--- description: With the suspension of NFL superstar Tom Brady for four games, the top quarterback in the league will cede the spotlight to his untested backup... title: Deflategate: Get to Know Jimmy Garoppolo, Tom Brady's Substitute image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte1debb51eee39e2c/6987ef80e53aba07c64dbcc2/461282558.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Sports](/section/sports/) ## Sports Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Football](/tag/football/) ## Football Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Deflategate: Get to Know Jimmy Garoppolo, Tom Brady's Substitute by [NBC News](/author/nbc-news/) ## NBC News Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 13, 2015 3:23 AM CUT  Jimmy Garoppolo of the New England Patriots warms up before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., on Jan. 10, 2015 Jimmy Garoppolo of the New England Patriots warms up before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., on Jan. 10, 2015Jim Rogash—Getty Images by [NBC News](/author/nbc-news/) ## NBC News Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 13, 2015 3:23 AM CUT With the suspension of NFL superstar Tom Brady for four games, the top quarterback in the league will cede the spotlight to his untested backup — 23-year-old [Jimmy Garoppolo](http://www.nfl.com/player/jimmygaroppolo/2543801/profile "undefined"). Who is this Garoppolo fellow? Here are some of the basics: **He was better than Romo** Garoppolo, a native of the Chicago suburbs, played college ball at Eastern Illinois University, alma mater of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Garoppolo broke several passing records set by Romo. He won the small-college version of the Heisman in his senior year, when he passed for more than 5,000 yards and 53 touchdowns in 14 games … [Read the rest of the story from our partners at NBC News](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/get-know-jimmy-garappolo-tom-bradys-deflate-gate-substitute-n357651?cid=par-time-article%5F20150513 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3856752/deflategate-tom-brady-jimmy-garoppolo-patriots-nfl-quarterback/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3856752/deflategate-tom-brady-jimmy-garoppolo-patriots-nfl-quarterback/"},"headline":"Deflategate: Get to Know Jimmy Garoppolo, Tom Brady's Substitute","datePublished":"2015-05-13T03:23:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T07:09:12.862Z","description":"With the suspension of NFL superstar Tom Brady for four games, the top quarterback in the league will cede the spotlight to his untested backup...","url":"https://time.com/3856752/deflategate-tom-brady-jimmy-garoppolo-patriots-nfl-quarterback/","keywords":["Football"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte1debb51eee39e2c/6987ef80e53aba07c64dbcc2/461282558.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"NBC News","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/nbc-news/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte1debb51eee39e2c/6987ef80e53aba07c64dbcc2/461282558.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Divisional Playoffs - Baltimore Ravens v New England Patriots","caption":"Divisional Playoffs - Baltimore Ravens v New England Patriots","creditText":"Jim Rogash—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/football/","name":"Football"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3856752/deflategate-tom-brady-jimmy-garoppolo-patriots-nfl-quarterback/","name":"Deflategate: Get to Know Jimmy Garoppolo, Tom Brady's Substitute"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Know Right Now: Tom Brady Appeals NFL Suspension","description":"Tom Brady has appealed his four-game suspension for his role in using deflated footballs during the AFC championship game.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/NjSHC7Fw/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-05-14T22:03:59.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/NjSHC7Fw.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3856752/deflategate-tom-brady-jimmy-garoppolo-patriots-nfl-quarterback/","duration":"PT1M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3856752/deflategate-tom-brady-jimmy-garoppolo-patriots-nfl-quarterback/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```