Did Tom Brady knowingly cheat? That’s the question the world is asking today after the Wells Report noted that he was “generally aware” of altering footballs. Here are just some of the things Brady did before and after Deflategate broke, according to the investigation…
He allegedly exchanged deflated balls for swag.
Text messages between Patriots locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski:
McNally: Better be surrounded by cash and newkicks….or its a rugby sunday
McNally: Fuck tom
Jastremski: Maybe u will have some nice size 11s in ur locker
McNally: Tom must really be working your balls hard this week
Another time:
McNally: Tom sucks…im going to make that next ball a fuckin balloon
Jastremski: Talked to him last night. He actually brought you up and said you must have a lot of stress trying to get them done
He called John Jastremski when Deflategate rumors came out.
On January 18, the Pats defeated the Colts in the AFC Championship. Not long after the game was over, WTHR reporter Bob Kravitz broke the deflated balls story on Twitter.
Told if a league investigation confirms deflated footballs it will result in lost draft picks. Stay tuned.
— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) January 19, 2015
The next morning, Tom Brady began his communication with John Jastremski:
After not communicating by telephone or text for more than six months (according to data retrieved from Jastremski‟s cell phone), Brady and Jastremski spoke twice by telephone on January 19 (calls lasting a total of 25 minutes and 2 seconds), twice on January 20 (calls lasting a total of 9 minutes and 55 seconds) and twice on January 21 (calls lasting a total of 20 minutes and 52 seconds) before Jastremski surrendered his cell phone to the Patriots later that day for forensic imaging.
Then, he sent him a bunch of texts:
He refused to help investigators.
Brady brought his agent and lawyers with him when he met investigators. He was, in no way, obligated to provide them with anything. Yet, it still looks bad.
“Although Tom Brady appeared for a requested interview and answered questions voluntarily, he declined to make available any documents or electronic information (including text messages and emails) that we requested, even though those requests were limited to the subject matter of our investigation.”
He may have lied to Bill Belichick.
Belichick asked Brady on Jan. 22 if he had any knowledge of the media’s claims, the report said, and the quarterback said “absolutely not.” Belichick then asked Brady if he or anyone he knew tampered with the footballs used in the AFC Championship Game. “Belichick recalled that Brady also explained that once he inspects and approves game balls, those balls are exactly as he likes them and that he would not want anyone to do anything to them after that point,” the report said. “Belichick believed Brady.”
He was Bill Clinton-esque in his words at the Deflategate press conference.
On January 22, Brady addressed his role (non-role) in Deflategate, saying, “I didn’t alter the ball in any way.” He was forceful and adamant about it. In an interview with the Boston Globe on Thursday, Martin W. Healy, chief legal counsel for the Massachusetts Bar Association, compared his statement to President Clinton’s “I did not have sexual relations with that woman” statement.
Brady “seemed to be very well-prepared for the questions asked of him,” said Healy. “Obviously he must have consulted [with] an attorney or some public relations communications expert …
“He was very aware that he should not be making representations about others’ conduct or behavior … You can kind of assist a client in making a statement that is general enough to deny involvement but also leave room for retreat later on, if need be.”
Is there a smoking gun here, or just a lot of circumstantial evidence?
