Pats answer charges of dispute with Brady

More troubles have arisen over Tom Brady’s knee surgery, as the Patriots are reportedly upset over the fact the quarterback decided to have the procedure done on the West Coast and not at a local hospital with a doctor of the team’s choosing.

In addition, Brady has had extra surgeries done on his injured left knee to help fight an infection that could hinder the rehabilitation process.

“Unfortunately, in the week following the surgery, I developed an infection. The infection is very treatable and, through a course of antibiotics, it will be knocked out of my system,” Brady wrote on his Web site. “We were proactive with the infection and the doctors went in for a second procedure this past Wednesday to clean and to test the wound.”

The report the Patriots were upset over Brady’s decision to have his surgery on the West Coast originated with ESPN. Late Thursday, the Patriots issued a statement supporting Brady and denying any friction between the quarterback and the team.

“Today, ESPN cited an unnamed source who supposedly expressed the feelings of the Patriots ‘organization.’ This unsubstantiated report does not represent the team’s views whatsoever,” the statement read. “We have supported Tom Brady one hundred percent from day one of this process and will continue to do so. We issued a statement last Saturday expressing our complete organizational support for Tom. That support includes all aspects of the process.

“Unfortunately, our statement was not mentioned or referenced in ESPN’s report. Today, we reiterate our total support for Tom as he recovers from his injury.”

Brady was injured in the first quarter of the season opener on a hit by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard. He has been widely reported to have a torn anterior cruciate ligament. However, Brady and the team have not given specifics on the injury or commented on his recovery.

Brady has spent time around the team since his injury — even taking part in a quarterback meeting the night of Sept. 13, the day before the Patriots beat the Jets. He reportedly went under the knife on Oct. 6.

New starter Matt Cassel said Thursday he and Brady continue to talk “once or twice a week,” but Cassel said most of the talk has been limited to football, not about the injury.

“We don’t really talk about his injury situation much, to be completely honest,” Cassel said. “It’s more football-oriented. In terms of injuries or things like that, I think you’d probably be best suited if you went to him about that.”