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Tom Brady jokingly predicts “stand-off” with NFL over helmet choice

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Tom Brady (finally) has settled on his preferred helmet, but the NFL may not like his choice.

The New England Patriots quarterback has been waffling this season between two helmets: the Riddell VSR-4, which he's worn for years but will be banned following the 2018 season due to safety concerns, and the Riddell Precision Fit SpeedFlex, a new model that's NFL-approved.

Brady wore the old VSR-4 for Sunday's game against the New York Jets and told Westwood One's Jim Gray on Thursday he's sticking with the old faithful.

"The old one has just treated me so well over the years, so hopefully I can get grandfathered in," Brady said. "That’s what I’m going to try to do this offseason: see if I can keep playing with it."

But Brady keeping his old helmet would mean bending the NFL rulebook as it pertains to player safety, a particularly sensitive issue for the league right now.

The 41-year-old quarterback was asked Friday what he'd do if the league pushed back on his helmet decision.

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"Stand-off," Brady said with a smile. "I don't know. We'll figure it out."

The Patriots are in the midst of a heated playoff race, so it's not surprising that Brady seems to be putting off this issue until the offseason. It sounds like he'll have some negotiating to do in 2019, though.

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