The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/510942
MICHIGAN IN THE PROS BY CHRIS BALAS T he NFL came down with the ham- mer on "Deflategate" May 12, suspending New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady four games without pay while a l s o p u n i s h i n g the franchise. The league's chastise- ment stems from the use of under-inflated footballs in the AFC C h a m p i o n s h i p Game in January. The league levied a $1 million fine for the Patriots, who are also ordered to for- feit their first-round selection in th e 2016 NFL Draft and fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Brady's agent, Don Yee, insisted: "the discipline is ridiculous and has no le- gitimate basis." A 243-page report by investigator Ted Wells, which was sent to NFL com- missioner Roger Goodell May 6, found it "more probable than not that" team staffers for the Patriots deliberately un- derinflated footballs to gain advantage over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game Jan. 18 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. "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] partici- pated in a deliberate effort to release air from Patriots game balls after the balls were examined by the referee," the re- port read. "Based on the evidence, it also is our view that it is more probable than not that Tom Brady was at least gener- ally aware of the inappropriate activi- ties of McNally and Jastremski involv- ing the release of air from Patriots game balls." Brady, making his first public appear- ance since the report's release as part of Salem State University's speaker series May 7, was joined on stage by inter- viewer Jim Gray, USA Today reported. He declined to comment in detail, but when asked for his reaction he said: "I don't have really any reaction. It's only been 30 hours, so I haven't had much time to digest it, but when I do I'll be sure to let you know how I feel about it — and everybody else. "Certainly I accept my role and re- sponsibility as a public figure. A lot of it you take the good with the bad. MICHIGAN IN THE PROS Tom Brady Suspended By The NFL Brady received a four-game suspen- sion, and New England was both hit with a fine and ordered to forfeit draft picks. PHOTO COURTESY NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS