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Tuesday 9:00am ET....Today's News....The Brady Crunch

  • NFL Issues Tom Brady Landmark Suspension Over Deflategate
  • ESPN To Simulcast NFL Wild Card Playoff Game On ABC
  • Orioles Return To Camden Yards Following Disrupted Schedule
  • Robert Graham To Sponsor Townsend Bell's Ride In Indianapolis 500

NFL Issues Tom Brady Landmark Suspension Over Deflategate

Tom Brady was "assessed a landmark four-game suspension Monday for breaching his sport’s integrity," and no QB in NFL history has "received such a severe penalty for violating the game’s honor code." Brady’s agent Don Yee "vowed an aggressive appeal."  Patriots Owner Robert Kraft said the punishment “far exceeded any reasonable expectation,” while supporting Brady: "Our belief in him has not wavered" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/12). League insiders “will be watching closely to see where Kraft aims his inevitable retort, as several sources have said Kraft has been less than thrilled with Jeff Pash, the NFL's chief legal counsel” (CBSSPORTS.com, 5/11). Boston Globe front-page, Ben Volin, "A Championship Team Done In By Its Own Defiance": "The Patriots have no one to blame for this but themselves. They have been arrogant and defiant from the start."

The Boston papers featured either a neutral tone or defended the Patriots, while the N.Y. tabloids went at Brady. Boston Globe, above the fold, “Brady Suspended; Patriots Punished” ... Boston Herald, A1, “NFL Air Heads!” ... Indianapolis Star, top of A1, “The Lesson: Cheaters Do Win” ... Wall Street Journal, below the fold, “NFL Suspends Tom Brady” ... N.Y. Times, bottom right, “Brady Receives A 4-Game Ban” ... N.Y. Daily News, A1, “Kicked In The Balls” ... N.Y. Post, A1, “Ball Busted!” ... USA Today, above the fold, “NFL Suspends Brady 4 Games, Fines Patriots $1M” ... L.A. Times, A1 right rail, “NFL Sacks Brady For Four Games Over ‘Deflategate’” ... Miami Herald, A1 top rail, “Tom Brady Banned Four Games For Ball Scheme

Deflategate was the second story on network morning shows today, after the latest Nepal earthquake. ABC teased the headline “Brady Bombshell,” CBS ran “Overblown?” and NBC featured “Ridiculous” in reference to Brady’s agent's take on the punishment. “GMA” had Michael Strahan and Jesse Palmer live in-studio. “CBS This Morning” featured a taped appearance by CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora and live in-studio appearances from SI’s Peter King and sportscaster Jim Gray. “Today” included a taped segment by PFT’s Mike Florio and NBC’s Bob Costas live in-studio.

USA Today and the San Diego Union-Tribune feature “Deflategate” editorial cartoons:

Twitter reaction was widespread: Suzanne Johnson, wife of Jets Owner Woody Johnson, "tweeted an emoji of a big, laughing smiley face with a link to the story of Brady's suspension." Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson: "Well done @NFL ... #DeflateGate." Chargers WR Stevie Johnson: "DeflateGate...blah #FreeTomBrady."

ESPN To Simulcast NFL Wild Card Playoff Game On ABC

By John Ourand

ESPN will simulcast its coverage of a Wild Card playoff game this season on ABC, marking the first time the broadcast network will carry an NFL game since '05 when it had “MNF.” A formal announcement is expected to come during ESPN’s upfront advertising event in N.Y. today. ESPN says it made the decision to simulcast the game “in conjunction with the NFL to maximize the audience across the two networks.”

ESPN last season carried its first NFL playoff game. The Panthers-Cardinals game averaged 21.7 million viewers, becoming the ninth most-viewed telecast in cable TV history. ABC last carried the NFL on Feb. 5, 2006, when it produced Super Bowl XL. The Wild Card game also will be available in Spanish via ESPN Deportes, as well as on WatchESPN.

Orioles Return To Camden Yards Following Disrupted Schedule

The Orioles drew a crowd of 20,468 for last night's home game against the Blue Jays, which marked a return to normal gameday procedures at Camden Yards after unrest disrupted the team's schedule. The Orioles "took the field in brand-new 'Baltimore' home jerseys and five randomly-selected fans from Baltimore City threw out five ceremonial pitches." There was an "unofficial ballpark promotion that was spawned on social media" called "ReOpening Day." The crowd was "larger and louder than normal for a Monday night in early May" (Baltimore SUN, 5/12).

