Tom Brady Gets the Worst of It From Wells Report.

The only question now is what kind of punishment the NFL hands down, if any. 

First of all, if you're going to comment on the Wells Report, please read it. It's available here

Secondly, after reading the report, I don't expect Robert Kraft or Bill Belichick to be reprimanded by the NFL, though the league has indicated that they are looking at possible punishments and that Troy Vincent will be the one to recommend what any punishments might be. 

Finally, I expect Tom Brady to be punished. 

There are a plethora of damning passages in the report concerning Brady. This one caught my eye first:

I'll be surprised if this ends in a suspension for one of the league's Golden Boys, but I do expect him to be fined, much like Belichick was in the wake of Spygate. 

If he is indeed suspended, it will make that opening night game against the Steelers some truly awkward television, watching the Patriots open the season, celebrating their latest championship, with their star franchise quarterback suspended on the sideline. 

Those are my initial thoughts. What say you? Let me know in the Comments below. 

 

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Comments (44)

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

May 06, 2015 at 04:53 pm

Ouch, if he is suspended could the NFL time the releasenof the suspension so he missed a non prime time game? It's going to have to be a huge fine to act as a deterrent against future tampering.

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PackerAaron's picture

May 06, 2015 at 05:16 pm

If he is suspended, he'd have to serve that suspension right away. Then again, this is Goodell's NFL where they seemingly make most of it up as they go along. So maybe...

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D.D.Driver's picture

May 07, 2015 at 06:21 am

As the old saying goes: "The cover-up is always worse than the crime." If he lied to the investigators, how can he not get a suspension? But you are right that Goodell make it up as he goes, which is above everything else, why I detest that guy. If he does not suspend Brady it will just confirm everything everyone already suspects: the player discipline process applies differently to the NFL's golden boys.

Here is what is really going on: Goodell has put the report out in the public to gauge fan outrage. He will place his finger in the air to test the winds and craft his punishment accordingly. There is absolutely NO other reason for making the report public before deciding on a punishment. The unintended consequence of Ray Rice fiasco is now Goodell will be punishing players based upon how much "burn the witch" outrage the fans express. Goodell is the absolute worst.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

May 07, 2015 at 08:59 pm

Sounds spot on to me, DD Driver.

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Bearmeat's picture

May 06, 2015 at 05:29 pm

1. As a die-hard Packer fan, I will go to my grave believing that GB was the best team last year... but this is just a shame. This asterisk... just makes the entire season (by everyone) for naught. The champs cheated. No one wins there.

2. The Pats and Tom Brady have now lost all claims they may have had to be the Greatest-Team-Of-All-Time.
It's really too bad. They've been the most consistent NFL team in the past 20 years, and probably would have won at least 3 Lombardi's regardless of external circumstances. But they've cheated. Again. And got caught. Again. Lance Armstrong, Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, and Richard Nixon's re-election campaign come to mind here. Major draft picks forfeited, suspensions for QB and head coach, and possibly even banishments coming. Just Dumb.

3. This under-inflating of balls favors anyone who touches the ball on a routine basis (QB, C, RB, WR, - but especially QBs) with smaller hands. This is a competitive balance issue that undermines the integrity of the game. It's not as serious as gambling on games (Pete Rose, Alex Karras, Paul Hornung), but it is about equal to Alex Rodriguez making a deal with pitchers to inflate his stats while with the Rangers in the early 2000's. Then you throw in the lack of hard evidence in the Bountygate suspensions and the draft picks Atlanta was forced to forfeit for pumping in electronic crowd noise in their home game...

4. Not that consistency in punishments has ever made "The Rog" lose one minute of sleep at night, but IF the league wants to be fair and consistent when compared to the punishments doled out to the parties mentioned above, no less than a year ban for Tommy Terrific and a forfeiture of at least the Pats 1st round pick next year is in order. Hopefully we'll see real justice done here. Color me skeptical.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

May 06, 2015 at 06:14 pm

I think to be fair the suspension should be at least equal to the ban for a first PED offense. Cheating is cheating.

