Joe Theismann: Tom Brady's reputation will take a hit
Does the four-game suspension of four-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady fit the alleged crime?
Last week's Ted Wells report accused the New England Patriots quarterback of more probably than not conspiring with two team assistants to deflate footballs in violation of the league's competitive integrity before January's AFC Championship Game.
"Tom has been convicted and is soon to be executed in the court of public opinion," former Washington Redskins Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Theismann told Paste BN Sports on Monday. "There's no getting around it. The four-game suspension has been doled out.
"Obviously, the league felt he did something wrong. It doesn't change my opinion of him as a quarterback. But from a worldwide public perception, he's going to be called a cheater.
"It hurts his reputation a lot."
Theismann was not surprised by a punishment that was harsher than the sanctions imposed following the 2007 Spygate scandal.
"It's something the league had to do based on the recent occurrences with the Cleveland Browns general manager texting to the sideline, the Atlanta Falcons with Rich McKay, head of the competition committee, who had absolutely no idea they were pumping fake crowd noise into the Georgia Dome and yet he got 90 days," Theismann said.
"The league had no choice but to suspend Tom. High-profile individual, egregious, competitive crime."
Brady's agent, Don Yee, lashed out at the NFL.
"The discipline is ridiculous and has no legitimate basis," Yee said in a statement. "In my opinion, this outcome was predetermined; there was no fairness in the Wells investigation whatsoever. There is no evidence that Tom directed footballs be set at pressures below the allowable limits. In fact, the evidence shows Tom clearly emphasized that footballs be set at pressures within the rules."
Former Patriots receiver Troy Brown caught passes from Brady for seven seasons and is convinced the three-time Super Bowl MVP was scapegoated as the target of anti-Patriots league sentiment.
"They had nothing concrete on Tom — it's unfortunate you suspend a guy for four games saying, 'We're going to suspend you anyway because we think you did something,' " Brown told Paste BN Sports. "I bring up the question, '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."
Theismann, however, is convinced Brady's suspension will be reduced to two games on appeal that Yee said is coming.
"What really the next phase that will be so interesting is what will Tom say?"
And how badly has Brady's once-pristine legacy as the greatest quarterback of his generation been damaged?
"Anybody in football will say it doesn't taint his legacy at all. If you bring in the game in question, he played better and they scored more points in the second half of the AFC Championship Game. It was corrected at halftime. So the outcome of that game was not affected.
"But what it brings in question, is not just Tom, but how many quarterbacks and teams actually do something to the footballs? We know they rub them down.
"The National Football League made a huge mistake in their protocol by allowing the footballs to get out of their sight. This would never have happened.
"No question, he's a first ballot Hall of Famer. To a large degree, it's going to depend on what his statement says.''
Theismann said the fact Brady didn't want to hand over his cellphone to the Wells investigative team "probably weighed against him, with them thinking he might have lied.
"I'd be shocked if Tom Brady came out and said, 'Yes, I did have them deflate the balls below the legal limit.'
"In his press conferences he was adamant he didn't do anything wrong. Between he and Peyton Manning, who is the higher-profile quarterback? So what's at stake here if you need to cheat? Everything.
"The report said he should have known.''
The Redskins preseason television analyst knows Brady well.
"I know how prideful Tom is,'' Theismann said. "We used to warm up together before Patriots games, and during their joint training camp sessions this summer with the Redskins, Tom and I talked.
"Tom loves this game. And that's what to me would make it so surprising if he came out and said, 'Hey look, I did this.'
"I would never believe he would ever do anything to intentionally harm the integrity of the NFL.
"But now you deal with the court of public opinion. If you're a Jets, Bills or Dolphins fan, you're saying, 'See, they are cheaters.' ''
Follow Jim Corbett on Twitter @ByJimCorbett.
