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          Tom Brady back at practice, says he 'had to take care of something'

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          Brady's return doesn't end speculation about absence (1:32)

          Michele Steele joins SportsCenter to talk about Tom Brady's return to the Patriots' facility after being absence for the past two days. (1:32)

          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterAug 23, 2016, 08:24 AM ET
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              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
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          FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady returned to the team Tuesday from an excused personal absence, telling reporters he "had to take care of something" without divulging what it was.

          Brady also detailed what unfolded before Thursday's preseason game against the Chicago Bears, when he sliced his right thumb on a pair of scissors and was a late scratch.

          "I was ready to go, had everything on, and I was just trying to get something out of my shoe," he said. "The scissors slipped. Just a silly accident."

          "It's a crappy way to not be out there because it's a silly mistake. I'm glad it wasn't in the regular season. I learned from it and hopefully won't be operating any more scissors for a while."

          Brady said that when the accident happened, he "let out a pretty loud word I wouldn't repeat in front of my kids. I couldn't believe it and then got it checked out."

          CSN New England tweeted a close-up photo of Brady's thumb.

          Asked how his right thumb feels now, Brady said, "Good. It took a few days. I wanted to go, and Coach [Belichick] said it's probably best if we just take it easy.

          "I wish I could have played. I've been missing playing, and I wanted to be out there with my teammates. I feel like that's what my job and responsibility is, to be out there with my team. It was tough to not be out there."

          Brady said he thinks he would have played if it were a regular-season game but added that he supported Belichick's decision.

          As for whether he wants to play in Friday's preseason game at Carolina, Brady said, "Absolutely. I like to be out there every time I get a chance to play. You only get so many opportunities a year. I'm getting [only] so many opportunities left in my life, so I'd like to take advantage of any and all of them if possible."

          Asked whether he's been told he will play, Brady said, "I'm always prepared to go. Whenever my number is called, I'll be ready."