Volin: Goodell Sends Message To Other 31 Teams That He Doesn't Play Favorites With Patriots
BOSTON (CBS) - The National Football League came down hard on the New England Patriots late Monday afternoon in their punishment for DeflateGate. Tom Brady was given a four-game suspension and the Patriots were fined $1 million and two draft picks, with one of them being a first rounder in 2016.
On 98.5 The Sports Hub Tuesday morning, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe joined Fred Toucher, Dan Roche and Jon Wallach to offer his take on the matter.
"The NFL is clearly ticked off that not only did the Patriots do this, but then they went kicking and screaming and didn't fully cooperate [with the investigation] and [started] pointing fingers, instead of just being humble and accepting responsibility. They're going to make the Patriots pay," Volin said.
READ: Agent Says Tom Brady Will Appeal 'Ridiculous' Suspension
Being without Brady for the first four games of the season will be tough to overcome (or maybe not in the weak AFC East), but Volin adds that the suspension could likely be reduced by a game or two after it goes through the appeal process, something that Brady's agent Don Yee has already said they plan on doing.
Volin said the punishment is "three pronged" in that an infraction with the game balls occurred, they've been called into the principal's office before (SpyGate) and they were defiant with Ted Wells and his team of investigators.
"It's the totality of it that led to the real harsh penalty," Volin said. "Had they just owned up to it from the beginning, taken their medicine and tried to maybe pin it on these rogue ball boys, I think we're talking today about [a lesser punishment].
"But because they were so defiant, because they were demanding apologies at the Super Bowl, because they denied, denied, denied and tried to out-lawyer Ted Wells, the NFL said enough is enough. [The NFL] proved a message to the other 31 teams that we don't play favorites with Tom Brady and the Patriots. If you break the rules, we're going to make you pay."
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Volin likened the situation to a court of law, saying that if the Patriots had just come clean and been cooperative and forthright from the start, then the NFL would have looked more favorably upon the Patriots, and taken that into account for their punishment.
"They should have just plead out from the beginning and accepted responsibility. They danced around all the questions, they didn't answer things with a straight face, and then when they discovered these other texts from Jim McNally 'the deflator' they drew an arbitrary line that [four interviews] was enough making him available. Well, if [McNally] could help exonerate you, then you make him available 27 times."
Listen below for the full interview: