After a four game suspension, Tom Brady was finally back on the field for his first game of the 2016 season on Oct. 9 and Ludlow High School fans were thrilled to see TB12 in Foxboro.

“I’m just as excited as all of New England to have him back,” says English teacher Kevin Kudla. “He’s the best player in football so when he returned it was an immediate impact.”

Brady is playing in his fifteenth season as starting quarterback for the New England Patriots. This season marked the first game that he missed since 2008, when he hurt his MCL and ACL.

After the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts, Brady was accused of intentionally deflating the footballs for that game.

Reports concluded that Brady was aware of the intentional deflation and during the 2015 offseason, he was suspended for four games.

Brady’s suspension made its way to the federal court and he appealed his suspension on Sept. 3, 2015. Even after this, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell upheld his suspension.

During the 2015 season Brady started the first four games along with the rest of the season. Although their season ended in a loss, New England was happy they had their QB.

In the 2016 offseason, his case was reopened. After getting denied by the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court, Brady announced on Facebook that he was going to give up the “Deflategate” fight and accept his suspension.

“I think it scared the team to not have one of their most valued player,” says sophomore Hailey Dowling. “It worried the fans a lot.”

The Patriots started their season 3-1 without Brady. It helped that their two backup quarterback’s performed well at a good time.

“I was surprised yet excited,” says sophomore Bridget Murphy. I didn’t think that they would win without him.”

In his first game back, Brady went 28-of-40 for 406 yards and three touchdowns. He definitely got a warm welcome from the fans in the crowd at FirstEnergy Stadium.

“He rocked it his first game back,” says Murphy. “I think he played fabulous.”

Brady continues to play well going 29-of-35 for 376 yards and three touchdowns in his second game back against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Brady’s athleticism and leadership will continue to impact the team and performance for the remainder of the season.