Anyone who expected the Patriots-related drama to come to an end when Judge Richard Berman ruled in favor of Tom Brady and the NFLPA last week received a rude awakening today, as Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham of ESPN’s Outside the Lines published an extensive report on Deflategate and Spygate. The piece, which is worth reading, suggests that Roger Goodell and the NFL may have reacted so aggressively to the Deflategate allegations to compensate for what many team owners felt was an undercooked Spygate investigation.
In response to the OTL report, the Patriots issued a strongly-worded statement denying the additional Spygate allegations that were part of the story, as Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets.
“This type of reporting over the past seven years has led to additional unfounded, unwarranted and, quite frankly, unbelievable allegations by former players, coaches and executives,” the Patriots’ statement read, in part. “None of which have ever been substantiated, but many of which continue to be propagated.”
Here’s more on the Pats:
- Brady made an appearance on WEEI in Boston today, admitting that “it’s been a tough, challenging several months.” While Brady didn’t drop any bombshells, he fielded a number of questions about Deflategate over the course of the conversation. The audio transcript of his comments can be found right here.
- In the wake of the NFL’s court loss last week, one report indicated that team owners would discuss changing Goodell’s role in the player disciplinary process. Appearing on Mike and Mike on ESPN Radio today, Goodell acknowledged that he’s “very open” to changing his role (link via The Associated Press). However, he’s still reluctant to give up final say.
- Within an hour of being released by the Bills, Fred Jackson received a call from the Patriots, as the veteran running back tells Tim Graham of The Buffalo News. Jackson also got a call from the Seahawks in that first hour, and ultimately signed with Seattle.
