With the public release of the transcript from Tom Brady’s appeal hearing, along with a ton of emails and records from the NFLPA relating to the case, Deflategate continues to look worse and worse for the NFL.
While the oddsmakers at www.NFL-Online-Betting.com await the final ruling of whether Brady will be playing the first four games of the season, Brady’s legal team has mounted a pile of evidence that could be used to clear him entirely.
The problem for me is if Brady’s punishment is wiped out, what about the $1 million fine and loss of two draft picks including a first-rounder? Really, that’s what hurts the most and the one thing I can’t get out of my mind.
I wrote up a bunch of thoughts last night after reading the transcript from the hearing, and as details continue to emerge from all the communications released by Brady’s camp, there are some key points I glossed over too quickly or missed entirely.
The first is a great point by NESN.com’s Doug Kyed who points out that when upholding Brady’s punishment, Commissioner Goodell made a point that Brady didn’t acknowledge his conversations with John Jastremski after the AFCCG had anything to do with the controversy surrounding Deflategate.
But in the transcript it’s clear that Brady absolutely did mention that was part of their discussions.
This is just another prime example of how the NFL tailored every detail to how they wanted Deflategate framed, even if it meant lying about Brady’s testimony.
Then comes an email from the Colts special teams coordinator to GM Ryan Grigson saying the Ravens had tipped them off about the ball stuff, but NONE of it makes any sense.
This is probably worth an entire investigation itself. The Ravens were complaining about not having their K balls (the balls used in the kicking game) which are supposed to be BRAND NEW. Instead the refs gave them other balls? How does this relate to the Pats and PSI?
It’s as if the Colts used this as an excuse to alert the NFL to rumors that the Patriots liked their own prepared footballs “small” as Grigson put it. I don’t see the connection between the Ravens’ tip about their own K balls to the Colts extrapolating it had something to do with the Patriots balls.
And of course then the Ravens come out this morning and once again deny any involvement. Maybe I am naive but I always took John Harbaugh at his word. I wanted to believe Harbaugh had a lot of respect for Belichick and to be honest, I didn’t even really hold his comments after the playoff game about the formations as that egregious.
Unless the Colts’ special teams coordinator manufactured this as a way to make a rumor something that should be watched out for, which I consider a long shot, I now believe there’s little doubt the Ravens were involved and refuse to let it be without a denial. So confusing.
The more details that emerge from the Brady transcript the worse it looks for the NFL’s case. As I wrote last night, the ship has sailed whether Brady did or didn’t order the code deflate. No one is convincing those who see Brady “destroyed” his phone or the “getting them done” and “deflator” texts as proof positive Brady is guilt. Because those are really the only things they can cling to, while every other bit of actual evidence and firsthand testimony says otherwise.
What matters now is whether or not the punishment process was fair and as many other lawyers have already pointed out, there are plenty of instances where it was not in the appeal.
I now think the settlement entirely depends on whether the NFL will accept Brady not admitting guilt. If they will, then I could see Brady taking a fine and MAYBE one game. MAYBE.
But I like our chances if the NFL won’t budge on that point and forces the judge to rule.