District Judge, Richard M. Berman, overturned Tom Brady's four-game suspension criticizing NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, for dishing out "his own brand of industrial justice."
In the spring, the NFL came down hard on Tom Brady and the Patriots -- suspending him for four games, fining the team $1 million, and taking away first and fourth round draft picks in 2016 and 2017. This punishment was a result of the Wells Report that states "it is more probable than not that Tom Brady was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of McNally and Jastremski involving the release of air from Patriots game balls."
Were the Patriots and Brady used as a scapegoat for the NFL's PR problems?
Over the past year and a half, the NFL has been rocked by a series of brand-damaging events that have been magnified by media coverage including:
- Former employees seeking compensation for on-going health problems caused by concussions and painkillers given them for injuries so they could continue playing;
- A video showing Ray Rice punching and dragging his fiancée from an elevator;
- League MVP, Adrian Peterson, disciplining his 4-year-old son with a switch that caused his son visible injuries and the NFL to suspend him for the rest of the season.
After dragging its feet on the other cases, is it possible the NFL used Brady and the Patriots to convince the public it is serious about eliminating any problems that could further damage its image?
Competitive professional athletes test boundaries all the time
Brady was accused of getting assistants to lower ball pressure below the 12.5 to 13.5 psi inflation pressure allowed by the NFL. It is no secret that he likes the footballs at the low end of the allowable range. Some quarterbacks prefer their footballs to be at the high end. In fact, Aaron Rodgers admitted to CBS announcers that he liked to overinflate footballs beyond the 13.5-PSI regulation upper limit. Yet, there is no InflateGate.
Disturbing findings in the Wells Report
No doubt some of the information Wells report appears to be damning, but when you put the information in context, it is not clear, beyond any reasonable doubt, that cheating took place. Perhaps this is the reason for the "fuzzy" wording ("...more probable than not...") in the report.
Measurements not taken before the AFC championship game
Apparently, referee Walt Anderson did not take measurements of the footballs before the game between the Patriots and the Colts. If such measurements were not taken, can anyone be sure that deliberate deflation took place? If not, is it appropriate for the NFL to take such harsh measures against Brady and the Patriots?
Mystery of the two different pressure gauges
The NFL had two different gauges to measure the pressure of the footballs at halftime of the AFC Championship game in question. According to the recollection of referee Walt Anderson on page 52 of the report (as reported by NBC Sports), he used the gauge that leads to the finding that there was no tampering of the footballs by the Patriots. Yet, this key piece of evidence seems to be left out of the report's conclusions.
The damning texts were from months before the game in question
The circumstantial texts between McNally and Jastremski were from May and October -- months before the AFC Championship game. They related to a week-7- game between the Jets and Patriots. More interesting, when Jastremski checked the pressure after the refs inspected them, his texts claim that the inflation pressure of some of the balls were as high as 16 psi. His talk of deflating them seems to refer to bringing them back to the PSI range of 12.5 to 13.5 PSI.
The scientific explanation
- Tampering.
- Ideal gas law.
- Footballs lose air over the course of a game.
Moreover, pressure in the Patriots footballs were taken immediately after play ended and halftime began when the footballs were cold and damp whereas the Colts footballs where measured significantly later when they were allowed to return to room temperature.
Affects on the game
So whatever the cause of the lower pressure, the key question is will lowering the pressure give a competitive advantage to one team over the other?
- Easier to grip and catch. Footballs with less air pressure are easier to grip and catch. One could argue that this gives an advantage to the quarterback and person catching the ball. However, the same advantage goes to the defensive backs that try to intercept the football.
- Do not travel as far. Footballs with less air pressure have less mass and do not travel as far. This would appear to be a disadvantage to the quarterback and an advantage to the defense.
Quarterback preference versus effort to cheat
In every sport, the professionals that get paid a lot of money to handle game balls like them a certain way. Pitchers in baseball like to rub down the balls to the point where they are comfortable. Similarly, quarterbacks in football like to have control over the pressure. Brady likes it at the low end, and Aaron Rodgers likes it at the high end. It is up to the leagues to determine what is legal or not.
Easy fix
In the case of DeflateGate, if the NFL wants to put the problem to rest once and for all, there is a simple solution. They can have one set of footballs controlled by the referees throughout the game.
Did the ball pressure affect the outcome of the game?
Whatever the cause of the lower pressure when the balls were measured, does anyone really believe that it affected the outcome of the AFC Championship Game? Given the track record of Tom Brady and the Patriots, it is a weak argument that the outcome of the Colts and Patriots game would have been materially different.
Image of the Patriots
DeflateGate is not the first time the image of the Patriots has been called into question. In 2007, the NFL (1) fined Patriots coach Bill Belichik $500,000, (2) ordered the Patriots to pay a $250,000 fine, and (3) required the team to give up draft picks for stealing the New York Jets defensive signals recorded on video tape. That incident was called Spygate. In response to both "gates," some coaches and players have said that all teams try to steal signals and doctor footballs. Others say that is no excuse. The integrity of the sport is in question, and the NFL needs to step up to insure the games are fair and set the right example for young people that idolize sports heroes. When the issue of DeflateGate was first raised in January, coach Belichik and quarterback Tom Brady addressed the media and claimed that they do not know how the balls were deflated. Whether or not they are telling the truth, a lot of people don't believe their stories. An NBC poll reported on the Today Show indicated that 70 percent of the viewing public does not believe Belichik whereas 77 percent does not believe Brady. If I were the Patriots, I would get Belichik or Brady some PR training.
Fixing the brand damage
To restore their images, all parties need to be more forthcoming with the public. This issue lingered much longer than necessary because those involved did not handle this situation properly. The Wells report seemed to avoid the recollection of the referee, the two different pressure gauges, and the dates of the damning text messages. Brady and Belichik did not handle themselves well in he media. With all the money involved, one would presume that both sides would get better advice -- especially with regard to the public relations issues.
NFL plans to appeal the Judge's decision
Rather than accept Judge Berman's decision, the NFL says it plans to appeal. Really? Given the money involved in litigation and the fact that the NFL could take another image hit for losing again, it would seem more rational to accept the decision and move on -- hoping this entire situation will fade from the public's memory. It would behoove the NFL to focus on more important matters rather than trying to bring down a bona fide super star for allegations rather than proof. If it concerned about ball pressure, it should have both teams use the same footballs that are kept in the custody of the referees.
The story is not likely to end any time soon
With the NFL's intention to appeal, it appears this story is not over. Opposing fans will use Deflategate as an opportunity to heckle Brady and the Patriots whenever they play their teams. Based on actions taken so far, the NFL, the Patriots, and the individuals involved could do a better job of managing their images. Stay tuned. It is likely to continue to be interesting.