Deflategate: Patriots have cheapened the franchise with response to Wells Report

The Patriots have cheapened themselves by attacking the Wells Report

A note to the New England Patriots: Stop. Just stop. We all know Tom Brady had those footballs deflated and your protestations to the contrary are making you look desperate. Worse: they have made you look like a petty, cheap franchise with absolutely zero class or grace – something I never thought I’d say about an organization run by Robert Kraft.

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While the Wells Report was anything but a masterpiece, it clearly established enough circumstantial evidence to hang the Patriots out to dry. The text messages between team employees Jim McNally and John Jastremski were damning, as was video of McNally taking the balls into the bathroom just before they were supposed to be on the field. It all makes even more sense since Brady has admitted in the past that he likes footballs deflated.We all know what happened, which is why the 20,000-word response issued by New England on Thursday was even worse than we could have imagined.

Relying on questionable science, laughable explanations and a ridiculous website, the Patriots are desperately trying to save face. Among other claims, New England’s report suggests that when McNally refers to himself as “The Deflator” it’s because he was trying to lose weight. That’s not a joke; the report actually claims as much. It’s like Peter Griffin and Bill Simmons got together and tried to come up with the lamest defense possible. Kudos, boys. Bang up job.

The Wells Report showed that McNally and Jastremski knew what they were doing was illegal and that it happened on a regular basis. They thought they were slick criminals, a modern day Sully and Clyde, when really they were The Gang That Couldn’t Deflate Straight.

While this is all fun, and it’s slightly enjoyable to see the Patriots squirm from afar, we all know that those deflated footballs had no impact on the outcome of New England’s 45-7 AFC Championship Game beatdown of the Indianapolis Colts. In fact, deflating footballs really isn’t that big of a deal at all. Yes, it’s cheating, but it’s also pretty low on the scale of things that impact games. Brady is more Michael Pineda than Rosie Ruiz.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft celebrates after beating the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

If Brady had gone public and admitted his misdeeds right after he was accused this never happens. He could have gone on television, apologized and claimed he had done it for a while. That he knew other quarterbacks did it, as well, and didn’t think it was a big deal. He then could have claimed he finally saw the error of his ways and was willing to accept any punishment the league would give. Finally, to throw a cherry on top, he could have offered to match whatever fine he got with a donation to charity. If he had done that, the scandal is over in a day. Outside of some Colts fans, no one would have cared. As always, the cover-up has been far worse than the actual crime.

Now Brady is slated to miss the first four games of the 2015 regular season, while the Patriots owe a $1 million fine to the NFL and have forfeited a 2016 first-round pick and a 2017 fourth-rounder. Most of that punishment is because New England stonewalled Ted Wells’ investigation at every turn. Brady refused to turn over the litany of text messages he sent to Jastremski, which – if he had nothing to hide – could have cleared the entire thing up. Obviously we know they were in on it together and to pretend otherwise is just silly. At this point, I’m pretty sure Aaron Hernandez is even questioning Brady’s decision-making.

What was originally a minor violation of league rules has become a huge scandal that has taken the reputations of Brady, Kraft and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick straight into the toilet. As a franchise, the reigning Super Bowl champions have looked like a bumbling bunch of high schoolers who were caught cheating on a physics test. Every time they try to explain their way out of it, they just dig themselves a deeper hole. The entire process has cheapened the organization. If you’re caught, you’re caught. Step up, admit it and take the punishment. Creating a website claiming there is some kind of conspiracy puts them on par with the 9/11 Truth movement. That’s not exactly a group with whom you want to share headlines.

The Patriots are fooling themselves with these tactics. They have gone all-in before the flop while the guy across the table is holding a pair of kings. It’s moronic and it won’t end well. And the “hate us ’cause they ain’t us” mentality of Patriots fans is nauseating at this point. That line only works if you’re a snotty high school girl, a Kardashian or in a really bad James Franco movie. People don’t dislike the Patriots because they win, they dislike the Patriots because their track record of rule-bending and breaking is long and distinguished.

Tom Brady and the Patriots had a chance to squash Deflategate before it even started. Instead, they thumbed their noses at Ted Wells and the NFL and will now pay a steep price. Despite their protestations to the contrary, they look foolish. And for once, the NFL and Roger Goodell look like the good guys.

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