The NFL may ultimately suspend New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady for his involvement in the Deflategate scandal, but the league does not want people to think a decision has already been made.
On Friday, a report from Gary Myers of the NY Daily News said Brady is going to be suspended and an announcement could come next week. Myers cited unnamed sources who have “a good sense of what goes on” at the NFL’s headquarters.
But on Saturday, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello insisted the league has not yet made a decision and addressed Myers’ report directly.
“It is Gary Myers’ prediction,” Aiello wrote in an email to Boston.com. “The headline is misleading.”
The headline could be “misleading” in the sense that it makes it sound like the NFL has already made a ruling, but Aiello’s response doesn’t mean Brady won’t be suspended.
Almost everything that has been reported since the Ted Wells report was released indicates that Brady is going to miss some time. Even a media outlet based in the Boston area claims the Patriots organization is bracing itself for a “lengthy” suspension for its star quarterback.
While many have argued that the Wells report uncovered no hard evidence, it concluded that it is “more probable than not” that the Patriots illegally deflated footballs and Brady was aware of what was going on. That is the standard of proof the league uses in cases like this, so the report basically slaps the guilty tag on Brady and the Pats.
We know at least one NFL quarterback who believes Brady should be left alone, but a suspension almost seems inevitable at this point.
