Bob McNair: Patriots caused problem by not cooperating with Deflategate

Houston Texans owner Bob McNair believes the Patriots are to blame for the Deflategate scandal in large part because they did not cooperate with the NFL’s investigation.

McNair joined Mike Meltser and Seth Payne on Texans Radio Tuesday and shared his opinions on Deflategate.

“What escalated the whole thing is that (Tom) Brady and the Patriots were going to cooperate fully, and then when it came down to it, they didn’t,” McNair told the hosts. He then said Texans defensive superstar JJ Watt would have behaved differently. “If it was JJ Watt I think he would have been cooperative, and it wouldn’t be a question…I don’t think JJ would destroy his cell phone.”

McNair also seems to support discipline for the Patriots because many believe deflating footballs was done intentionally to give the Patriots a competitive advantage.

“Is there anything conclusive there? No, you don’t have any conclusive evidence, but the whole idea is we want to make sure we have a competitive playing field that’s level for everybody … we don’t want people breaking the rules. In the minds of somebody in that organization, they thought it was important. They thought it would give them a competitive advantage, and that’s why they did it…You just want to eliminate that kind of situation if you can.”

Why has Roger Goodell been so insistent on the Patriots being punished for Deflategate? I have speculated that it’s because he’s reflecting the feelings of his bosses — the NFL owners. We know Jerry Jones has already said he supports Goodell on the matter, as does McNair. Then you have this report saying many owners want the league to win the case. That probably explains Goodell’s behavior.