And the Jury is Out: Tom Brady Suspended
The Ultimate Guide to DeflateGate
Update: At the start of the 2016–2017 football season, Tom Brady will begin complete his four game suspension..
Update: On Tuesday, May 19th, Robert Kraft (the owner of the New England Patriots) has decided against appealing the punishments that the Patriots face for being found guilty of cheating in the Deflategate investigation. This will however not impact the 4-game suspension that Tom Brady is continuing to appeal.
Update: Three days after the NFL has fined Tom Brady with a 4 game suspension, he has filed an official appeal.
Who is Tom Brady?
Tom Brady is no stranger to the spotlight. For the football fans of the world, he’s pretty much a household name — which is a pretty big deal considering he started out as a sixth-round draft pick and worked his way to the title “Greatest Quarterback of All Time”. Not only has he received two MVP awards, but he is also the proud winner of four Superbowl Championships. Plus if that’s not enough, he’s married to one of the world’s most famous super models: Gisele Bündchen. There’s no doubt that Brady has worked hard to get to where he is today… or did he cheat his way to the top?
Regardless of whether you’re a fan of Brady or you love to hate him, there’s one controversy even his high-profile status could not get him out of: that’s right — we’re talking about DeflateGate.
Quick Recap: Why the Controversy?
Only a few months ago, the trending hashtag “DeflateGate” made waves, as one of the National Football League’s (NFL’s) Quarterbacks was, yet again, caught in a cheating scandal. For those that need a recap, during the 2014 NFL regular season, The New England Patriots were accused of using balls that were underinflated. More specifically, during their January 18th game against the Indianapolis Colts where the Patriots beat the Colt in an overwhelming win of 45–7.
It was the Colts linebacker, D’Qwell Jackson, who noticed the balls felt less inflated than normal, and called attention to it during his interception in the second quarter. When officials checked out the balls during half time, it was noted that 11 of the 12 balls were underinflated.
The official rules of the NFL require footballs to be inflated to a gauge pressure between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch. If a ball is underinflated, chances are it’s easier to grip and throw — giving an unfair advantage to the offense team as they get to use their own footballs when playing league games.
What is the NFL Doing About DeflateGate?
The NFL, in an official statement on Monday, has decided to suspend SuperBowl XLIX’s MVP, Tom Brady, without any pay for the first four games of the upcoming 2015 season. The League has also fined the New England Patriots $1 million and has taken away their opportunity for two draft picks (a first-round pick in 2016 and a fourth-round pick in 2017) as punishment for DeflateGate.
And the punishments didn’t stop there, as Brady isn’t the only one taking the heat. The League has also indefinitely suspended two locker room attendants, John Jastremski and James McNally — the two, who are believed to be responsible for the actual deflating.
How Do We Know There was Intentional Foul Play?
In a 243-investigative report, headed by Ted Well, it was concluded that the footballs used by the Patriots during the first half of the AFC Championship game had less than the minimum air pressure mandated by the league. The investigation reported that it was more probable than not that the Patriots staff members deliberately released air from the game balls after they were examined by the referee and that Tom Brady was knowledgeable of the deceit.
The report went on to elaborate on the text messages that the two attendants exchanged with each other, one in which McNally self-proclaimed himself “The Deflator”. The pair even went so far as to make fun of Brady, exchanging messages such as “tom sucks…im going make that next ball a fuckin balloon”.
Why the Severe Penalty?
Now the main question that seems to be highlighted during this entire debacle, surrounds the reasoning behind the harsh punishment given by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Executive President Troy Vincent.
And the hysteria is reasonable. After all, Ray Rice was only initially suspended two games after the former Baltimore Ravens running back’s February incident of domestic violence in a casino elevator went viral.
But it would appear that, this NFL punishment was given with considerable attention to the fact that the Patriots are repeated offenders. Does no one remember the 2007 “SpyGate” scandal?
Goodell had fined Coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots $750,000 and stripped the team of a first-round draft pick for the upcoming year due to the fact that The Patriots were found guilty of videotaping opposing coaching signals.
This time around, Vincent ruled with an iron fist specifically statingthat it was the “prior records” of the Patriots that put them under hot water.
What’s Next?
Patriots’ CEO Robert Kraft made a statement stating his disappointment with the outcome:
“Despite our conviction that there was no tampering with footballs, it was our intention to accept any discipline levied by the league. Today’s punishment, however, far exceeded any reasonable expectation. It was based completely on circumstantial rather than hard or conclusive evidence. We recognize our fans’ concerns regarding the NFL’s penalties and share in their disappointment in how this one-sided investigation was handled, as well as the dismissal of the scientific evidence supported by the Ideal Gas Law in the final report.”
Brady’s agent, Don Yee, has also stated that Brady plans to appeal the suspension, as he has three days to do so. In an official statement Yee exclaims:
“The discipline is ridiculous and has no legitimate basis. And if the hearing officer is completely independent and neutral, I am very confident the Wells report will be exposed as an incredibly frail exercise in fact-finding and logic.”
And If the Suspension is Not Changed?
Regardless of what goes on during the next three days, as of right now Brady is set to be replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo, a 2014 second-round pick.
He will miss the season’s kickoff game on September 10th against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the September 20th Week Two Game against the Bufallo Bills, the September 27th Week Three Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the October 11th Week Five Game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Ironically, Brady will return just in time for the October 18th Week Six Game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Whatever happens next season, one thing is for sure: the Patriots are sure to put on one hell of a show.
