BOSTON — Flawed. Biased. Terribly disappointing.
That was the assessment Thursday of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s agent about a report released by the NFL on the “Deflategate” scandal — one that many say significantly taints the superstar’s image.
Specifically, the report — prepared by attorney Ted Wells — found that “it is more probable than not” that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was “at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities” of locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski, who has been with the team since 2001.
In a statement Thursday, Brady’s agent Don Yee characterizes the report as “a significant and terrible disappointment.”
He questions the Indianapolis Colts — who played the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game in which the underinflated footballs were tested — role in the scandal. The Patriots won that game 45-7 before going on to win the Super Bowl.
“What does it say about the league office’s protocols and ethics when it allows one team to tip it off to an issue prior to a championship game, and no league officials or game officials notified the Patriots of the same issue prior to the game?” Yee said. “This suggests it may be more probable than not that the league cooperated with the Colts in perpetrating a sting operation.”
Yee concludes, “This report contains significant and tragic flaws, and it is common knowledge in the legal industry that reports like this generally are written for the benefit of the purchaser.”