Robert Graham To Sponsor Townsend Bell's Ride In Indianapolis 500

Fashion brand Robert Graham today announced a deal to serve as the primary sponsor for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's No. 24 entry driven by Townsend Bell in the Indianapolis 500. The car will feature a solid black paint scheme with lime green and the brand's logo on the hood, sides and spoiler. The interior cockpit will salute Jeff Gordon in his final full season as a driver. Gordon is from Indiana and drives the parallel No. 24 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (Robert Graham).

Meanwhile, last night’s edition of CBS’ “Late Show” featured host David Letterman celebrating Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal’s second-place finish at this weekend’s Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis by distributing Steak 'n Shake milkshakes to each member of his studio audience. Letterman is co-owner of the race team and Steak 'n Shake is Rahal’s primary sponsor. Letterman said, “Whenever No. 15, the Steak 'n Shake car, whenever Graham puts it on the podium, you know what happens ladies and gentlemen? By God, that’s right. Free milkshakes!” (“Late Show,” CBS, 5/11).

Ticket Sales "Strong" For NASCAR Events At Charlotte Speedway

Charlotte Motor Speedway officials said that ticket sales for the track's upcoming NASCAR races "have been strong." CMS VP/Communications Scott Cooper said that sales are "pacing ahead of last year" for the Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race and Coca-Cola 600, and "with pleasant weather, the track should have a good year." The All-Star race is scheduled for May 16 and the Coca-Cola 600 is May 24 (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 5/12).

Emirates Airline To Sponsor Team NZ In 35th America's Cup

Emirates airline today "confirmed their continued financial support" for Team New Zealand as it prepares to compete in the 35th America's Cup in Bermuda in '17, marking the "third campaign the airline have sponsored." The announcement is the "strongest indication yet Team NZ will be on the startline" (NZHERALD.co.nz, 5/12). In a "Cup cycle full of upheaval, this is the most significant commercial sponsor to announce backing of a team" (AP, 5/11).

Meanwhile, Bremont has been named the official timing partner of the 35th America's Cup and of defending champion Oracle Team USA (Bremont).

Speed Reads....

A spectator injured at the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg has “sued the race, its governing body and a fence company alleging their negligence led to her being struck in the head by a piece of debris.” The fan is seeking “in excess of $15,000” (TAMPABAY.com, 5/11).

The Univ. of Oklahoma men's and women's basketball programs "will get another improvement" after the OU Board of Regents "approved plans" for a $7M strength and training center at Lloyd Noble Center (MYSANANTONIO.com, 5/11).

The Yankees-Rays game last night drew a crowd of 10,619 fans to Tropicana Field, marking the "smallest ever for the 150 Rays-Yankees games at the Trop" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 5/12).

The Dynamo yesterday announced a partnership with mobile ticket purchasing company ReplyBuy, becoming the first MLS club to sign with the Arizona-based company (Dynamo).

Zurich Insurance Group today runs a full-page ad in USA Today: "Congratulations To Our Ambassador Rickie Fowler. 2015 Winner Of The Players Championship" (THE DAILY).

Quick Hits....

“We can’t deflate ‘em. It’s precautionary, I guess” – Yankees P CC Sabathia, on MLB beefing up security for the handling of game balls this season (AP, 5/12).

“Is it about the integrity of the game or about the Patriots? The answer is, it’s more about being out to get the Patriots than it is about the integrity of the game” – Former NFLer Troy Brown, who believes QB Tom Brady is a scapegoat for the league’s anti-Patriots sentiment (ESPNBOSTON.com, 5/11).

Paul (Shaffer) and I will be leaving the show soon. People say, ‘why?’ It’s no secret. I’ll tell you why. They caught me deflating footballs" – CBS' David Letterman (“Late Show,” CBS, 5/11). Read more on Letterman's "report" on Brady's punishment.

