Cris Collinsworth is a lot of things - a former NFL player, an NFL analyst and a sportscaster for NFL Network, NBC and Showtime.
But more than anything, the one-time Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver is a lover of the sport.
As such, his current perspective on the New England Patriots Deflategate scandal, which has ultimately centered on quarterback Tom Brady and has rocked the most consistently successful NFL franchise in recent memory, really boils down to one thing - wanting it all to be over and done with.
"I think in some way, shape or form, like most people, I'm a football fan first and foremost - I just want it over. I just want it done. I just want to get back to watching football," Collinsworth told HNGN while walking the red carpet at the 2015 Sports Business Awards in New York City on Wednesday evening. The event celebrated the career of former NBC Sports executive Dick Ebersol.
While Collinsworth said that he's itching for the whole Deflategate ordeal to pass, Patriots owner Robert Kraft's recent announcement that he won't fight the sanctions - the loss of a 2016 first-round pick, a 2017 fourth-round pick and a $1 million fine - levied by the league and commissioner Roger Goodell in the wake of the publishing of the Wells Report has him curious as to what the next steps will be both for the NFL and the franchise.
"It was interesting that the Patriots decided not to pursue it," Collinsworth said. "I think you could say that Robert Kraft did what was in the best interest of the league. Now what happens with the next appeal? Is Tom Brady going to take the same tact? Or is he going to try and fight it? Will it be done through the union? Will there be lawsuits? I'm going to wait and see what happens. I look forward to seeing how it's resolved."
Brady, in conjunction with the NFLPA, has already filed an appeal of his four-game suspension.
Some have suggested that Kraft's decision not to fight the punishments handed out by the league could be aimed at ensuring a better outcome for Brady's appeal. Goodell, speaking at the NFL's spring owners meetings in San Francisco on Wednesday afternoon, dismissed that notion in no uncertain terms.
While the two formerly close sides were pulled violently apart by Deflategate, Goodell and Kraft were said to have been seen sharing a lengthy conversation followed by a hug prior to the current round of owners meetings kicking off.
Still, despite his ardent desire for Deflategate to fade from cultural consciousness, Collinsworth's fairly certain he won't be getting his wish for the whole ordeal to go away anytime soon.
"The story's not done yet. It's just not."
