When does Brady need to make a statement?

[RxJock1120]

I think it's clear to most people than Brady needs to make a statement. When is the earliest he has to do it???

 

[Don_the_patfan]

He has an appearance tonight but I dont think he will say anything. I would think he will wait until NFL announces punishment. If i was him at that time I would go all out on the NFL. Union first, defamation second. Make them sweat. NFL put their best player through this. Now his time to do the same to the league.

 

[Kontradiction]

As soon as possible. Kraft needs to come out swinging publicly instead of taking it in the ass too.

 

[BradyManny]

He needs to make a very firm statement ASAP. People are criticizing his integrity and calling into question his achievements over what is - to me - more probably than not a bunch of ********.

 

[RobertWeathers]

TB12 needs to wage war. Period. Just like he said in his passionate pregame speech before SB49, it's all about honor, legacy and how your family is treated and viewed. He needs to live up to that...now.

The problem is that I'm concerned about the level of distraction and toll that this would have on him.

 

[oldrover]

He should announce his own civil investigation into the NFL's uncivil investigation.

 

[BradyManny]

The problem is that I'm concerned about the level of distraction and toll that this would have on him.

As evidenced by his Derby/Vegas weekend, the man can multitask.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

Today

 

[upstater1]

He will not make a statement.

Remember, Belichick never made a statement after Spygate, and it is clear that many years later, Belichick harbors resentment.

Why not make a statement?

Because everything is built on innuendo and Brady can't refute it, nor are people willing to hear him out.

Consider: during Brady's presser, he made it abundantly clear that he was very particular about PSI and wanted the balls at 12.5. Yet even months later, people are repeating the canard that Brady said he never cared about PSI and knew absolutely nothing about it. This is 100% the opposite of what he said at the presser. He is simply NOT going to get a fair hearing.

 

[Horace's Ivories]

Statement from Tom Brady's agent, Don Yee:

"The Wells report, with all due respect, is a significant and terrible disappointment. It’s omission of key facts and lines of inquiry suggest the investigators reached a conclusion first, and then determined so-called facts later. One item alone taints this entire report. What does it say about the league office’s protocols and ethics when it allows one team to tip it off to an issue prior to a championship game, and no league officials or game officials notified the Patriots of the same issue prior to the game? This suggests it may be more probable than not that the league cooperated with the Colts in perpetrating a sting operation. The Wells report buries this issue in a footnote on page 46 without any further elaboration. The league is a significant client of the investigators' law firm; it appears to be a rich source of billings and media exposure based on content in the law firm's website. This was not an independent investigation and the contents of the report bear that out – all one has to do is read closely and critically, as opposed to simply reading headlines. The investigators' assumptions and inferences are easily debunked or subject to multiple interpretations. Much of the report’s vulnerabilities are buried in the footnotes, which is a common legal writing tactic. It is a sad day for the league as it has abdicated the resolution of football-specific issues to people who don’t understand the context or culture of the sport. I was physically present for my client’s interview. I have verbatim notes of the interview. Tom made himself available for nearly an entire day and patiently answered every question. It was clear to me the investigators had limited understanding of professional football. For reasons unknown, the Wells report omitted nearly all of Tom’s testimony, most of which was critical because it would have provided this report with the context that it lacks. Mr. Wells promised back in January to share the results of this investigation publicly, so why not follow through and make public all of the information gathered and let the public draw its own conclusions? This report contains significant and tragic flaws, and it is common knowledge in the legal industry that reports like this generally are written for the benefit of the purchaser."

 

[Kontradiction]

He will not make a statement.

Remember, Belichick never made a statement after Spygate, and it is clear that many years later, Belichick harbors resentment.

Why not make a statement?

Because everything is built on innuendo and Brady can't refute it, nor are people willing to hear him out.

Consider: during Brady's presser, he made it abundantly clear that he was very particular about PSI and wanted the balls at 12.5. Yet even months later, people are repeating the canard that Brady said he never cared about PSI and knew absolutely nothing about it. This is 100% the opposite of what he said at the presser. He is simply NOT going to get a fair hearing.

I think it was pretty clear that both Belichick and Kraft knew that not making a statement after Spygate was ultimately a mistake that allowed it to fester until this day. They also watched how the Saints dealt with Bountygate. When is the last time you heard about the latter controversy? Exactly.

 

[RxJock1120]

I agree with everyone's sentiment and that Brady needs to speak today and speak strongly about this. I also agree that the Patriots/Brady need to conduct their own investigation.

However, I also firmly believe that the NFL will never make the appropriate individuals available for a secondary investigation...so an internal investigation would be rather pointless.

 

[The Gr8est]

I think it was pretty clear that both Belichick and Kraft knew that not making a statement after Spygate was ultimately a mistake that allowed it to fester until this day. They also watched how the Saints dealt with Bountygate. When is the last time you heard about the latter controversy? Exactly.

I'm not sure Kraft learned from either incident.

 

[Bella*chick]

When's the last time the Saints have won a Super Bowl or been in serious contention for one?

No one cares about the Saints and that's why you don't hear about Bountygate.

 

[Deus Irae]

Brady's agent has made a statement. Brady has, personally, remained silent. That should continue. The next step may be, hopefully after consultation with multiple attorneys, Brady's agent releasing his notes from the interview.

 

[Kontradiction]

When's the last time the Saints have won a Super Bowl or been in serious contention for one?

No one cares about the Saints and that's why you don't hear about Bountygate.

The Saints were in contention in 2013 and that topic had already died long, LONG before that because the players took the league to task instead of laying down and letting the media run with whatever dialogue it wanted to.

 

[IllegalContact]

Brady should say nothing and let his agent and the NFLPA do his talking at this point.

 

[Deus Irae]

The Saints were in contention in 2013 and that topic had already died long, LONG before that because the players took the league to task instead of laying down and letting the media run with whatever dialogue it wanted to.

Kraft has a responsibility here, but he's already indicated that he plans to ignore it.

1. The league clearly, according to the Wells report, set up a sting operation
2. The league chose to attempt the sting, knowing full well that doing so would mean that a conference championship game's 'integrity' would be compromised in the process, if they were right about the Patriots cheating
3. The league then botched the sting

It is Kraft's responsibility as the owner of one of the NFL teams to ensure that this sort of behavior and incompetence on the part of the NFL is never repeated.

 

[BradyManny]

It is Kraft's responsibility as the owner of one of the NFL teams to ensure that this sort of behavior and incompetence on the part of the NFL is never repeated.

I'd say it's more probable than not that Kraft does not take these actions, unfortunately.

 

[Haley]

Brady should say nothing and let his agent and the NFLPA do his talking at this point.

Personally, I think it would be wiser for Brady to fight this head on. They are attacking his character. Its unacceptable.

Brady needs to rise to the occasion and stand up for himself. Additionally, the Patriots organization needs to put a stake in the ground, draw the line and declare that this won't be tolerated.

This is highly unprofessional of the NFL and should be treated as such. As has been pointed out, we saw the way other organizations handled scandal. They fought tooth and nail for their reputations and explained their side of the story to the public.

Brady should hold a presser and deliver a prepared statement allowing no questions. He should be pointed and direct while explaining his point of view. He should also reject any wrongdoing and demand actual proof over baseless speculation and witch hunting. He could pretty much take the Don Yee statement and reword it but this does need to happen. He needs to fight back even if it really isn't his way. A brutal statement against the NFL from Brady would get so much air time it would be ridiculously damning.