First, let me add the disclaimer that I am a born-and-raised son of New England—a Tom Brady poster adorned my wall for a good portion of my childhood, I learned to throw a spiral from watching number 12 and I routinely get lost in his dreamy bluish-green eyes.
That’s only partially an embellishment. The point I’m making here is that if you’re looking for an unbiased opinion, you’d better look elsewhere.
No surprise then that I am a proponent of Tom Brady’s innocence (at least his innocence in the matter of his suspension) in this ridiculous “Deflategate” scandal, and am frankly incredibly annoyed that we are still discussing it six weeks into the 2015 season.
The case is closed, the jury out on this matter, and I mean that literally.
In case you haven’t been following the story too closely (and considering how tedious and over-the-top it is, I wouldn’t blame you if that was the case) Brady’s four-game suspension was brought to Federal court after being upheld by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell following an unsuccessful internal appeal.
And what did the honorable Judge Richard Berman decide? That the NFL’s investigation was nothing more than a witch-hunt that violated “the prerequisites of fairness and due process.”
That right there should have been the last we heard about Deflategate but no, the rest of the country insists on beating a dead horse and attempting to bring down the reputation and success of the greatest coach and quarterback combination in football history by reinstating this suspension. And let’s be clear, the suspension is a big deal.
I’ve heard some arguments recently that the suspension wouldn’t matter because the Patriots would have won the first four games of the season anyway.
Obviously we can’t know for certain what would have happened if Jimmy Garoppolo had started in place of Brady, but odds are that the Pats would not still be undefeated. So it is significant that they have had full access to their starter.
Now here is the part where I’m sure I will upset some readers. I fully believe that Brady was aware of the deflation of the footballs.
That’s right, I think that Tom Brady is guilty of the charges that have been brought against him!
To me, it doesn’t make much sense that the balls would be deflated by equipment managers without the knowledge and consent of the team’s quarterback, but assumptions are not enough to make a conviction.
This is the key point: there is no definitive proof implicating him, and until such time as there is, the NFL has no right to suspend him.
We still live in a country where one is innocent until proven guilty, and the treatment of Brady has essentially been the opposite.
Jealousy and hatred of the Patriots’ success are what is fueling this continued vitriolic assault against Brady, nothing more. This would not be happening if Kyle Orton or Josh McCown had been accused of deflating balls.
If a federal judge said that the NFL had violated Orton or McCown’s due process, you can bet people would simply accept the decision. But instead, everyone is insistent on violating the very principles of America’s justice system just because they are tired of Brady’s success.
Look, I get it. It’s easy to hate on somebody who is pretty much perfect. But that doesn’t mean you’re allowed to treat him differently.
