Since the Wells report surfaced Tom Brady and the New England Patriots have been under intense scrutiny after the findings in the Deflategate scandal. Yesterday, it was announced that Brady was suspended for the first four games of the upcoming NFL season after the role he played in the Deflategate scandal.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell surprised some by intervening as soon as he did, and some may feel like he was too harsh for Brady. Brady’s suspension is equivalent to someone getting caught with PED’s. In a sense Brady’s act of cheating can be similar to PED usage, since it gave him a competitive advantage on the football field. It’s been stated that Brady and his camp will appeal the suspension, but I feel that the chances of him getting his suspension reduced is slim to none. To some the suspension was leniant in comparing it to the history of other scandals in the NFL and giving the fact that the Patriots have been involved with scandals before– especially Tom Brady.
If this was a first time offense for Brady it may be plausible, but in this case this is Brady’s second time in the principals office. I think the biggest lash for Brady was the lack of accountability in this scandal. If Brady would have been up front about what happened he may have received a slap on the wrist, but instead he hid behind his support group and the organization. With anyone in the position of power they always want their workers to be accountable, and in this case– Brady wasn’t up front with commissioner Goodell.
Brady will miss four games against the Steelers, Bills, Jaguars, and Cowboys. He will make his season debut against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in week 5, from that point forward the Pats have a decent schedule, but it will be an uphill battle for them to make the playoffs. There is still a lot of time to determine what happens in the Deflategate scandal. Did Roger Goodell get it right, or is Brady’s suspension too harsh?
I”m a high school coach in the Kansas City area. The true blame for the under inflated balls is not Tom Brady, not the equipment manager/ball boy, but it is the Officials. They handle the ball after every play to re-spot the ball at the line of scrimmage. If they notice a ball is under inflated, they should replace it with a new ball. If the next one is under inflated, get another one. Apparently, the Officials never noticed or stopped the game to correct the situation.
Bill Pekarek
Park Hill H.S./KC MO
Great insight Bill, thanks for your opinion.