Having to punish Patriots QB Tom Brady, one of the league's "brightest stars," is "new territory" for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, according to Stephen Holder of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Based on the league's "previous actions, it does not appear that the question is 'if' but, rather, 'how severe'" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/7).USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell in a front-page piece writes now is not the time for the NFL to "suddenly go soft and underinflated with discipline" in the wake of Ted Wells' findings surrounding the "Deflategate" scandal. If Browns GM Ray Farmer was banned four games for text messaging his coaching staff during a game, if Falcons President & CEO Rich McKay was temporarily kicked off the competition committee he chairs for noise pollution at the Georgia Dome, if Saints coach Sean Payton and Exec VP & GM Mickey Loomis were suspended a few years ago amid the team's bounty scandal, then Brady "needs to take a seat, too." The NFL's response should involve "sitting Brady down for at least a game or two" (USA TODAY, 5/7). In DC, Adam Kilgore writes under the header, "Tom Brady Lied; Only The Consequences Are Open To Debate." Brady "deserves a suspension because messing with the air inside of a football messes with competitive fairness" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/7).
HOW MANY GAMES FOR BRADY? In Miami, Armando Salguero cites a source as saying that the NFL is "weighing a suspension" for Brady that "could span up to one season." The source said that it "would be wrong to think a season-long suspension will absolutely be the punishment doled out because that decision had not been finalized." The source also "declined to give a discipline floor, or the most lenient discipline Brady is facing" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 5/6). On Long Island, Bob Glauber writes NFL Exec VP/Football Operations Troy Vincent "needs to send a strong message with a meaningful sentence: a minimum six-game suspension" (NEWSDAY, 5/7). In Rochester, Leo Roth writes under the header, "Brady Deserves Four-Game Suspension" (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 5/7). ESPN N.Y.'s Ian O'Connor writes Brady "deserves to be suspended for his actions, and four games sounds about right" (ESPNNY.com, 5/6). USA TODAY's Chris Chase wrote Brady "should, and will, get suspended (probably for 2-4 games)" (USATODAY.com, 5/6). The N.Y. Daily News' John Harper said Brady needs to be suspended "at least" two games ("Daily News Live," SNY, 5/6). In N.Y., Steve Serby writes under the header, "NFL Must Sack Cheater Tom Brady With Two-Game Ban" (N.Y. POST, 5/7). In Dallas, Tim Cowlishaw writes under the header, "Tom Brady's Punishment Should Be Long Enough To Put Patriots At Disadvantage." The NFL should "suspend the quarterback for two games" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/7). FOXSPORTS.com's Alex Marvez wrote Brady's punishment "could very well include at least a one-game suspension to open" the '15 season (FOXSPORTS.com, 5/6). In Philadelphia, Marcus Hayes writes Brady "should be gone for all" of '15 (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 5/7). In Cleveland, Bud Shaw asks of a potential Brady suspension, "Should it be two games, four games?" Shaw: "I'll bet two" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 5/7). In Ft. Lauderdale, Dave Hyde writes under the header, "Time To Deflate Tom Brady For Four Games" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 5/7).
MORE THAN GAMES? In Dallas, Rick Gosselin writes TV nets and their advertisers "won't be too happy" if Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo is "taking snaps" when in the NFL Kickoff game against the Steelers in primetime on Sept. 10. But "how much of a fine" would make Brady "wince?" Gosselin: "$100,000? $500,000? $1 million?" A slap on the wrist "will no longer suffice," as the "integrity of the game is at stake" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/7). Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban yesterday predicted the Patriots will be fined $1M "because that’s a big number, it sounds really punitive, it’ll make everybody pay attention, and it probably sets a record in a fine for a team" (ESPN Radio 103.3 Dallas, 5/6). In Ft. Worth, Mac Engel writes the Patriots "need to lose multiple draft picks, including a precious No. 1, and Brady and Belichick must at least miss half the season" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 5/7). Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer said other teams are going “to go, ‘Hey, something has to happen here’” (“Fox Sports Live,” FS1, 5/6). ESPN's Bill Polian said, "This is not running through a stop sign. This is not speeding five miles over the limit. This is a serious competitive violation that has to be treated as such by the league" ("NFL Insiders," ESPN, 5/6). SI.com's Don Banks wrote the hint that the NFL "probably won’t come down as hard on the Patriots or Brady as many anticipate is right there in the executive summary of the report’s conclusions." Lacking any "smoking gun evidence," the NFL "isn’t going to throw the book at the Patriots organization or Brady." There will "be a price of some sort to pay in New England, but it’ll probably be more from a reputation standpoint than anything" (SI.com, 5/6). NFL Network's Judy Battista: "There's a huge range here that Troy Vincent will have to look at as he ponders the discipline” (“NFL AM,” NFL Network, 5/7). ESPN's Adam Schefter said, "The question becomes, are the Patriots as an organization ... going to walk away from this without any penalty or discipline in this particular case?" ("NFL Insiders," ESPN, 5/6).
