I prefer to focus on what the player said, I will not accept unnamed sources or certainly friends as gospel.../QUOTE]
I agree. Unnamed sources prefer to be unnamed for a reason. Many have an agenda that advances their own interests. Whether it's "evidence" or not, I would regard it as unreliable.
As for Silver, he says that Brady would not comment on his contract status and then goes on to state:
"Brady, after taking a below-market deal in 2005, wants to be compensated at a level befitting his status as one of the NFL’s two best players."
How does he know this to be true if Brady declined comment?
Silver's coverage of this issue has been a hodgepdge of fact, speculation, rumor and innuendo. It's a sexier story if Brady is fed up with the Patriots, so it's human nature for Silver to see indications of "disconnect" that a more objective observer might readily dismiss. His treatment of the Kraft quotes is a great example.
There's a difference between killing the messenger and disregarding rumor mongering and sensationalism.