Julian Edelman says Tom Brady's suspension is 'like one of your buddies going to jail'

Tom Brady has begun his four-game suspension for his role in Deflategate, and one of his longtime teammates tried to explain just how much the quarterback will be missed.

"I'm not going to lie, it's like one of your buddies going to jail," Julian Edelman said Sunday, via ESPN. "It's one of those type of things, and the whole situation is unfortunate, but it's happened and we have to move on. Love him to death -- on the field, off the field, he's been a great help in my life. But we have to deal with the situation, and right now the situation is thinking about the Arizona Cardinals and who's going to be out there to play against these guys."

Brady is not allowed at team facilities during the suspension, nor is he allowed to have contact with coaches or teammates. Edelman and Brady have been teammates since 2009.

"My goal is to come back and be the best that I can be, just like every other year, every other offseason," Brady said earlier this week. "I’m going to do the best that I can do over these next, however many days, 30 days or so, to do the same thing."

The Patriots will open the season with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback for a Sunday night road contest against the Cardinals.