NFL permits Patriots to reinstate John Jastremski and Jim McNally
The ball boys are back in town.
The NFL granted the Patriots permission to reinstate a pair of team employees involved in the Deflategate scandal on Wednesday. The decision was announced in a statement by a league spokesperson.
“Last week, the New England Patriots requested the reinstatement of both John Jastremski and Jim McNally. The Patriots have satisfied the league’s requirements for reinstatement and the league has granted permission for the employees to return.’’
The NFL announced in May that Jastremski, an equipment assistant, and McNally, an officials’ locker room attendant, had been suspended indefinitely without pay by the Patriots. The punishment came after the Deflategate report by league-appointed investigator Ted Wells indicated it was“more probable than not’’ that the pair tampered with footballs before the AFC Championship Game in January. The Wells report included text messages exchanged between the team staffers, including a communication in which McNally referred to himself as “the Deflator.’’
The NFL previously announced that neither staffer would be permitted to handle footballs on game day should they be reinstated. Citing an unnamed league source, The Boston Globe reported on Monday that both employees were set to meet with NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent to discuss future roles with the Patriots.
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