Morning Hot Reads: Raising The Stakes

ESPN.com on the Preakness Stakes: "This year, visitors will find a far different Baltimore from past years and view a horse race with an importance that suddenly extends beyond Triple Crown implications." The WASHINGTON POST writes, "The Preakness confers major league status on the sport in Maryland, yet Pimlico is an embarrassment."

ADAGE.com notes the NFL "appears to have adopted separate strategies for how to distribute" its video content "through its Facebook and YouTube channels."

Also:

Night Moves....Train Of Thought

Last night’s 1:00am ET edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” led with the NFL penalizing the Patriots for Deflategate, followed by Warriors-Grizzlies, Hawks-Wizards and Nationals-D’Backs. Last night’s 1:00am ET edition of FS1’s “Fox Sports Live” led with Hawks-Wizards, followed by Warriors-Grizzlies, the Deflategate punishment and analysis from Pete Rose.

ESPN’s Keith Olbermann called his “world’s worst” persons in sports: A Phillies fan catching a foul ball while his baby was strapped to his chest during a game. Olbermann also blasted Celtics co-Owner Steve Pagliuca, who is reportedly in line to takeover Boston’s Olympic bid efforts, and Birmingham Barons LF Courtney Hawkins for hitting a home run that struck a moving train behind the outfield fence.

Twitter Me This....

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

Today's Events....

The 10th annual SiriusDecisions Summit will begin at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville and run through Friday. Basketball HOFer Magic Johnson will be the guest keynote speaker for today’s session.

The NCAA Rules Committee today will begin four days of meetings in Indianapolis that include talks on possibly reducing the college basketball shot clock from 35 to 30 seconds.

USA Rugby and Australia Rugby Union officials will hold a news conference at Soldier Field to discuss a possible match.

Spanning The Global....

The most-read Global stories today on SportsBusinessDaily.com:

1) Former Toro Rosso Owner Says Audi Was In Discussions To Take Over Red Bull Racing
2) Queens Park Rangers Challenges Football League's FFP Rules To Avoid $90M Fine
3) Advertisers Speak Out Against Inflation Of AFL, NRL TV Rights Deals
4) On The Campaign Trail: Q&A With FIFA Presidential Candidate Luís Figo
5) R&A Closes In On Deal With U.S. Broadcasters For Open Championship Rights

Back Pages....

The Morning Buzz offers today's back page sports covers from some of North America's major metropolitan tabloids:

N.Y. Post N.Y. Daily News Newsday Philadelphia Daily News Boston HeraldChicago Sun-TimesToronto Sun

Final Jeopardy!

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “The Oscars.”

“Last name of the only family to have a father and a daughter receive Academy Award nominations for Best Director.”

Laugh Track....In Need Of A Timeout

CBS’ David Letterman said, "How about that Tom Brady? I wouldn’t give his troubles to a monkey on a rock! He’s in a lot of trouble with this inflate, deflate, whatever, Deflategate. Here’s the latest report on Tom Brady.” The broadcast then aired a “report” with the announcer stating, “NFL officials are deciding if Tom Brady should be punished for his alleged knowledge of football tampering at the center of Deflategate. Brady likely faces a suspension during which he will be forced to stay home, spend time with his wife and stare in the mirror contemplating what he’s done. Tom Brady: Ready to learn his lesson” (“Late Show,” CBS, 5/11).

Top Ten.... Must See TV

Last night’s Top Ten list was “Top Ten New Fall Shows.” Letterman said, “This is the time of year in the spring where all the broadcast networks announce their new programming lineups for the fall. It’s very, very exciting because it’s like the NFL Draft. You can sit there and copy down new favorite shows that you’ll be sure to watch in the fall” (“Late Show, CBS, 5/11).

10) “Mob Dermatologist”
9) “Underwater Cowboy”
8) “So You Think You Can Whistle?”
7) “Micro Mountie”
6) “Albania's Next Top Albanian”
5) “Squat Squad”
4) “Haunted Mailbox”
3) “Tax Clown”
2) “Alice Cooper 360”
1) “The Dentalist”

Final Jeopardy....

“Who is Coppola?” Francis Ford Coppola has been nominated four times while his daughter, Sofia Coppola, once for “Lost in Translation” in ‘03.

Last night’s episode was start of the “Celebrity Jeopardy!” tournament.