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Deflategate Probe Suggests Brady Was Aware of Deflated Footballs


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    The report looking into the New England Patriots use of deflated footballs in the AFC Championship game was released today and it paints a damning picture against start quarterback Tom Brady. The reported suggests that it is highly likely that Brady was at least "generally aware of the inappropriate activities" being conducted by two Patriot employees.

    The Patriots are standing by their man though and the owner released a tersely worded statement slamming the report and insisting that no one did anything wrong at all.

    What do you think? Part of me wants to think that this was just one big misunderstanding, but the other, more pessimistic side of me, thinks that Brady knew exactly what was going on. I also think that these kind of things happen a lot more than we think and the Patriots just happened to get caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
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    If I were to chose right now whether Brady knew or not, I would definitely say yes, he knew. Quaterbacks know the weight in pressure of footballs with crazy accuracy. Even one pound less shows a world of difference when your used to it the other way. I compare it to a race car driver. They drive those cars as if they were part of them. If they were something extra added/taken away that added speed or maneuverability at the last second, they more than likely would roll with it hoping they didn't get caught. And even if they did, they could always blame the engineers or crew.
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    My guess is that Brady knew the handlers always tried to deflate the game balls whenever they could, to his liking, as he has come out to say that it's easier for him to grasp and throw when the footballs are slightly deflated. I think what happened with 'deflategate' is that they deflated the balls too much that time, so much so that the other team took immediate notice. They made it too obvious (and I think it's likely it was an accident they were deflated that much). Brady probably rolled with it because he likes that kind of action on the ball. But I'm sure he noticed it was more deflated than usual, and just didn't say anything. ... That's what I think happened, but who knows. Either way, Brady had to have known or been aware on some level.
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    I agree and now it might come back to bite him big time. CBS is reporting that the NFL is at least considering suspending Brady for an entire year. I highly doubt they will come down that hard, but it does show that they are more likely than not to hand down a substantial suspension and not just a minor slap on the wrist.

    It also makes sense for the NFL to come down hard because Brady and the players union will challenge any punishment, so they might as well throw the book at him now and let an arbiter decide if it needs to be reduced.
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    BearDown Wrote: I agree and now it might come back to bite him big time. CBS is reporting that the NFL is at least considering suspending Brady for an entire year.
    Wouldn't that be insane. So Brady would go from being Super Bowl MVP to at most suspended for an entire season, over something that happened before the SB?? If the league is going to take it that seriously, I wonder what they plan to do about the Super Bowl, if anything? They couldn't possibly consider retracking Brady from any records he broke after deflategate and now, could they?
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    I'm wondering if this is something that might spiral out of Brady's control. His image as a legit player who wins by being the best is now in jeopardy.

    Did anyone catch his Q&A, or should I say pep rally? Giving an 'interview' filled with softball questions and in front of a little too friendly of a crowd for anyone who isn't a Patriots fan to take seriously may not have been the best idea. He doesn't have to worry about losing his fan base within the Patriots; he has to worry about whether anyone outside of the Patriots will ever be able to look at him and not think "cheater" again.

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    The NFL just announced that Brady has been suspended for four games. The Patriots will also lose their first-round draft pick in 2016, a fourth round draft piack in 2017, and the team was fined $1 million.

    I have a hard time determining if this is a proper suspension or if he should have been given a tougher punishment. My loathing of all things Patriots wishes that he had gotten a tougher punishment, but my pragmatist side thinks that this is a legitimate punishment that sends a message to every quarterback and NFL team while not simultaneously ruining the Patriots 2015 season due to their quarterbacks rule breaking.
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    Brady refusing to hand over his cell phone for the investigation is the clear red flag to me, and I think is exactly why the NFL came down so hard on him.

    It indicates only one of two things, if not both: 1) he had incriminating texts to Patriot's staff about deflating balls on his phone 2) He refused to take the investigation seriously, and thought he could just ignore the risks of not cooperating.

    If it's the first one, then clearly he is more guilty even than the NFL can currently prove, much more than just being "at least generally aware". Imagine what the fine and suspension would have been had they had concrete evidence? If it's the 2nd one, then he deserves the suspension for not taking the NFL investigation seriously.

    But really, why wouldn't you cooperate if you are innocent? Is it really that much of an invasion of privacy for him, especially when the investigatory committee said they would go through many measures to ensure that none of his private information would get leaked in any way that wasn't pertinent to the deflategate situation.

    I didn't think this was a big deal at the time. But now seeing how Brady and company have decided to handle the investigation, I say they deserve the punishment, and furthermore, I think Brady is definitely guilty.