Patriots Notes: Tom Brady, Michael Lombardi & Michael Williams

Tom Brady

• Mike Reiss of ESPN writes that this could be the week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rules on Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s Deflategate suspension.
• Andrew Brandt previously mentioned that a ruling could come somewhere between three – six weeks.
• As of Monday, five full weeks will have passed, which means a decision should be coming any day now.

Michael Lombardi

• Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports that Michael Lombardi’s decision to leave the Patriots wasn’t as mutual as others have said.
• A league source tells Volin that the Patriots chose not to renew Lombardi’s contract.
• Volin points out that New England created the position for Lombardi, but his salary was mostly being paid by the Browns, who fired him a few years ago.
• According to Volin, the belief was that HC Bill Belichick was really Lombardi’s only ally within the Patriots, and while he helped them bring in former Browns such as DE Jabaal Sheard and RB Dion Lewis, his contributions in doing so may have been overstated.

Michael Williams

• Mike Reiss mentions that TE Michael Williams, who was placed on season-ending injured reserve after tearing his ACL, is still waiting for the swelling in his knee to subside before undergoing surgery.
• The expectation is that Williams will have the surgery the week of July 4, and the hope is that he’ll be back for the start offseason workouts next year.