodbye," he said, "and we started from there."

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Ben Rohrbach

is a contributor for Ball Don't Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach