Deflategate has finally taken a turn in favor of Tom Brady. Today, Judge Berman released the transcripts from the Tom Brady appeal. The appeal transcript is nearly 457 pages long, and after reading it, it is apparent why the NFL wanted it to stay confidential.
The first, and most important issue is that Tom Brady said under oath that he had nothing do with the alleged deflation of footballs in the AFC Championship Game. Brady also had no knowledge of the inflation or deflation rate of footballs prior to the Jets game. In the appeal Brady is asked several times about the Jim McNally, or as he is publicly known, the Deflator. When asked about the context of the Deflator messages Brady states that: "I'm not really sure what the context of those messages between those two guys, so its hard for me to speculate what they talked about, the kind of language they use with one another. So obviously those text messages didn't involve me. I didn't know the spirit of their relationship, so I think it was unfair of me to speculate that they did something wrong when they told me they did nothing wrong" It apparent that Tom Brady did not know much about McNally or what McNally and Jastremski talked about in their private texting conversations. The "Deflator" was only brought up on conversation between McNally and Jastremski. As Brady pointed out, it was in the "spirit of their relationship," something which he had little to no knowledge of. McNally and Jastremski have a relationship of their own which does not include Tom Brady, that is clearly seen in the text messages. The only time that Brady was apparently angry with Jastremski was after the Jets game in 2014 when the footballs were overinflated to 16 psi. Brady and Jastremski had several conversations leading up to the game including the method of preparing the footballs. In his testimony Brady said that he did not want any Lexol on the balls (Lexol makes footballs very oily in the rain). Instead Brady and Jastremski decided to use footballs from training camp that had already been broken in and therefore absorb more water into the ball. During the game however the footballs felt terrible. According to Brady," over the course of the first half, I was just, I was very pissed off. I was very pissed off at -- partly because I felt that I got talked into using these balls we had done, like I said, a different protocol, and I felt like it didn't work out very well" as the Patriots barely got away with the win 17-16. Brady thought that the referees inflated the balls because they thought they were too soft. So, after the game Brady decided to research the rules regarding the inflation rate of footballs. In his testimony Brady said that he went to see Dave Schoenfeld, the equipment manager, to get the rules. He then requested that the referees get a copy of the rules before every game. The big question is, why would Tom Brady get mad about overinflated footballs, then hand out rules to the referees regarding their proper inflation rate, and finally develop a plan to deflate them? There is no logic in that, just like there is no logic in the NFL's argument. The NFL's argument is solely based off of the fact that Tom Brady did not turn over his cell phone or give them access to messages between November 2014 and the end of February 2015. Brady did give the NFL text messages from these dates for several reasons. First off, it is none of the NFL's business what is on Tom Brady's personal phone. Brady stated in his testimony that he has numerous contacts including endorsers, teammates, family members, and close friends, all of which are private. More importantly, the NFL has all the information it requested from Brady. The NFL has text messages sent between Brady, Jastremski, and McNally during those dates because it had access to Jastremski's and McNally's phones. Real question is, why does the NFL need access to Brady's phone if it has all the text messages sent between him McNally and Jastremski!!!!? It doesn't! When Brady was interviewed by Ted Wells he was told that he would not be punished if he did not turn his phone over. If his lawyers suggested that he do, he "absolutely" would. Brady also stated in his testimony that he had nothing to hide in the text messages that the NFL requested. The NFL's attempt to damper Brady in the public eye with the "destruction" of his cell phone announcement succeeded. It took the public's eye off of the matter that was really at hand and onto something that is again, false information. Also, the majority of Deflategate does not have to do with what happened behind closed doors, but in the court of public opinion. ESPN and other media outlets have been a puppet for the NFL throughout the entirety of Deflategate. Chris Mortensen published false information about the number of footballs that were deflated and their exact deflation. Two pounds under is rather large deficit and 11 of 12 balls is also significant amount in the public eye. That information alone, has changed the public's view of Tom Brady and the Patriots. Right now people do not like the Patriots or Tom Brady, they are viewed as cheaters who can only win Super Bowls when they cheat. The NFL and the rest of the media has successfully brought down one of the greatest players of all time if not the greatest player of all time. They couldn't be more wrong about Tom Brady. More importantly, Brady's reputation is on the line and his continuous fight against Goodell and the rest of the NFL proves how innocent he is. Skip Bayless said it perfectly on First Take," the NFL framed Tom Brady will zero credible evidence" and," used many media outlets to wrongly convict Brady in the court of public opinion," in order for Goodell to save his own skin and satisfy the needs and wants of the owners who wanted the Patriots penalized for all of their alleged past cheating (which other teams have been known to do as well-Jets-Dolphins). Goodell is a puppet of the owners and he is doing what they want. The Colts and Ravens both filed complaints against the Patriots about their alleged ball deflation. Deflategate is simply the numerous losers going after the winner. The Patriots have always dominated and complaining about the pressure of a football was the only way these teams could get even or even get a leg up. Football games are won with a combination of game planning, talent, coaching, and most importantly practice. The Patriots are top tier in all four of those categories, that is why they win week and week out. Other NFL teams in the AFC need to find other ways to win and use the draft to talent. The Patriots have dominated and will continue to dominate the AFC after Tom Brady is exonerated. #FREEBRADY
karen cronin
8/4/2015 06:30:30 pm
this is a joke All truth comes out in the wash Keep on Hating us,,,We love it I always knew Tom Brady was innocent I've said it all along the pats keep on winning because there the best and Tom Brady is the best QB we ever had free Brady so he can play in all these games and put the blame where it belongs " go patriots " best team in the NFL love ya TOM!!!!
John
8/5/2015 03:48:25 am
Best Quarterback in NFL HISTORY & Teammates love u guys to the End!!! Go Pats #5
Ryan
8/5/2015 03:48:37 am
Michael Eaton
8/5/2015 03:50:32 am
This is how I knew things were from the very beginning and all about destroying the reputation and career of Brady and the Patriots!! 8/5/2015 04:26:06 am
Brady you are the real man who can stand on his own love and God Bless you and the team.keep up the good job 🏈🏈 8/5/2015 05:18:19 am
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are a class act team that have been set up and falsely accused of wrong doing. They are an exceptional team both on and off the field and need to be exonerated immediately!
Kristine Kavanagh
8/5/2015 07:05:26 am
I knew Tom had nothing to do w/this as it is
Bob Risley
8/5/2015 08:44:42 am
I knew from the beginning of all this It was a ploy by the NFL and some of the rival owners to unseat the Patriots from the top of the AFC .Even a promise to the colts that they would make it to the superbowl. I for one am tired of all the bullshit the NFL have tried against the Pats.
Anton Murphy
8/6/2015 01:48:37 pm
the patriots have CHEATED and been caught, they have only paid a financial penalty, which is nothing for Bob Kraft. They continue to cheat and now they cry the penalty is excessive, well too bad! The court should not even consider this case because it is about the integrity of the game and they have corrupted it, IT'S TIME TO SAY ENOUGH!!
Lisa
8/7/2015 12:48:06 pm
I seriously doubt the air pressure of the footballs had anything to do with the colts losing 45-7... Comments are closed.
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Author: Isaac FeldmanArchives
April 2017
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