The NFL's plan of attack against Tom Brady in its appeal of the Deflategate outcome is just that -- an attack of the Patriots quarterback.
The league opted for stronger language in its legal brief seeking a reversal of Judge Richard M. Berman's decision to reverse the four-game suspension against Brady for his role in the Deflategate incident during the 2015 AFC Championship Game, according to Pro Football Talk.
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Its argument includes a statement that Brady was actively involved in the tampering of the footballs during the Patriots-Colts game in January.
The NFL wrote that Brady "participated in a scheme to tamper with the game balls after they had been approved by the game officials for use in the AFC Championship Game."
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"That's hardly a new development," Mike Florio of PFT wrote. "But it nevertheless underscores that reality that Goodell decided after hearing directly from Brady that Brady was more than generally aware that John Jastremski and/or Jim McNally were taking air out of footballs. Goodell determined that Brady 'knew about, approved of, consented to, and provided inducements and rewards in support of a scheme ... [to] tampe[r] with the game balls ... after they had been approved by the game officials for use in the AFC Championship Game.'"
The strategy behind the new language, according to Florio, is to eliminate the mistakes from the Wells investigation into the matter. It contends that Goodell had more proof of Brady's involvement than the Wells report indicated against the New England quarterback.
Brady is trying to guide the banged-up Patriots into the playoffs with home-field advantage up to the Super Bowl. While Brady and New England won't be affected this season, he could be back on the hot seat when the offseason starts.
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