On Wednesday, the Wells Report was finally released following investigation of the New England Patriots’ involvement in under-inflating footballs during the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.
During the game’s halftime, eleven of the Patriots’ footballs were tested and it was found that they were measured below the minimum pressure level of 12.5 pounds per square inch (psi). This was the latest allegation that faced New England and with that Deflategate was born.
Unlike Spygate, where Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was under fire, this time the heat is on quarterback Tom Brady. Brady could face some degree of disciplinary action as a result of the report. Now you might be asking yourself, what was Brady’s involvement with Deflategate?
Brady had a lot to do with it as the Wells Report states:
Based on the evidence, it also is our view that it is more probable than not that Tom Brady (the quarterback for the Patriots) was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of McNally and Jastremski involving the release of air from Patriots game balls.
If you are wondering who the two guys mentioned are, they are Jim McNally, the Officials Locker Room attendant for the Patriots, and John Jastremski, an equipment assistant for the Patriots.
According to the Wells Report, Brady spoke privately with Belichick a week after the AFC Championship game, and denied any participation in Deflategate.
Here is the full details from that conversation between Brady and Belichick.
“Belichick asked Brady directly whether he had any knowledge about any of the issues raised by the press since the AFC Championship Game,” the report says. “According to Belichick, Brady said ‘absolutely not.’ Belichick stated that he then asked if Brady or anyone Brady knew had tampered with or in any way altered the footballs. Brady again denied any knowledge or involvement. Belichick recalled that Brady also explained that once he inspects and approves game balls, those balls are exactly as he likes them and that he would not want anyone to do anything to them after that point. Belichick believed Brady. Belichick and Brady attended the team meeting, and Belichick told the team that there was ‘not one shred of truth’ to the deflation allegations. When given the floor, Brady repeated what he had told Belichick about wanting game balls to be exactly as he approved them.”
Despite Brady assuring Belichick that he did nothing wrong and that he approved the balls, the Wells Reports obviously states something different.
According to the Wells Reports, Brady and Jastremski communicated through telephone multiple times including text messages exchanged between the two.
“You good Jonny boy?” that was allegedly one of the texts sent by Brady to Jastremski.
Jastremski, then sent a text message to Brady, as the report found saying: “Still nervous; so far so good though.”
This shows that Brady knew what exactly was going on despite him holding a press conference denying everything.
The final part of this investigation shows once again that Brady was well aware of the situation as the Wells Report documents a text message conversation between McNally and Jastremski.
Jastremski typed “Tom sucks. im going make that next ball a f—in balloon.”
McNally replied: “Talked to him last night. He actually brought you up and said you must have a lot of stress trying to get them done…”
That conversation happened after the Oct 17, 2014 game against the New York Jets where Brady complained about the footballs.
Before the next Pats’ game, McNally then texted: “The only thing deflating sun..is his passing rating.” Lastly, McNally had referred to himself as “the deflator” in which Jastremski responded with “im not going to espn……..yet.”
What the Wells Report also documents is that Brady rewarded Jastremski very well with tips and gifts.
Over the years, Brady has recognized Jastremski for his work with occasional tips and other gifts. In addition to receiving money from a holiday pool organized by Patriots players, Jastremski believes that he received a supplemental tip of $1,500 from Brady during the 2014 holiday season and has received $500 in cash or gift cards from Brady in previous years. According to Jastremski, he also received from Brady two tickets to a Los Angeles Lakers game when Jastremski visited Los Angeles a few years ago.
So not only has Brady lied to his coach and the media but was rewarding these guys for doing his ‘dirty work’. Is this not enough for Roger Goodell and the NFL to come down on Brady and suspend him. Look at Bountygate; suspensions were handed down, and this is not anything different. Tom Brady knowingly cheated and should be suspending for his actions.
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