Report: Patriots have indeed asked NFL to reinstate equipment employees
When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell appeared on ESPN Radio for a rather cushy interview Tuesday, his most emphatic response followed a question about whether the league asked the New England Patriots to suspend equipment personnel John Jastremski and Jim McNally for their alleged role in deflate-gate.
“Absolutely not,” said Goodell. “No. That was a decision by the Patriots.”
Such a statement fuels the fire for those who wonder why New England would suspend Jastremski and McNally if the team believed them to be innocent. As far back as May, though, ESPN’s Adam Schefter cited sources suggesting the league asked the Patriots to suspend the two employees, and the team obliged.
The one thing the two sides can agree on is that the NFL must approve Jastremski and McNally’s reinstatement before they can resume their duties, and the Patriots have requested the league do just that. According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, New England asked the NFL to reinstate them on Monday.
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As is the case with just about everything in the deflate-gate saga, there is some discrepancy here, too. In a Twitter Q&A with his followers on Monday afternoon, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent claimed the Patriots had not contacted the league regarding Jastremski and McNally.
While the reported Patriots’ request may have come after Vincent took to Twitter on Monday — or at least before the request reached Vincent’s desk — the NFL reiterated that stance to Florio on Tuesday.
There was some question as to whether the Patriots would want to bring either employee back even if they believed them to be innocent, since the Wells Report revealed a series of expletive-laced messages between the two regarding quarterback Tom Brady, but that no longer appears to be a concern in New England.
Jastremski and McNally were the two men beside Brady most responsible for air pressure in New England’s footballs during the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts, and Goodell was asked about their absence from the appeal hearing during Monday’s appearance on “Mike & Mike.”
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“I asked both parties toward the end of the hearing whether I should hear from them directly. Both parties, well, particularly the union side, said that it was not necessary. They didn’t feel it was a necessary step, and the management council side said, ‘We think we have sufficient information, but the fact that the union doesn’t want you to hear from them should be taken into account.’ I think they are important figures in this, but chose not to go any further with that at that point.”
Given the league’s stance that Jastremski and McNally orchestrated the deflation of footballs at Brady’s request, it’s hard to imagine the NFL reinstating them. But stranger things have happened in deflate-gate.
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Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach