Browns, Falcons Punished, but Still No Word on Deflategate

Roger Goodell and the NFL are handing out punishments, but the investigations involving the Patriots remain ongoing. AP

By Jack Andrade

March 30, 2015

1 minute to read

The NFL handed out disciplinary measures against two franchises for breaking rules in 2014, but the status of the Deflategate investigation is still up in the air.

The Cleveland Browns were fined $250,000 and general manager Ray Farmer was suspended for the first four games of 2015 after Farmer used his cell phone during games and violated league rules. The Atlanta Falcons were fined $350,000 and will surrender a fifth round draft pick in 2016 after violating NFL rules by pumping crowd noise into their stadium. Falcons president Rich McKay is also suspended from the NFL Competition Committee, which he chairs, for at least three months.

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It’s been 66 days – as of this writing – since Ted Wells and the NFL launched an investigation into whether or not the Patriots intentionally deflated footballs in the AFC Championship Game. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has repeatedly said there is no timetable for the completion of the investigation, but did say last week that is was “getting near the end.’’

With the NFL issuing its verdicts on the Browns and Falcons, all that’s left to settle is Deflategate and the competing allegations of tampering by the Jets and the Patriots against each other in the recruitment of Darrelle Revis.