There are plenty of things Tom Brady could be lying about when it comes to his alleged role in Deflategate. But after skimming through the transcript from Brady’s appeal hearing, it has become obvious that Roger Goodell tried to make Brady look more dishonest than he actually was.
The best example can be seen in how Goodell described Brady’s increase in communication with equipment manager John Jastremski after the AFC Championship Game. When Goodell issued his 20-page ruling explaining why he upheld Brady’s suspension, the NFL commissioner summarized that Brady claimed his conversations with Jastremski only had to do with the preparing of game balls for the Super Bowl.
“The sharp contrast between the almost complete absence of communications through the AFC Championship Game and the extraordinary volume of communications during the three days following the AFC Championship Game undermines the suggestion that the communications addressed only preparation of footballs for the Super Bowl rather than the tampering allegations and their anticipated responses to inquiries about the tampering,” Goodell wrote.
Did Brady suggest that his conversations with Jastremski “only” addressed preparation of game balls? No, he did not. In fact, Brady made it clear that they also discussed the ball tampering allegations and that he was seeing how Jastremski was holding up in the wake of the media assault. Here’s Brady being questioned by his lawyer, Jeffrey Kessler.
“Q: Okay. Now, what did you mean or why were you sending a text to Mr. Jastremski saying, “You are good, Jonny boy?” And then he writes back to you, “Still nervous. So far, so good, though. I will be all right.” What do you understand that to be referring to, if you could explain that to the Commissioner?
Brady: I wrote, “You good, Jonny boy,” like, you doing okay? Because he was obviously nervous the fact that these allegations were coming out that they would fall back on him. And I was just, I guess, expressing my concern for him.
Q: Now, you then wrote to him, “You didn’t do anything wrong, bud.” Why did you say that? Was that based on your conversation with him?
Brady: Yeah, I said, “You didn’t do anything wrong, bud.” That’s how I, you know.
Q: And then he writes back, “I know. I will be all good.”
Brady: Yeah.
Q: Did that set of texts refer in any way to your knowing that he had done anything to deflate footballs or anything like that at all?
Brady: No.”
While being questioned by so-called independent investigator Loren Reisner, Brady once again admitted that he and Jastremski talked about Deflategate.
“Q: And do you recall what you and John Jastremski discussed during that 11-minutes-and-one-second telephone call?
Brady: I don’t remember exactly what we discussed. But like I said, there was two things that were happening. One was the allegations which we were facing and the second was getting ready for the Super Bowl, which both of those have never happened before. So me talking to him about those things that were unprecedented, you know, he was the person that I would be communicating with.
…
Q: Do you recall the substance of either of those two telephone calls referenced in the report?
Brady: I don’t remember exactly what we talked about, but like I said, there were two things happening simultaneously and I really wanted John focused other than what he needed to get accomplished with the footballs, so I was trying to make sure that he was good and that, you know, he felt responsible for, you know, the attacks. And I was trying to make sure that he was composed so that he could do his job over the course of the next two weeks.
Q: During the telephone calls that you had with John Jastremski on January 19th and 20th and 21st that I asked you about, at that time, you knew that questions had been raised about the inflation levels of the footballs used during the AFC Championship Game, correct?
Brady: Yes.
Q: And during these telephone calls with Mr. Jastremski, did you discuss with him the fact that questions had been raised about the inflation levels of the footballs?
Brady: It’s possible, yes.
Q: And did you discuss with him any concerns that he might have about questions being raised on that topic?
Brady: It’s possible, yes.
Q: What do you recall about that, if anything?
Brady: Well, that they would be directed at him and that he was the person that prepared the footballs and like I said, the initial report was that none of the Colts’ balls were deflated, but the Patriots, all the Patriots’ balls were. So I think trying to figure out what happened was certainly my concern and trying to figure out, you know, what could be — possibly could have happened to those balls. …
Q: And during the text exchanges referenced there on January 19th, this was around the time that you were having telephone calls with John Jastremski as well, correct?
Brady: Yes.
Q: And you say that it is possible that you and John Jastremski were discussing the concerns that had been raised about ball deflation levels, right?
Brady: Yes.”
Just in the exchanges you see above, Brady acknowledged at least eight times that Deflategate was a topic that was covered in his conversations with Jastremski. Yet, Goodell cited Brady’s claim that he spoke to Jastremski “only” about ball preparation as one of the reasons the suspension was upheld.
At this point, it’s borderline obvious that the NFL was working backwards from a predetermined conclusion. That’s not to say Brady did nothing wrong, but the way Goodell and the league have framed certain information is pathetic.
We already told you it was revealed that an NFL employee lied to the Patriots about a pretty important fact the day after the AFC Championship Game. The releasing of the appeal transcript has to be considered a win for Brady.
H/T NESN
