Most fans would agree that the drama surrounding Deflategate has gone on long enough. Tom Brady and the NFL could end their fight whenever they please by agreeing to a settlement, but how would the league’s owners feel about that?
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there is a collection of NFL owners that believe it is time for the NFL Players Association to settle with the league and bury a story that has overshadowed the entire offseason and could do the same to the start of the regular season. But that opinion is not shared by everyone.
Florio notes that there is still a group of “old-school” owners who want the NFL to continue its fight against Brady and the NFLPA. While some of them (Jerry Jones, perhaps) likely have the New England Patriots on their 2015 schedule, others are reportedly concerned that the league office is losing control and players are gaining more power.
A settlement remains highly unlikely. Brady is only willing to accept a fine and has no intention of admitting any guilt, while the NFL wants him to accept the findings of the Ted Wells report as part of any settlement. If Brady did that, he would essentially be committing perjury.
You would have to be incredibly naive to think there aren’t NFL owners and executives who want to see the Patriots — a team that has dominated the NFL for a decade — knocked off their pedestal. We already know one former New York Jets employee may have helped Deflategate gain steam months ago. Another NFL exec blatantly lied to the Patriots after the AFC Championship Game. Politics already have and will continue to play a huge role in the Deflategate outcome.
