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The most overblown and ridiculous scandal in NFL history will take another step forward on Tuesday in New York as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will meet with commissioner Roger Goodell to appeal his four-game suspension. The scandal is tied to Brady’s possible role in the deflation of footballs before the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts.
This has been a big story because Goodell realizes the animosity the rest of the NFL has toward the Patriots, and the sensationalistic media loves scandals. The unprecedented dominance the Pats have enjoyed over the past 15 seasons, plus Bill Belichick’s role in Spygate, has put an enormous bullseye on the franchise.
Goodell, who is strongly disliked by fans and players across the league, saw this as an opportunity to gain popularity. By taking down Brady, Goodell would gain support from 31 other fan bases as well as current and former NFL players who are envious of the Patriots’ success.
Goodell spent $5 million of the NFL’s money to hire Ted Wells to investigate the issue, so I’m pretty sure he didn’t want to spend that money over nothing. As expected, Wells reported that Brady “more likely than not” had knowledge of the deflation of footballs. The problem with Wells report is that he cherry-picked information to fit the result the NFL wanted.
Wells took referee Walt Anderson’s account on how much he inflated both team’s footballs, but disregarded his recollection that he almost certainly used a gauge to measure the psi levels. This is a big deal because if Wells used Anderson’s recollection, it would disprove what he and the NFL wanted, and all but exonerated Brady and the Patriots. So, Wells took Anderson’s word as gospel only when it was damaging to Brady’s case. Every player and every team should be alarmed by Wells’ methods.
Further disproving the Wells Report is the recent findings of an independent study done by the American Enterprise Institute. The comprehensive study presented by the New York Times dismisses much of the Wells Report and labels it as “deeply flawed.”
One of their main points was that the Patriots’ footballs were measured first during halftime, so they were still close to the temperatures they were on the field. In contrast, the measurements of the Colts’ footballs couldn’t be finished because halftime was over, indicating that they were in the heated room, which was estimated at between 71 and 74 degrees for nearly the entire halftime.
This also indicates the Colts’ footballs had more time to inflate, which helps explain why there was a bigger gap in the measurements between the teams’ footballs. This is not just speculation. Tests were done to prove this theory.
Another ridiculous argument surrounds Brady’s resistance to turn over his cell phone. Ask yourself this: Would you turn over your phone to your boss? How many harmless jokes made in jest could be taken the wrong way? I think if someone looked at some of my messages to friends, people would clearly get the wrong picture of who I am as a person, and I’m pretty sure most of you would admit the same.
Those who state the NFL was only interested in Brady’s texts sent to locker room attendants Jim McNally and John Jastremski, and that any confidential or other potentially embarrassing information would be safe with the league, must not be paying attention to how league news circulates. The NFL league office has had more leaks than a college road trip, and much of what we learn from the media comes from unnamed sources within the league office.
So why would Brady give them his cell phone? They already had all of McNally’s and Jastremski’s texts, meaning every text Brady sent to them was available to the NFL.
What will come of tomorrow’s meeting? I’m guessing, as Goodell has now seen the damaging evidence the independent report has placed on Wells’ findings, he will try to entice Brady to take a compromise. He’ll offer Brady a reduced suspension — likely two games — and hope he bites. There’s one problem: I don’t think Brady, who now has science and evidences on his side, will take anything short of a complete exoneration, and will take the NFL to court.
That’s great news for sensationalistic journalists, but for those who think this isn’t, and really never has been a big story, it just prolongs the nonsense.
