Well, NFL, it’s now in your hands. The New England Patriots cheated.
That’s the word from Ted Wells, who was hired by football’s brain trust to determine if Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the rest of the Pats were doing illegal activities on the sidelines (and attendants room) by deflating footballs.
It took far too long for a Deflategate determination, but the final word is in and Wells does indeed suggest the Patriots were trying to skirt the rules.
The Ted Wells report reads:
“Based on the evidence developed in connection with the investigation and summarized in this Report, we have concluded that it is more probable than not that New
England Patriots personnel participated in violations of the NFL Playing Rules and were involved in a deliberate attempt to circumvent those rules.”
So what does this mean for Deflategate? Well, right now, not a ton. It’s a clear indication to the NFL that the New England Patriots were trying to be sneaky and bend the rules. As to what type of punsihment they’ll be receiving though, nobody knows.
A large fine and a loss of a couple draft picks is the most likely scenario, though, that’s nothing more than a slap on the wrist for the Pats who’d likely laugh their way into the sunset with such a penalty.
Of course, knowing the NFL, that’s likely what we’ll get.
