Peter King Says NFL Should Return Patriots Draft Picks Lost In DeflateGate Sanctions
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- DeflateGate is no longer about whether or not the Patriots deliberately deflated footballs after inspection, or whether Tom Brady or Bill Belichick or anyone high up in the organization knew about it. The circumstantial evidence is damning, and enough for the Patriots to be convicted in the court of public opinion, but not nearly enough to definitively prove wrongdoing - let alone punish the team as harshly as the NFL did.
As severe as a $1 million fine sounds, and as much as a four-game suspension for Brady could have hurt the team, nothing damages the Patriots more than the loss of this year's first-round draft pick, 29th overall. As of Monday morning, the Patriots' first pick in this year's NFL Draft is at 59th overall.
Teams cannot appeal punishments like players can, and Mr. Kraft already conceded to the league that they will not pursue any further action to get their draft picks back (the Patriots also lost a fourth-round pick in 2017). That did not stop MMQB's Peter King, one of the nation's most prominent football writers, to call for Roger Goodell and the league to give the picks back in his Sunday column.
King argues that the extent of the proof of wrongdoing by the Patriots warranted a punishment, but a much smaller one than what Goodell handed down.
"Goodell needs to realize he acted without nearly enough scientific evidence against the Patriots," King writes. "The NFL has some significant circumstantial evidence in the case, the kind that should have prompted a strongly worded letter and $250,000 fine. Instead, Goodell killed an ant with a sledgehammer."
King is known for his good relationship with Brady, Kraft, and the Patriots as much as his relationship with Goodell, but it is fairly significant that this is the guy writing this about Goodell:
Regardless of innocence or guilt or whether the Patriots deserve sympathy, the punishment handed to them was a gross overreach by the league; one league executive described it to King as "draconian," which is pretty much a perfect adjective for the $1 million fine and loss of draft picks.
This was over probably deflating footballs, by an amount that made no effect on the performance of Brady or the team, based on a bumbled "sting operation" and ostensibly one-sided "independent" investigation. Even if you hate the Patriots with every fiber of your being, this punishment is not the precedent you want to be set for if and when your team gets caught (even probably) breaking the rules.
King doesn't believe that the Patriots deserve to have their entire punishment overturned, just the draft picks. He also holds the league at fault for its mishandling of the alleged infraction in the 2014 AFC Championship Game, the investigation with Ted Wells, and the subsequent enforcement of PSI rules in "scattered games" throughout 2015. The NFL seemingly avoided comprehensive scientific experiments for fear of the results shining favorably on the Patriots.
The Patriots have no recourse to get the picks back themselves outside of suing the league, and there's just about zero chance Kraft goes that route. Essentially, the league itself needs to decide to give the picks back, because ... they feel like it? They want to tell the Patriots "My bad" and do them a solid? Unfortunately, Goodell is not likely to admit how badly he botched this entire fiasco from the start, especially when Mr. Kraft already decided not to appeal and the other 31 owners seemingly wanted him to drop the hammer on the Patriots as a "makeup call" for under-punishing them for Spygate.
Read King's full argument at MMQB and share your thoughts in the comments.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
