NFL Commissioner To Bench Tom Brady Super Bowl Sunday? ‘Brady Had Something To Do With This’
Patriots QB Tom Brady claims that he didn’t have anything to do with the under-inflated footballs during last Sunday’s AFC Championship game, but there are many who don’t believe him and feel that he should be benched for Super Bowl XLIX.
On Thursday, former Dallas Cowboys QB Troy Aikman told Dallas sports radio station The Ticket that it’s “obvious” Tom Brady had something to do with what’s now known as Deflate-Gate.
“For the balls to be deflated, that doesn’t happen unless the quarterback wants that to happen, I can assure you of that. Now the question becomes did Bill Belichick know about it.”
ESPN’s Ian O’Connor weighed in on the deflated footballs controversy in his column on Friday, writing that the answers Brady gave the media on Thursday do not “hold weight.” O’Connor feels that if the NFL’s investigation finds that the Pats QB did indeed alter the footballs, then commissioner Roger Goodell needs to take him out of next Sunday’s game against the Seahawks.
“If the NFL finds in the coming days that Brady did have something to do with altering the 11 Patriots footballs… then commissioner Roger Goodell needs to bench Brady for the Super Bowl. As much as he has been compromised by the whole Ray Rice case, Goodell cannot make a mockery of his championship game by allowing someone to participate who broke league rules to ensure a competitive advantage in the semifinal.”
During Thursday’s press conference, Tom Brady stated that he would “never do anything outside of the rules of play,” and confirmed that the NFL has not talked to him yet. So far, the only comment from the National Football League since the DeflateGate controversy started is a rather vague one from the league’s spokesman.
“We are not commenting on the details of the review at this point.”
I’m sorry, everyone. I just couldn’t help myself. https://t.co/Fas2QirZcR
— Brett (@thecajunboy) January 22, 2015
Brady believes that “everyone” is trying to figure out the whole under-inflated football situation, telling the media, “I think over the last few days everyone is trying to figure out, as the NFL is trying to figure out… what happened.”
Yahoo! Sports writer Dan Wetzel states that it is “troubling news” that the NFL has yet to talk to Brady. He feels that “everyone appears to be trying harder than the NFL” to find out what happened last Sunday.
“Until the NFL explains exactly what it has and hasn’t been doing, and why, since Sunday night as the sport has become consumed with deflate-gate, then it’s a challenge to see this as anything but a joke. That it could come after the league’s much botched Ray Rice case is even more stunning. Or not.”
Will Brady play against the Seahawks on Super Bowl Sunday? If you’re a gambler, it’s likely he won’t be benched and fans will see the 17-year Patriots veteran QB out on the field. Until then, fans and non-fans will wonder what really happened and continue to share their opinions, along with countless Deflate-Gate jokes and memes.
Do you think Tom Brady had anything to do with the under-inflated footballs?
[Image: ESPN]
