What Was Tom Brady's 'Incredibly Generous' DeflateGate Settlement Offer?
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- As DeflateGate continues to rage on, blame for the endlessness of the bitter battle between the National Football League and Tom Brady continues to shift toward the NFL. Long after Brady reportedly told Roger Goodell that he was willing to take a one-game suspension for his alleged general awareness of a football deflation scheme, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith told the Dan Patrick Show that Brady recently made another offer to settle the case that the league would not accept.
Based on Smith's comments, it sounds like the NFL and Brady reached an impasse when the league tried to get Brady to foist blame for whatever happened with those footballs on the alleged "deflators," Patriots employees John Jastremski and Jim McNally.
"Tom, I think, made a great offer to settle these cases. The league didn't want to do it, because [Brady] refused to throw his trainers under the bus," said Smith. "Tom's a stand-up guy; he made a settlement offer to resolve this, the league chose not to take it, and that's where we are."
The more Smith spoke on the matter, the more apparent it became that the league likely told Brady that he could avoid a suspension for deflated footballs - and, more importantly, have a chance at preserving his reputation - if he blamed the whole thing on a couple of rogue equipment guys. Basically, that they wanted Brady to be a rat.
"I don't want to go into details, but it was an incredibly generous offer [from Brady] to resolve this," said Smith. "The league asked for something that no man should agree to do."
As for the "incredibly generous" part? One has to assume that Brady was still willing to keep a one or two-game suspension with an admission of non-cooperation in the investigation due to the whole cell phone fiasco. The league likely demanded an admission of guilt in a deflation scheme, whether on his part or on the part of the trainers. If that is to be believed, then Brady ostensibly refused to admit to things he didn't do or pawn culpability off on Jastremski and McNally.
Brady and the Patriots refuse to be forced into admitting anything, whether they did it or not; meanwhile, the other 31 owners likely want the team to basically admit they cheated ... whether the Patriots did anything or not. That's why a settlement may never happen, even if the Supreme Court agrees to take the case.
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.
