FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — No matter U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman’s ruling, the New England Patriots are prepared to move forward with or without star quarterback Tom Brady.

Brady’s fate will be decided sometime in the next few days, but until then the Patriots will continue to operate like the four-time Super Bowl champion is going to be there or not.

“We’re going about our business as usual,” second-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo said before Tuesday’s full-pads practice on the upper grass fields outside Gillette Stadium.

Berman will deliver a written ruling this week on Brady’s appeal of his four-game suspension for his involvement in an effort to deflate footballs before last January’s AFC title game.

“It won’t be today, but hopefully tomorrow or the day after,” Berman said Monday.

Brady has denied any wrongdoing and failed to reach a settlement with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in Monday’s final hearing at a Manhattan federal court in New York City.

Brady returned to practice Tuesday, but Garoppolo has taken the first-team snaps in his absence and did so again Monday, lending credence to the belief that he will start the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10 in Foxborough should Brady’s suspension be upheld.

“We’ll approach that when we get there,” said Garoppolo, surrounded by cameras and reporters at his locker. “We’ve got a little ways to go still, so next Thursday we’ll figure it out.”

Garoppolo has yet to start an NFL game but played in six as a rookie in 2014. This preseason, he has completed 76.3 percent of his passes (61 of 80) for 554 yards — second-most among all NFL QBs.