Tom Brady could have escaped Deflategate with a fine, but refused to blame equipment guys, new book says
"There’s no way I’m gonna ruin these guys for something I believe they didn’t do."
Tom Brady turned down a $1 million fine instead of a four-game suspension if he publicly implicated former Patriots equipment staffers John Jastremski and Jim McNally in the Deflategate scandal, according to a new book called “12: The Inside Story of Tom Brady’s Fight For Redemption’’ by Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge.
The book states NFL commissioner Roger Goodell “demanded that Brady state publicly that former Patriots equipment guys [John] Jastremski and [Jim] McNally had purposely tampered with footballs, even without his knowledge. Tom said no.
“There’s no way I’m gonna ruin these guys for something I believe they didn’t do,’’ Brady told NFL Players Association head DeMaurice Smith, according to the book.
