An investigation into the so-called Deflategate scandal concluded it is more likely than not that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady "was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities" by two team employees that resulted in balls being deflated below the allowable level for January's AFC Championship Game victory against the Indianapolis Colts.
The report, released Wednesday by attorney Ted Wells, found "it is more probable than not that Jim McNally and John Jastremski participated in a deliberate plan to circumvent the rules by releasing air from Patriots game balls," but found no wrongdoing by Patriots ownership, coach Bill Belichick and his assistants, or equipment manager Dave Schoenfeld.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft issued an immediate response, saying the organization is disappointed by the report, which lacked "any incontrovertible or hard evidence of deliberate deflation of footballs" after a three-month investigation triggered when Colts general manager Ryan Grigson tipped off NFL officials to the issue in an e-mail.
In a statement released in conjunction with the report, Commissioner Roger Goodell said NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent and his staff would consider possible discipline and changes to protocols to avoid similar issues in the future. The Colts said they're aware of the investigation's findings and have no comment.
The 243-page report features text messages between McNally, the 48-year-old officials locker room attendant for the Patriots, and Jastremski, a 35-year-old equipment assistant, in which McNally outs himself "the deflator" and the two friends discuss Brady's angry complaints about the inflation level of game balls in an Oct. 17 game against the New York Jets.
Brady, 37, signed autographs for the pair after the Patriots' divisional playoff win against the Baltimore Ravens, the report said, and communicated with McNally by phone or text message "with significantly increased frequency" in the days after suspicions arose publicly — conversations that were then shared in texts between McNally and Jastremski.
The report notes "there is less direct evidence linking Brady to tampering activities than either McNally or Jastremski." But after interviews with those two, investigators "do not believe that they would personally and unilaterally engage in such conduct in the absence of Brady's awareness and consent."
In a media session Jan. 22, the day before the Patriots left for Super Bowl XLIX in Arizona, Brady said he had "no idea what happened" and "would never do anything to break the rules. I believe in fair play, and I respect the league."
It was not immediately clear whether McNally or Jastremski remained employed by the Patriots, who beat the Colts 45-7 in the AFC title game — outscoring them 28-0 in the second half after officials restored the balls to proper inflation levels — and edged the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX two weeks later.
Read more: Deflategate probe suggests Patriots' Tom Brady aware of tampering, but clears Bill Belichick
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