New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady did his best not to address the finding of the Wells Report and the DeflateGate scandal during an interview Thursday night, but when the subject was finally broached, would offer only his belief that the results of the investigation in no way called into question the Patriots victory in Super Bowl XLIX.
Despite Brady's brief, but pointed, response it seems the league may feel quite a bit differently.
"In talking to an NFL source, the complaints that have been raised by Brady's father, Brady's attorney Don Yee and Patriots owner Robert Kraft do not diminish what they believe is a perponderence of evidence that shows that Brady was aware of what was going on," Jason Cole of Bleacher Report reported.
Per Cole, a suspension for Brady is "likely" and a fine for the team is probable.
"The NFL, again, does not believe the crux of the investigation - which includes the text messages between the two Patriots employees that strongly imply that Brady knew what was going on and gave his O.K. to have those footballs deflated just before the game - they do not believe that anything so far that has come up diminishes any of that part of the investigation and ultimately that's the strongest part of their case."
If Brady is indeed to be suspended and the team fined, it seems that those announcements will come in the very near future, as Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald reported that the league may reveal the DeflateGate discipline Friday afternoon.
"A source close to the Deflategate investigation believes a disciplinary ruling could be made as early as this afternoon," Howe writes. "The source stressed nothing official has been relayed, but there is a feeling this situation could be resolved quickly. Obviously, if it doesn't happen today, Monday would then come into focus because the NFL holds off its business dealings over the weekend."
