Tom Brady's Agent: DeflateGate Appeal Process Was A Sham
BOSTON (CBS) - The NFL upheld Tom Brady's four-game suspension stemming from the DeflateGate scandal on Tuesday, and now Brady and the NFL Player's Association are taking their case to Federal Court in hopes of getting the suspension overturned.
Related: Destroyed Cell Phone Serves As Basis Brady Suspension
Tom Brady's agent, Don Yee, says the "appeal process was a sham" and Commissioner Roger Goodell's decision is disappointing, but not surprising.
Full statement from Don Yee via ESPN's Adam Schefter:
"The Commissioner's decision is deeply disappointing, but not surprising because the appeal process was thoroughly lacking in procedural fairness.
Most importantly, neither Tom nor the Patriots did anything wrong. And the NFL has no evidence that anything inappropriate occurred.
The appeal process was a sham, resulting in the Commissioner rubber-stamping his own decision. For example, the Wells investigative team was given over 100 days to conduct its investigation. Just days prior to the appeal hearing, we were notified that we would only have four hours to present a defense; therefore, we didn't have enough time to examine important witnesses. Likewise, it was represented to the public that the Wells team was 'independent'; however, when we requested documents from Wells, our request was rejected on the basis of privilege. We therefore had no idea as to what Wells found from other witnesses, nor did we know what those other witnesses said.
These are just two examples of how the Commissioner failed to ensure a fair process.
Additionally, the science in the Wells Report was junk. It has been thoroughly discredited by independent third parties.
Finally, as to the issue of cooperation, we presented the Commissioner with an unprecedented amount of electronic data, all of which is incontrovertible. I do not think that any private citizen would have agreed to provide anyone with the amount of information that Tom was willing to reveal to the Commissioner. Tom was completely transparent. All of the electronic information was ignored; we don't know why. The extent to which Tom opened up his private life to the Commissioner will become clear in the coming days.
The Commissioner's decision and discipline has no precedent in all of NFL history. His decision alters the competitive balance of the upcoming season. The decision is wrong and has no basis, and it diminishes the integrity of the game."
The deflategate scandal began on January 18, 2015, the night the Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game. What followed was a five-month investigation by Ted Wells, which deemed it "more probable than not" that two Patriots employees conspired to lower the inflation level of footballs in the AFC Championship Game. The report then determined it "more probable than not" that Brady "was at least generally aware" of their actions.
That led to the four-game ban for Brady. The Patriots were also penalized with the forfeiture of a first-round and fourth-round draft pick, as well as a $1 million fine. That was a punishment which team owner Robert Kraft initially disputed but eventually accepted.
Brady, backed by the NFLPA and outside counsel Jeffrey Kessler, filed an appeal of the four-game suspension issued by Goodell back in early May. The 10-hour hearing was held Tuesday, June 23 at the NFL offices in New York City, with Goodell serving as the arbitrator.