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Listen, before I get into the “DeflateGate” business, I feel like I need to disclose a few things (unlike Tom Brady). I’m a fan of the Indianapolis Colts. Always have been, always will be. No, the deflated footballs did not cost the Colts the AFC Championship. I’m at least honest enough to admit that.
I also believe that Roger Goodell has been in over his head as NFL Commissioner for years, especially when it comes to disciplinary issues. So realize this isn’t easy for me to say.
Whether he meant to or not, Goodell actually got this one right.
Yes, Goodell got it right when he suspended New England Patriots QB Tom Brady for four games in the 2015-16 season. In the wake of the most overblown controversy in recent sporting memory – pun intended – Goodell looked at the evidence at hand, and handed out a punishment that actually fits the crime.
Goodell blew it big-time when he initially suspended Ray Rice for two games in the wake of his domestic violence case. Back then, he had plenty of evidence. He had more than we were led to believe, really, and may have tried too hard to “protect the shield” by deflecting at a minimum, and hiding the reality at worst.
Patriots fans will tell you this is a witch hunt, that Goodell wants to prove some kind of point by going after Brady, the league’s golden boy. Unfortunately, as much as those people will discredit the evidence in the Wells Report that Brady knew what was going on, there’s even less evidence to suggest that Goodell ever really wanted to punish Brady or the team. He just didn’t have a choice.
I don’t believe for an instant that Brady’s suspension is about the deflation of footballs, either. By all public accounts, he’s been evasive at every turn when questioned directly about his involvement. And are we really supposed to believe that the two equipment managers had all those conversations about Brady without ever actually talking to the guy?
Really, Brady and the Patriots had every chance to avoid this fiasco, but decided to dare the commissioner to come after them. So he did. We can’t definitively prove how much any one individual in the organization knew, so a $1 million fine to the team, two draft picks surrendered, and a four-game suspension for Brady fit the bill perfectly.
A million bucks won’t cripple the weakest of NFL owners, much less Robert Kraft. Belichick is supposed to be the mad genius of roster moves, so a first-rounder lost will sting, but they’ll recover. And for Brady, four games proves that he’s not above the rules himself, but allows him to come back with plenty of season to spare. And of course, that’s just assuming all of this lasts through appeals.
And the Patriots? They got their Super Bowl rings, and deservedly so. They were the best team when it counted, regardless of how many semi-deflated footballs they snuck into action. Nobody is going to take that away from them, so for all of you New England faithful, keep that in mind. You won.
For a situation where nobody involved could come out looking good, somehow Goodell backed into a perfect punishment. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Brandon Raper is the lead golf writer for Rant Sports. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @Brandon__Raper, and join him on Google+.
