Even the NFL GOAT wasn’t spared from numerous controversies, chief among them being the Deflategate scandal that broke out in 2015. It alleged that Tom Brady ordered the footballs to be deliberately deflated to gain an edge in the games. This NFL controversy came during his time with the New England Patriots in their 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the 2014 AFC Championship Game. 

Three months after the scandal broke out, an investigation was carried out which was sponsored by the NFL. Attorney Ted Wells put together a 234-page report that alleges that Patriots equipment assistant John Jastremski and locker room attendant Jim McNally came up with “a deliberate plan” to violate the game rules. As per the NFL rule, footballs should be inflated to between 12.5 to 13.5 pounds PSI. The alleged plan between Jastremski and McNally was to keep the pressure lower to offer a slight advantage of an easier catch. 

Tom Brady allegedly spoke to Jastremski on deflategate allegations

Before the report came out, Tom Brady who had four SB wins under his belt flat-out denied the allegations during his conference speech on January 22, 2015. He told the press, “I have no knowledge of any wrongdoing… I would never do anything to break the rules. I believe in fair play and I respect the league and everything they’re doing to try to create a very competitive playing field for all the NFL teams.” However, the deflategate investigation report concerning footballs used during the AFC Championship game on January 18, 2015, revealed that there could be more to it than meets the eye. 

The investigation found out that John Jastremski and Tom Brady connected through the phone after the deflation scandal got loose. As per Jastremski’s phone records, he texted Tom Brady to call him on January 19. In less than a minute, Tom Brady called Jastremski, and the two “spoke for 13 minutes and 4 seconds.” 

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Tom Brady also recalls having a conversation with Jastremski on January 19 but he doesn’t recall “any specifics.” He only remembers that “they were trying to figure out the extent of the media coverage and the facts relating to the allegations of the Patriots.” The call was the first time the two connected since July 4, 2014. Minutes after the call with Brady, Jastremski called McNally which “lasted for 9 minutes and 12 seconds, ” a call that Jastremski dismisses as a call of “curiosity” about “what the heck is going on.”

John Jastremski’s response to the allegations

John Jastremski denied that he spoke to Tom Brady about the deflation issue to NFL Security investigators on January 20. He told them he only spoke to McNally about the subject. However, in his February interview with Paul, Weiss, he admitted that he did talk about the issue with Tom Brady on that call, which is the only time they talked about the deflation issue. 

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The conclusion of the report stated that it is “more probable than not” that Tom Brady was “at least generally aware” of what transpired between the two Patriots employees who were allegedly deemed responsible for the intentional football deflation. The allegation led to Tom Brady getting a four-game suspension while the Patriots incurred a $1 million fine and lost two draft selections in 2016. 

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