Holy Schnikes! Tommy Boy Suspended Four Games

Tom Brady has been benched for the first four games of the 2015 NFL season
(Google Images)

The NFL has dropped the hammer on the New England Patriots. Hard.

After the Wells Report came out last week, stating that Tom Brady more than likely had a knowledge that he was playing with underinflated balls during last season's blowout of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game, the NFL decided to suspend the defending Super Bowl winning quarterback for the first four games of this upcoming season.

For those who don't know, the Wells report is the 243-page report compiled by Ted Wells, the attorney appointed by the NFL to investigate Deflate-Gate. It's the story of a man named Brady who was passing with some underinflated balls. Wells then began investigating and he knew that it was much more than a hunch that Brady had knowledge of this rules violation, despite the fact that he vehemently denied knowledge of any wrongdoing. He only passes the ball and has no other contact with them or any input as to how they are prepped. As a side note, if you haven't seen the SNL parody of Brady's infamous press conference, it's an absolutely brilliant representation of how Brady really sounded during his actual presser. It's even better if you're a Jack Nicolson fan.

Wells states that, "for the reasons described in this Report, and after a comprehensive investigation, we have concluded that, in connection with the AFC Championship Game, it is more probable than not that New England Patriots personnel participated in violations of the Playing Rules and were involved in a deliberate effort to circumvent the rules," the report says. "In particular, we have concluded that it is more probable than not that Jim McNally [the Officials Locker Room attendant for the Patriots] and John Jastremski [an equipment assistant for the Patriots] participated in a deliberate effort to release air from Patriots game balls after the balls were examined by the referee. Based on the evidence, it also is our view that it is more probable than not that Tom Brady [the quarterback for the Patriots] was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of McNally and Jastremski involving the release of air from Patriots game balls."




This is just one of the many Internet spoofs about Deflate Gate
following the Pats Super Bowl win (Google Images)

The Wells Report also states that there is evidence that McNally took game balls into a bathroom at Gillette Stadium and remained inside for approximately a minute and a half, which is "an amount of time sufficient to deflate thirteen footballs using a needle." Referee Walt Anderson was also unable to locate the previously approved footballs at the start of the game. In 19 years as a league official, that was the first time this had happened to Anderson.

McNally and Jastremski have been suspended indefinitely, the team was fined $1 million and they lost it's first-round selection in next year's draft and it's fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft. But the league put themselves in a box and had to do something about Brady as well. As experts and pundits have said since Deflate Gate began last year, playing with footballs that are under-inflated by a pound or two of air is not a big deal.

Yes, it's against the rules, but it's not the same as a helmet to helmet tackle or, say beating your wife in an elevator at a casino. But the league had to do something so they decided to suspend Brady for the first four games of the season. I agree they had to penalize him somehow, but this is a little much, especially since Ray Rice was initially suspended two games for beating his fiancé before being cut from the Ravens. So we're all supposed to believe that letting some air out of a few footballs and hurting the "integrity of the game" is a bigger deal than knocking a woman unconscious. Good call Roger Goodell. It looks like this is another instance where you "didn't get it right" when punishing a player. There isn't a whole lot of integrity to defend when you're this inconsistent.

I feel this called for maybe a two game suspension and a fine at most, so Brady and the NFLPA (the players' union) are going to appeal the ruling. While Brady will more than likely sit out the Pats' season opener against the Steelers, the rub lies in how many games he will miss after that.

The NFLPA put out a statement saying that they believed a neutral party should hear Brady's case. "Given the NFL's history of inconsistency and arbitrary decisions in disciplinary matters, it is only fair that a neutral arbitrator hear this appeal." Just look at Rice's penalty versus Brady's. Hard to argue that inconsistency point. However, under the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, the NFLPA and the NFL both agreed that Commissioner Goodell will rule on matters like this.

Can we say impartiality?

No date has been set for the appeal yet, but it will be interesting to see which way Goodell rules and whether or not any of these penalties are reduced. All eyes will definitely be on this case until Brady's appeal is heard.