Keller @ Large: Hidden Winners And Losers Of Deflategate
BOSTON (CBS) - Tom Brady takes the prize of course, and Commissioner Roger Goodell and his minions are clear losers of deflategate.
But our focus here is on some secondary champs and chumps you might not have thought of.
Read: Brady Defeats NFL, Suspension Vacated
Tom Brady is the legal winner of course, but his possible post-football political career is a hidden winner tonight. Think I'm joking? "I mean it would be something that I think I could do a decent job at," Brady said in a 2007 interview on 60 Minutes.
But the future looks bleaker for the hidden losers behind Roger Goodell, those bungling NFL lawyers the judge just laughed out of court. They'll take home millions in fees, but at what cost to their reputations?
Another hidden winner: The Brady family, reportedly dealing with some deflategate-related marital stress. That's over now. Let the good times roll.
But Baltimore Coach John Harbaugh and all the other coaches and owners sick of being outsmarted by the Pats are hidden losers. They thought they had payback in hand here. Instead, it's yet another whipping at the hands of number 12.
And yet another hidden winner: Patriots fans who play fantasy football. Now you can go ahead and draft your favorite Pats knowing you've got Brady to help pad their statistics.
And let's not forget the champagne toasters and the just plain toasted among the pundit class that's been following this saga.
Count WBZ legal expert Harry Manion a hidden winner tonight. His analysis was spot on from day one.
And among the many ESPN talking heads who go to bed tonight with egg on their pillow, legal "expert" Lester Munson may be the worst hidden loser. He claimed all along there was no way Brady would win this case.