"Deflategate" has taken "its place alongside Spygate," and the "damage to the Patriot brand is universal and eternal," according to Dan Shaughnessy of the BOSTON GLOBE. Yesterday was a "bad day for the Patriots," and an "especially bad day" for QB Tom Brady. They are "insulting your intelligence if they want you to believe that they were not aware of what was happening to the footballs on game days." Shaughnessy: "When do the Patriots stop lying and come clean on this thing? The damage is done" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/7). In Boston, Ron Borges writes what investigator Ted Wells’ report "made apparent to any clear-thinking person is that you’d have to bend your brain into a pretzel" to read 243 pages of e-mails, testimony and "quite obviously a few lies -- and conclude the Patriots’ Ideal Gas Theory done it." This is "another smudge on the reputation of a proud and successful organization that doesn’t need to keep doing these kind of things but can’t seem to help itself" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/7).
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF? In N.Y., John Branch in a front-page piece writes the scandal "threatens Brady’s legacy and further tarnishes the reputation of the Patriots, a team that has taken suspicious paths to success" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/7). Also in N.Y., Gary Myers writes what "seems clear is the fallout from DeflateGate could be the knockout punch for the Super Bowl champs, who were beat up in free agency, once again have to overcome the perceived culture of cheating" that coach Bill Belichick "created in Foxborough with SpyGate, and deal with Brady, one of the faces of the NFL and the best quarterback in league history, having to overcome his image taking a big hit" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/7). A BOSTON HERALD editorial states, "Yes, there are enough maybes, probablys, and can’t-say-with-absolute-certaintys to bolster the fan view that the Patriots are the subject of a witch hunt. This case isn’t playing out in a courtroom, however, and the rules of evidence don’t apply in the court of public opinion." When it comes to the Patriots, there is a "certain arrogance borne of their tremendous success -- and a zeal in many quarters to knock them down a peg." They have "given their critics just enough material to do that" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/7).
BLOW TO BRADY'S IMAGE? ESPN BOSTON's Jackie MacMullan wrote there are "no winners in the long-awaited resolution of Deflategate, but the biggest loser is clearly" Brady. He is a "treasured New England sports figure who largely has been above reproach, both on and off the football field." He "had the opportunity to thwart the controversy" in January, when the allegations against the Patriots were made. The NFL "places a premium on transparency, even if the league isn't all that transparent itself (see: Ray Rice)." When the NFL "asks for your emails, your text messages and your phone calls that relate to Deflategate, you would be wise to hand them over" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 5/6). In Boston, Bob Hohler in a front-page piece writes the findings of the Wells Report are a "major blow" to Brady's "golden reputation" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/7). In Toronto, Bruce Arthur writes, "If you read this report and are not an unreasonable person, you would conclude that based on the evidence, Tom Brady cheated, Tom Brady lied, the guys Tom Brady cheated with lied, and they didn’t tell the coach" (TORONTO STAR, 5/7). In N.Y., Juliet Macur writes of Brady, "So much for the feel-good story of a player drafted in the sixth round out of Michigan who turned out to be a star and seemingly could do no wrong. After Wednesday’s news, that story line has taken a sharp turn. It’s turned depressing, actually" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/7).
FROM THE OWNER'S BOX: Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, on Patriots Owner Robert Kraft’s reaction to the report: “He vents his frustration, but he ultimately accepts the report. They will accept the punishment. There’s really nothing they can do short of taking actions that will upset the entire NFL apple cart by pursuing litigation against the league. … The reality is that Robert Kraft is one of three owners who determine the commissioner's annual compensation, so the commissioner still finds himself smack dab in the middle of a minefield on this one” (“PFT,” NBCSN, 5/6). Slate.com’s Mike Pesca, on Kraft's disagreement with the report: “I don’t know if that’s blindness. ... But he’s doing the thing that sometimes the head of a corporation does who disavows any knowledge of it.” Pesca: “This was a thorough, thorough report” (“NewsHour,” PBS, 5/6).
