According to Gary Myers of the New York Daily News, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell next week for his involvement in the “DeflateGate” controversy that involved the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game, citing league sources.
While Brady himself didn’t deflate the footballs, he was likely the driving force behind Patriots locker room attendant Jim McNally altering them before the AFC Championship Game per the recently released Wells report. Per Myers, Goodell is widely expected to suspend Brady next week, although the duration of his punishment has still yet to be determined:
"“Roger Goodell’s decision is expected to be announced next week and it is no longer a matter of if the NFL commissioner will suspend Brady, but for how long he will suspend him,” writes Myers. “The NFL is convinced, according to sources, that connecting all the dots of the evidence supplied by Wells leads to one conclusion: Brady cheated,” added Myers."
It could be potentially a significant blow to the Patriots, who would be forced to start second-string quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for an extended period of time in Brady’s absence, especially if Goodell decides to come down hard in his decision. Right now, it’s speculated that it could be anywhere from 1 game to half of the season, so it’s really anybody’s guess on what Goodell may ultimately decide for the amount of games that Brady must serve.
To his credit or perhaps foolishness, Brady has insisted that he had nothing to do with the deflated footballs in a prior press conference held in January regarding the DeflateGate controversy:
"“I didn’t alter the ball in any way,” Brady said at the January press conference. “I have no knowledge of wrongdoing.”"
Earlier this week, his agent Don Yee maintained that Brady was completely innocent and called out the credibility of the Wells report, claiming that it contained “significant and tragic flaws”.
Unfortunately, for Brady and his representation, he’ll have to plead or rather appeal his case to the judge, the honorable Roger Goodell, who’s looking like he’s set to slam his gavel down for a significant suspension.
For the Colts, the team insists that they’ve moved on, at least according to their head coach Chuck Pagano at the start of today’s rookie mini-camp:
"“Really, we’ve moved on and our focus is these young guys, our draft choices, the undrafted free agents,” Pagano said Friday at the team’s rookie mini-camp."
However, losing Brady is no doubt a tremendous blow to the Patriots, especially if it’s for an extended period of time. Every game matters, and it could very well be the difference between the Colts squeaking past the Patriots for potential homefield advantage in the playoffs. Playing postseason football in the friendly confines of Lucas Oil Stadium in January sounds much better than the nightmare that has been Foxborough for the Colts.
Time will tell.
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