The New England Patriots have maintained that they have done absolutely nothing wrong since the day Deflategate became a major story, which is why it seemed strange that they suspended two equipment managers. Was that an admission of guilt?
Not exactly.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Patriots suspended officials locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski at the request of the NFL. While that may seem like a very minor detail, it debunks the theory that the Patriots suspected or knew that McNally or Jastremski did something illegal.
In fact, Schefter’s report indicates that the Pats were cooperating with the league, which is something they have been accused of not doing and one of the main reasons the sanctions against them were so harsh.
Does that mean Tom Brady and the Pats are innocent? No, but complying with the NFL’s request is not an admission of guilt, either.
The NFL owners meetings are currently underway in San Francisco, and the timing of all of this may not be a coincidence. Its possible the NFL chose to release the Deflategate report and hand down punishment in advance of the meetings. The league is reportedly working with the Patriots behind closed doors to come up with a solution that could work for both sides. That coincides with the report we heard about Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell potentially hugging it out over the weekend.
