NFL Statement On Patriots Penalties 5-11-15 3
NFL Statement On Patriots Penalties 5-11-15 3
NFL Statement On Patriots Penalties 5-11-15 3
5/11/15
http://www.twitter.com/NFL345
Another important consideration identified in the Policy is the extent to which the club and
relevant individuals cooperated with the investigation. The Wells report identifies two significant
failures in this respect. The first involves the refusal by the clubs attorneys to make Mr. McNally
available for an additional interview, despite numerous requests by Mr. Wells and a cautionary note in
writing of the clubs obligation to cooperate in the investigation. The second was the failure of Tom
Brady to produce any electronic evidence (emails, texts, etc.), despite being offered extraordinary
safeguards by the investigators to protect unrelated personal information. Although we do not hold
the club directly responsible for Mr. Bradys refusal to cooperate, it remains significant that the
quarterback of the team failed to cooperate fully with the investigation.
Finally, it is significant that key witnesses Mr. Brady, Mr. Jastremski, and Mr. McNally were not fully candid during the investigation.
In accepting the findings of the report, we note that the report identified no evidence of
wrongdoing or knowledge of wrongdoing on the part of any member of the coaching staff, including
Head Coach Bill Belichick, or by any Patriots staff member other than Mr. Jastremski and Mr.
McNally, including head equipment manager Dave Schoenfeld. Similarly, the Wells report is clear that
Patriots ownership and executives did not participate in any way in the misconduct, or have
knowledge of the misconduct.
Nonetheless, it remains a fundamental principle that the club is responsible for the actions of
club employees. This principle has been applied to many prior cases. Thus, while no discipline should
or will be imposed personally on any owner or executive at the Patriots, discipline is appropriately
imposed on the club.
From Troy Vincents letter to Tom Brady:
With respect to your particular involvement, the report established that there is substantial
and credible evidence to conclude you were at least generally aware of the actions of the Patriots
employees involved in the deflation of the footballs and that it was unlikely that their actions were
done without your knowledge. Moreover, the report documents your failure to cooperate fully and
candidly with the investigation, including by refusing to produce any relevant electronic evidence
(emails, texts, etc.), despite being offered extraordinary safeguards by the investigators to protect
unrelated personal information, and by providing testimony that the report concludes was not
plausible and contradicted by other evidence.
Your actions as set forth in the report clearly constitute conduct detrimental to the integrity of
and public confidence in the game of professional football. The integrity of the game is of paramount
importance to everyone in our league, and requires unshakable commitment to fairness and
compliance with the playing rules. Each player, no matter how accomplished and otherwise
respected, has an obligation to comply with the rules and must be held accountable for his actions
when those rules are violated and the publics confidence in the game is called into question.
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