FOXBOROUGH, Mass.

Speaking for the first time at the Patriots’ minicamp, Tom Brady could have had plenty to talk about had he waited a few hours.

Instead, reports broke later Thursday that one of the New England quarterback’s favorite receivers, Julian Edelman, could be suspended for violating the league’s performance enhancers policy.

Brady, who turns 41 on Aug. 3, said he never considered retirement during his time away from the team; he did not attend optional workouts. He was not available to address an ESPN report, using unnamed sources, that Edelman, who missed the 2017 season after tearing his right ACL in a preseason game in Detroit, is facing a four-game suspension.

Edelman was the last player on the field for practice and later could be seen having a long talk with Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

According to the report, the 32-year-old Edelman is appealing the suspension, saying he had passed “hundreds of tests” in the past. If the suspension stands, he would miss a home game against Houston, at Jacksonville and Detroit, and home against Miami.

The league does not release information on suspensions until they are announced.

Edelman spoke Tuesday and was asked if it was difficult not to push himself to make a faster recovery.

“Yeah, I mean, everyone’s a competitor, so sometimes you’re your worst own enemy when you’re trying to do that,” he said. “But it is what it is and there’s a big part of the process and I’ve got a lot of guys, training staff helping me out — TB12 (Brady), all that stuff — to get to where I want to be.”