Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
After anxiously waiting for months, the “DeflateGate” findings are finally in. In case you need a reminder, DeflateGate refers to the New England Patriots being accused of deflating thirteen game balls below the allowed minimum during the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Patriots won that game and went on to win the Super Bowl. An investigation was launched to see who had knowledge of this and who should be held accountable.
League-appointed attorney Ted Wells launched an investigation and his 243 page findings were released yesterday. His findings include that it is “probable” that the Patriots organizations knew about this deliberate action and that quarterback Tom Brady was at least “generally aware” of the cheating. Brady is know facing a possible suspension to start the 2015-16 season. While Brady has remained silent on the issue, his agent has spoken out claiming the report has “significant flaws”.
Brady’s agent Don Yee spoke out saying, “It’s omission of key facts and lines of inquiry suggest the investigators reached a conclusion first, and then determined so-called facts later. One item alone taints this entire report. What does it say about the league office’s protocols and ethics when it allows one team to tip it off to an issue prior to a championship game, and no league officials or game officials notified the Patriots of the same issue prior to the game? This suggests it may be more probable than not that the league cooperated with the Colts in perpetrating a sting operation.”
In the report, it mentions Brady being unhappy with the game balls in the previous game. The report points the finger at the Patriots officials locker room attendant taking the game balls into the bathroom outside of Gillette Stadium for an estimated 100 seconds. Referee Walt Anderson was unable to locate the game-approved footballs at the start of the game, something that has never happened to him in his almost twenty year career. Discipline is expected to be decided within the next few days.
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