Tom Brady Deflategate Report Says Patriots QB Is 'Generally Aware' of 'Inappropriate Activities'
The NFL report on the deflation of footballs for A.F.C championship game revealed surprising, and for some, shocking details that may shed more light on the controversy.
The investigation report released on Wednesday said that "more probable than not," Jim MacNally, a Patriots locker-room attendant was the one who controlled the air pressure in the footballs that Brady used, noted the New York Times.
"Another Patriots employee, an equipment assistant named John Jastremski, was in direct communication with Brady and provided McNally with memorabilia, including shoes and autographed footballs," added the same report.
The document detailed that the three are now linked to a scandal that could greatly affect Brady's career as he was implicated to be part of the operation of purposely deflating the balls beyond the allowed pressure.
"There is less direct evidence linking Brady to tampering activities than either McNally or Jastremski. We nevertheless believe, based on the totality of the evidence, that it is more probable than not that Brady was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of McNally and Jastremski," said the report quoted by the New York Times.
The investigation report did not name other Patriots officials like Coach Bill Belichick, the owner Robert K. Kraft and the equipment manager Dave Schoenfeld as persons liable for the incident, noting that they did not do anything wrong nor did they have knowledge of the wrongdoing.
A similar CNN report said that NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent will decide on what penalties to give the individuals involved and if the league's process of delivering footballs needs to be changed.
Brady earlier denied having anything to do with the deflated balls but CNN said his statements "were not plausible and contradicted by other evidence" indicated in the report.
The quarterback has remained mum on the NFL report but his father and namesake Tom Brady Sr. defended him with all his might.
"I don't have any doubt about my son's integrity - not one bit. In this country, you're innocent until proven guilty. It just seems Tommy is now guilty until proven innocent. This thing is so convoluted. ... They say that possibly - possibly - he was aware of this. The reality is if you can't prove he did it, then he's innocent, and lay off him. That's the bottom line," Brady Sr. told USA Today.
He added that this is just a way for the league "to cover themselves."
"How can Tommy defend himself? It's impossible. This is so distorted. To have something come out like this and say it's more probable than not? What does that mean? I'm watching the NFL Network saying he could be fined and suspended. Are you kidding me?" Brady Sr. added.
Patriots owner reacts
According to the statement released by Kraft, three out of four footballs of the Colts which were measured by an official were underinflated just like the 11 of 12 of the Patriots.
Part of the statement read, "Throughout the process of this nearly four-month investigation, we have cooperated and patiently awaited its outcome. To say we are disappointed in its findings, which do not include any incontrovertible or hard evidence of deliberate deflation of footballs at the AFC Championship game, would be a gross understatement. In addition, given our level of cooperation throughout the process, I was offended by the comments made in the Wells Report in reference to not making an individual available for a follow-up interview. What the report fails to mention is that he had already been interviewed four times and we felt the fifth request for access was excessive for a part-time game day employee who has a full-time job with another employer."
The quarterback is expected to release his side on the issue soon and the public is eager to learn what his take is on all of these findings.