In a rare disclosure of internal NFL proceedings, the complete June arbitration hearing for Patriots QB Tom Brady was disclosed yesterday as part of dueling lawsuits in federal court over his suspension. The disclosure was just one exhibit among 210 that were attached to the NFLPA's complaint filed late yesterday, a response to the NFL seeking to enforce its four-game suspension of Brady. The case, unlike most previous league labor litigation, is being heard in Manhattan federal court, and the judge overseeing the case, Richard Berman, clearly has a far higher bar to sealing documents than his counterparts in Minnesota, where NFL-NFLPA proceedings since the early '90s were often cloaked in secrecy. Everything from Brady getting free cell phones, which he would then destroy, to the team's former practice of preparing game balls in saunas, was disclosed in the transcript. Reams of cell-phone records were also included. Berman has scheduled a conference next week that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Brady are set to attend. And Berman appears committed to resolving the dispute before the season begins. NFL investigator Ted Wells testified that Brady destroying his cell phone hurt his credibility. Wells said, "Not only did it hurt him in terms of how we evaluated his credibility, but it put us in a hell of a spot because you have a person with this exemplary record and has done all these good things that people are saying, and yet they are conducting themselves in a fashion that suggests they are hiding something and may be guilty and not being forthcoming" (Daniel Kaplan, Staff Writer).
MORE DETAILS: In Boston, Ben Volin notes the NFLPA in total filed 237 documents "totaling 4,120 pages." Among the filings were "hundreds of pages of Brady’s cellphone records and e-mails, correspondence between league employees, a statement from Patriots owner Robert Kraft filed from Jerusalem supporting Brady, and a 457-page testimony from the June 23 appeal, which was conducted under oath" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/5). Also in Boston, Bob McGovern notes Brady in the hearing "unequivocally denied any involvement" in Deflategate. Wells: "In my almost 40 years of practice, I think that was one of the most ill-advised decisions I have ever seen because it hurt how I viewed his credibility" (BOSTON HERALD, 8/5).
WHAT WE LEARNED: Various reporters offered their takeaways from the documents released yesterday. The WASHINGTON POST's Mark Maske: "Tom Brady's Appeal Hearing Testimony Unveiled; Patriots QB Admits To Nothing" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/5). The BOSTON GLOBE's Rachel Bowers: "Five Takeaways From Tom Brady's Testimony" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/5). The N.Y. POST's Josh Saul: "Every Detail Of Brady's Flat-Out Deflategate Denial In Testimony" (N.Y. POST, 8/5). SI.com's Michael McCann: "What Tom Brady's Denial Of Wrongdoing Means For NFL, NFLPA" (SI.com, 8/4). WEEI.com's Christopher Price: "7 Things We Learned From Release Of Transcript From Tom Brady's Deflategate Appeal Hearing" (WEEI.com, 8/4).
BARING IT ALL: In Boston, Karen Guregian writes while this "wasn't what you'd exactly call a gripping page-turner, there were enough crumbs laced throughout the endless pages of testimony to basically embolden both sides." There is "plenty of ammunition" for both parties. But at "this stage, it only matters" what Berman thinks (BOSTON HERALD, 8/5). Also in Boston, Dan Shaughnessy writes this transcript "adds to a heaping pile of paper that already includes the Wells Report, the Wells Report In Context, Goodell’s 20-page firebomb in which he upheld Brady’s four-game suspension, and the endless trail of leaks and counter-leaks." The tonnage "will eventually exceed complete works of the Warren Commission." Shaughnessy: "Sorry, I think the Patriots are guilty. I know that is not a popular opinion and I could very well be wrong, but from the jump they’ve behaved like a guilty party. ... I also believe the league has played dirty and gone out of its way to embarrass and punish New England for a petty crime" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/5). CSNNE.com's Tom Curran wrote under the header, "NFL In The Raw Is Not A Pretty Sight." Curran: "Not only does the emperor have no clothes, he’s been skinned alive now that we get a load of the boobery on display during that 10-hour June appeal" (CSNNE.com, 8/4).
TIP LINE: In Baltimore, Jeff Zrebiec notes Ravens officials "have denied on several occasions" that they tipped off the Colts about the deflated footballs prior to the AFC Championship (Baltimore SUN, 8/5). However, the BOSTON GLOBE's Volin notes the documents released yesterday "included evidence" that the Ravens did tip off the Colts (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/5). In Indianapolis, Manny Randhawa notes former ESPN personality Bill Simmons "ripped" Colts GM Ryan Grigson yesterday following the release of the documents. Simmons is an "avid Patriots fan" (INDYSTAR.com, 8/4).
REWRITING HISTORY: WEEI.com's Ryan Hannable noted ESPN's Chris Mortensen yesterday deleted an "incorrect tweet" he posted earlier this year regarding the deflated footballs. Mortensen yesterday released a statement, which read in part, "I made a mistake in not clarifying, via Twitter, my tweet from months ago regarding the sourced information I reported about under-inflated footballs. After reflecting upon yesterday’s conversation, I decided to delete the initial tweet today. It’s a step I could have taken a while ago, when I had clarified the information on other platforms. Lesson learned" (WEEI.com, 8/4).
