Monthly Archives: July 2015

Tom Brady knew that the footballs he used in the first half of the AFC Championship Game were intentionally deflated in order to give him a competitive advantage, so concluded Ted Wells, the lawyer hired by the NFL to investigate the scandal dubbed “Deflategate.” Debating suspensions As quickly as the league moved to suspend Brady for four games and to fine the New England Patriots a million dollars and eliminate first and fourth round draft choices, Brady apologists, including his agent, Don Yee, and the Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft, called the penalties overblown.  Vigorous debate ensued over whether Brady’s conduct was ethically culpable, some even calling it commendable, asking if it was not the duty of a gladiator such as Brady to do whatever he could to help his teammates win. National pundits quickly weighed in.  No less an authority than Morning Joe Host Joe Scarborough called Brady’s suspension extreme, adding, “I just don’t get this.”  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, perhaps hoping to energize support in New England for his presidential bid, currently mired in the single digits, joined a chorus of Bay Staters, labeling the suspension “too harsh.” Debates over similar questions re-emerge each time an athlete is penalized for misconduct.  Was the sanction sufficient?  Was it too harsh?  How should the fairness of the penalty be assessed?  Should our hero (or nemesis) have even been sanctioned at all?  Isn’t it the duty of the athlete to try to win at all costs?