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MangoSalsa's picture

May 06, 2015 at 06:46 pm

I think you may be going overboard a tad.
Indy gave up like 500 yards RUSHING.

Flat balls had nothing to do with the outcome of the game.

Pats will still be considered the greatest of all time... and they should be.

Maybe you're a tad jealous?
If so - I completely understand.
Everything else equal - if the Pats and Pack swapped QB's and head coaches, the Pack would have won at least 1 more SB since 2010.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

May 06, 2015 at 07:54 pm

"Everything else equal - if the Pats and Pack swapped QB's and head coaches, the Pack would have won at least 1 more SB since 2010."

That's a slap in the face to coach MM. Let's not act like the Pats didn't have great defensive players on those SB teams. A great QB can't do it all.

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MangoSalsa's picture

May 06, 2015 at 07:59 pm

Fine - just switch QB's then. Same deal.

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HankScorpio's picture

May 06, 2015 at 08:13 pm

The fact that Indy got so thoroughly beat down make the cheating all that much more incomprehensible. Why taint your accomplishments? And make no mistake, outside NE, the Pats are tainted. Once is a fluke. Twice is a pattern. It's a valid question to ask how many other ways they have cheated over the years. We know of 2. Only a fool or a Pats fan would dismiss out of hand the possibility there was more.

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4thand1's picture

May 06, 2015 at 10:13 pm

This will hurt NE for a long time. Like the black sox.

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Bearmeat's picture

May 06, 2015 at 10:11 pm

No. I'm not jealous. Not at all. On the contrary, I'm just sad and somewhat indignant.

WHY did Lance Armstrong have to cheat? He was already better than everyone else. Why did Nixon have to dig up crap on McGovern? He would have won easily without the info gained by the break in. Why did Pete Rose have to gamble? He had plenty of money.

This is WAY past football. I'm talking about addiction. It's clear by now that Belichick and Brady would do ANYTHING to win. ANYTHING to be considered the GOAT. Including undermining the integrity of the game they both love. It's sad.

They put the ingredients in the pot. Now they have to cook in it. So unnecessary.

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J0hn Denver's Gavel's picture

May 07, 2015 at 11:28 am

Sure the colts gave up a lot of rushing yards that game. However, you have to look at the amount of fumbles the Patriot rbs had. Deflating the ball makes it easier for the rbs to grip as well as the Qb. The stats paint a correlation in this.
http://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/blog/2015/the-new-england-patriots-...

I'm so glad that the Packers have integrity. Doesn't seem the Patriots do.

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MangoSalsa's picture

May 07, 2015 at 11:40 am

just rings.

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DrealynWilliams's picture

May 08, 2015 at 07:53 am

Lol. Eff you....

That was funny though.

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NickPerry's picture

May 09, 2015 at 05:45 am

Ummmm sorry Mango, we each have 4. Then there's the other 9 Championships the Packers have won as well. That makes 13 World Championships, how about you? Oh, not to mention one was against New England.

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MangoSalsa's picture

May 09, 2015 at 07:38 am

I was just joking around.
But I do think us Packer fans have to admit that what Tom and Bill and the rest of the Pats have accomplished is something to be admired and even envied.

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4thand1's picture

May 09, 2015 at 09:32 am

Personally , I'm a Tom Brady fan. He is the ultimate, prime example of what scouts and draft experts don't know. He plays with fire and is a sore loser. N.E. doesn't win any titles without him. Just like the Packers won't win without a healthy Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers almost pulled it off on 1 leg. The colts had the same game balls right? I know Rodgers has stated he likes the balls inflated to the max.

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MangoSalsa's picture

May 09, 2015 at 07:11 pm

Colts played with different balls.
Something I learned by reading the report.
Each team gets it's own set of game balls.

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canadapacker's picture

May 10, 2015 at 12:00 am

This whole thing is a big bunch of crap. Yes there are rules about how much air can be in the ball. And of course there was some collusion with the Pats staff ensuring that the balls be on the bottom end of the range and most under in several occasions. I defy anybody to pick up a ball and decide if they can tell the difference between 12 lbs and 12.5. " Eleven of the 12 footballs used in the first half were judged by the officials to be under the minimum of 12.5 PSI, but just one was two pounds under. Many of them were just a few ticks under the minimum."
This is the NFL's fault for not ensuring that these game balls were all to standard and under control of the NFL until they were put into the game. Imagine allowing MLB pitcher access to baseballs and to scuff them up? Or having the team control the kicking balls and have them really soft against teams who have the placekicker with the biggest leg?
Cheating is when you gain a competitive advantage - and the only advantage in this case is probably in Brady's head and he seems to be able to throw any ball anytime and as far as the Pats are concerned, it is actually a disadvantage for the ball carrier's as they want the hardest ball available. Just about every sport from Nascar to hockey, athletes try to be just barely legal ( or just below legal until caught) whether it is spoiler height , borderline tire pressure limits, goaltender pad size, all to just gain the edge. Call it cheating or I call it trying to gain the competitive edge.

But people like you want to make mountains out of molehills. This is a nothing issue. If you want a something issue focus in on post game drug testing. I wonder how many of these players are taking a handful of sudafeds pregame. I dont see a whole bunch of post game peeing in a bottle as they do in the Olympics. That is where the real cheating is occuring IMO.

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4thand1's picture

May 10, 2015 at 08:37 pm

Must be a lot of "people like you", because its the hottest topic in the nfl right now. Hell we're not even hearing about Winston or Manziel.

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sonomaca's picture

May 06, 2015 at 08:11 pm

I know it's illegal, but why not let teams on offense inflate the ball as they wish? Of course, with air and not helium.

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EdsLaces's picture

May 06, 2015 at 08:35 pm

I am so sick of hearing about deflategate..

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MangoSalsa's picture

May 06, 2015 at 08:45 pm

OK, I read it.

Worst offense I can find in the whole report is two grown men texting "omg" back and forth to each other. Looks like texts between my 12 year old daughter and her friends.

This whole thing is stupid.

Anyone who thinks flat balls are going to taint the accomplishments of the Patriots and, more specifically Tom Brady, already hated them and him before any of this came to light. Just fuel for their own personal fire.

I'm a Packer fan through and through but Tom Brady is the best to ever play the position. 1.2 psi's one way or another don't change that.

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HankScorpio's picture

May 06, 2015 at 09:30 pm

I can't say I devoted enough time to read such a long report but from what I have gathered, I'd say the worst offense is conspiring to circumvent the rules of the game by 2 stooges with strong circumstantial evidence they did so at Brady's behest.

As for how this affects the long-term view of Brady, one national writer is already labeling him "Br*dy." If the NFL issues a suspension, as many expect, that narrative will be cemented when the defending ch*mps open next season with the SB MVP sitting it out due to his involvement in a conspiracy to circumvent the rules.

Mark McGwire may be baseball's HR champ but he's certainly got a very dubious reputation outside St. Louis. We'll see if Brady meets the same fate. I can assure you I think Brady's accomplishments are tainted. If that makes me a Pats hater to a "Packer fan through and through" like you, so be it.

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MangoSalsa's picture

May 06, 2015 at 09:36 pm

Wow.
It's like Brady paid off the refs or something.
No one's going to remember some slightly deflated footballs.
I hate the Patriots too.
Because I envy them.
I'm jealous.

Brady has doubled the accomplishments of Favre+Rodgers.

Amazing.

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4thand1's picture

May 10, 2015 at 08:38 pm

But thanks to the dumbest play calling ever, they should have lost their 3rd SB.

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HankScorpio's picture

May 06, 2015 at 11:01 pm

Well, he came real close to paying off the refs. It was the official's lockerroom attendant that Brady bribed with memorabilia so he could throw a ball the league deemed not within the rules of the game.

Some people will most definitely remember that. How many is something that remains to be seen. My suspicion is that trailblazers like McGwire, Clemens, Bonds, Armstrong, etc have jaded sports fans. Not as many people view athletes with envy or awe. They're just people doing stuff we like watching. So they're less likely to sweep this aside.

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D.D.Driver's picture

May 07, 2015 at 09:05 am

Let me put it this way: he didn't send a ballboy in the bathroom to deflate the balls because it DIDN'T give him an advantage. It's cheating. It's like getting caught with corked bat, or a pitcher tampering with a baseball. Will it tarnish his legacy? Who knows? [Even without deflated balls, I'd place Brady below Montana, but that's a debate for another day.]

The bigger concern for me is that Spygate and Deflategate show a pattern of cheating and seeing what the Patriots can get away with. If these are the two things that we know about, what are the other things we don't know about yet? The Patriots seems to foster a culture that they are above the rules.

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jeremyjjbrown's picture

May 07, 2015 at 08:57 am

If they have been bust twice for cheating now what other skeletons are in the closets at Gillette?

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DrealynWilliams's picture

May 07, 2015 at 09:29 am

"Worst offense I can find in the whole report is two grown men texting "omg" back and forth to each other."

I just died from laughter...

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TKWorldWide's picture

May 06, 2015 at 09:05 pm

The Patriots are a hard team to admire.

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Clay Zombo's picture

May 06, 2015 at 09:35 pm

If these guys are so good why do they need to bend or blur the rules at all? Its seems this team is always pushing the envelope and at the very least breaking the spirit of more than a few rules now.

Even the ineligible receiver tricks they used against the Ravens in the playoffs are illegal now, did they gain an unfair advantage there?

These guys are the ulitimate competitors and they do the little things to give themselves every advantage they can find. Its just too bad they feel like they have to bend the rules to do so.

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Bearmeat's picture

May 06, 2015 at 10:16 pm

Exactly.

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Horse's picture

May 06, 2015 at 11:23 pm

Virtually all QBs make it rain for their equipment guys. There is no evidence that Brady knew that McNally would steal the footballs, The ref says that he's never seen that happen before in 119 games. What we have here is a QB wanting balls just so. Which one doesn't.

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HankScorpio's picture

May 07, 2015 at 07:14 am

All QBs may want the ball "just so" but only one has been implicated in a conspiracy to circumvent the rules when "just so" falls outside what is legal.

And there is plenty of evidence that Brady was in on the whole thing.

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Pack12's picture

May 07, 2015 at 12:28 am

I think he should be fined but that is not enough punishment for a guy like Brady. He makes plenty of money and a fine will be just a slap on the wrist. I would like to see Brady suspended for a minimum of 4 games which is one-fourth of the season on top of any fine. You can be sure that the Patriots and Brady will feel the pain if that happens.

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egbertsouse's picture

May 07, 2015 at 07:54 am

BREAKING NEWS!!!!! The Patriots are dirty cheaters1 WHo da thunk it? Everybody!

How did Belicheat manage to avoid culpability? He's like the Teflon Don.

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tm_inter's picture

May 08, 2015 at 12:49 am

Belichik might be the person that ordered this done in the first place. No New England worker could have done this without Belichik's approval.

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Tom Legener's picture

May 07, 2015 at 10:38 am

I'm not jealous either. Brady cheated pure and simple. A softer ball is easier to throw and catch and harder to knock out for a fumble. He should be suspended for the 1st game of the season. He gained a competitive advantage and should be punished.

I thought cheaters never prospered?

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Allan Murphy's picture

May 07, 2015 at 12:19 pm

Cheaters never win ............

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tm_inter's picture

May 08, 2015 at 12:45 am

This is not the first time New England cheats. The penalty should be more severe for repeating offenders.

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Amanofthenorth's picture

May 08, 2015 at 05:01 pm

Brady wanted to deflate the balls down to zero psi so he could throw the ball like a frisbee and execute a very effective hidden ball attack. Apparently there are rules against that.... I thought.

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J0hn Denver's Gavel's picture

May 09, 2015 at 12:32 pm

Wanna play a game of ultimate, brah?

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