Remember Deflategate? That rumor that the New England Patriots had deflated their footballs before the AFC Championship games against the Indianapolis Colts? Remember how they did so that they could win easily and go to the Super Bowl? Well despite what all the naysayers have been crying, it turns out that it all happened and Tom Brady probably knew about it too. Ever since the rumors started, the NFL has been taking them seriously due to a desperate need to reclaim its moral high ground after the multiple controversies it face over this past season. Now, the report has come out and it is, without a doubt, damning.
The NFL’s investigation is a solid 243 pages long, testament to the effort put into it. While the report clears key Patriot officials like head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft, it specifically names start quarterback Tom Brady and says that it is more likely than not that he both knew what was going on and somewhat implicit in trying to cover it up. While the Patriots’ most recent Super Bowl isn’t going to be taken away, the new revelations about Brady are definitely going to tarnish the reputation of one of the best quarterbacks in recent history. Not only that, the fact that he was implicitly mentioned in the report as probably knowing means that he very well might face a fine or suspension in the next season.
The report specifically called out two low-level Patriot employees as doing the actual deflating, a part-time locker room attendant named Jim McNally and an equipment assistant named John Jastremski. While Brady said that he had no knowledge of the deflating and that no one did it for him, the NFL’s report says that his claim isn’t plausible and is actually contradicted by evidence found during the investigation. While owner Robert Kraft has disagreed with the findings of the report, he has already said that he won’t fight any sort of decision in terms of punishment to be meted out. It remain to be seen what will be the outcome of the report but one this has already been accomplished; no one will be able to look at Tom Brady the same way without questioning if he really is as good as we’ve always thought.
If you’d like to read more, the link is here.