The Patriots lost one of their top offensive weapons for four games Thursday, and it was a big win for head coach Bill Belichick.

Go figure.

Julian Edelman, Tom Brady’s northern California binkie and favorite target, tested positive for PEDs and was suspended for the first four games of the 2018 season, pending appeal.

No big deal, right? We are adults and we believe everybody in the NFL probably uses something. We’ve been down the path with Rodney Harrison and Rob Ninkovich. Getting caught cheating did nothing to hurt their playing careers, nor their reputations. Harrison is a network NFL analyst star and everybody loves Ninko. In the NFL, there is little stigma attached to those who take advantage of a little artificial help.

But Edelman getting popped changes the narrative in Fort Foxborough because he is an Alex Guerrero guy, and now Belichick has a new weapon to use against Brady, Bob Kraft, and anyone who’ll insist that Guerrero is a legit trainer and a swell guy who should be allowed full access to the Patriots facilities at Gillette Stadium.

Thursday was the final day of Patriots minicamp, and there was weirdness before the Edelman bombshell dropped after practice. Belichick opened his late morning press session saying, “No news from me today . . .’’

But, of course, he knew there was going to be news. Just like Brady knew there was going to be news when he took questions for the first time since the Super Bowl at approximately 1:30 p.m. Brady offered little, hinted that we will not see him again until he is required to appear, and said there were “personal reasons’’ for his absence at voluntary workouts over the last seven weeks.

Little was revealed in Brady’s four-minute press conference (a Patriots PR guy was yelling “last question!’’ after a mere three minutes), but we are pretty darned sure that Belichick’s removal of Guerrero from the New England sideline and traveling party is one of Brady’s “personal reasons.’’

It’s not hard to connect the dots. Guerrero continues to be the Yoko Ono of Kraft’s Magical Mystery Tour. The coach and quarterback are at odds over Guerrero’s access.

Brady swears by the trainer. Guerrero is the godfather of one of Brady’s sons. Anyone viewing “Tom vs. Time’’ can see that Guerrero holds a viselike grip on all things Brady. It’s Brian Wilson-Eugene Landy stuff (look it up). The QB believes in the TB-12 Method above everything else. Belichick stripping Guerrero of sideline privileges is at the root of Tom vs. Bill.

And then — seconds after all media access to Belichick and Brady ended Thursday— came the reports of Edelman’s suspension. ESPN’s estimable Adam Schefter, last seen catching passes from Brady at the Best Buddies event Friday night, broke the news with ESPN teammate Field Yates.

It’s big news not because of how it impacts the Patriots’ 2018 season. It’s big because of how it impacts Tom vs. Bill.

The notion that Belichick is being unreasonable regarding Guerrero was dealt a body blow with the suspension of Edelman.

Let’s revisit for a moment exactly who Guerrero is. He is a guy who said he was a doctor even though he is not a doctor. He marketed a beverage of organic greens that he falsely claimed could prevent or cure cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes. He lied about receiving a bachelor’s degree in biology.

The Federal Trade Commission alleged that “consumers throughout the United States have suffered and continue to suffer substantial monetary loss and possible injury to their health’’ because of Guerrero’s Supreme Greens infomercials.

In 2010, Guerrero got Brady to endorse Neurosafe, which was said to protect you “from the consequences of sports-related traumatic brain injury.’’ The FTC shut down Neurosafe.

Guerrero’s trail of bad business relationships is longer than Brady’s Super Bowl résumé.

And now it’s alleged that one of Guerrero’s guys — Julian Edelman — is dirty. And Belichick has more cause to keep Tom’s Snake Oil Salesman away from Gillette Stadium.

“That’s Mr. Miyagi right there,’’ Edelman wrote in an Instagram post about Guerrero in April.

Last November, Edelman spoke about Guerrero’s methods on WEEI, saying, “I am a huge advocate of it. I feel like it helps me with a lot of my stuff and I like consulting with Alex.’’

Guerrero defended himself Thursday in a statement, telling NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran, “I’ve known Julian since his rookie year and he is a phenomenal athlete who takes his training seriously — it’s disappointing to hear today’s news. Elite athletes sometimes work with multiple coaches and health professionals as part of their training.

“Here at our facility, we take a natural, holistic, appropriate and, above all, legal approach to training and recovery for all of our clients. And anyone who would suggest otherwise is irresponsible, and just plain wrong.’’

Swell. So how does Edelman get caught?

Thursday’s news is a loss for him, a loss for the Patriots, a loss for Brady, and a loss for Guerrero.

But when it come to Tom vs. Bill, it goes down as a win for Belichick.

Dan Shaughnessy can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com