Tonight, NFL Network’s NFL Total Access provided coverage of the suspension of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the punishments handed to the Patriots by the NFL. Provided below are video links and comments from NFL Network analysts.
Tuesday, a special edition of NFL Total Access airs from 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM ET with coverage and reaction of Tom Brady’s suspension and the punishments handed to the Patriots.
NFL Network Analyst Kurt Warner
On his initial reaction to Tom Brady’s four-game suspension:
“I think my initial reaction is just surprise. That here is one of the greatest quarterbacks and the greatest players in our sport, and he’s been handed a four-game suspension for what the league believes is a situation where he tried to cheat or bend the rules or do something that gave him a competitive advantage. It just surprises you. It’s not necessarily a good or bad thing; it’s just I’m surprised that it’s come to this point. But I understand it. If you believe that he did something to get a competitive advantage, you compare it to maybe PEDs where people try to get a competitive advantage over their opponents. Four-game suspension – I understand that. You can add in the fact that where the Patriots have been before as an organization. You can add in the fact that maybe Tom wasn’t as forthcoming as a lot of people wanted him to be and I think a lot of people judged that as being guilty, whether it means that or not. I understand where the four games come from. I just have to say that just surprised overall.”
On if a four-game suspension is fair for the infraction:
“I do. If you believe that he did it, I believe this is more than fair. I’m a guy that believes if you do something to get a competitive advantage, that messes with the integrity of the game. That to me is what this is all about. It’s the precedent. Not how much did the deflated balls help you – I have no idea. Everybody can point to that game and say, ‘You guys killed Indy, it didn’t matter in the end so forget it, it, it’s not that big a deal.’ But I do believe it’s a big deal. I believe that people want to watch our sport, want to watch the best players in our sport and want to believe every time they go between those lines that it is a fair situation, it is a fair competition and the best players and the guys we consider the best players in our game are the ones that play the best in the moment and win. And that to me is what is so great about sports and the message we want to send, not just to the fans of our league but to young fans, to young kids that want to grow up to be like Tom Brady and other great players. That’s what we have to look at and I believe that’s where the punishment comes from. Again, a lot of circumstantial evidence but if you believe he did it, I think this is more than fair as far as what the Patriots are giving up or Tom Brady is giving up in this situation.”
NFL Network Analyst Michael Irvin
On Tom Brady’s four-game suspension:
“I’m surprised. I’m shocked at the amount of games given here to Tom Brady for what we’re considering and now calling Deflategate. I’m absolutely shocked. You guys know the adoration and love that we give to quarterbacks…in this league and the control in this league. I am shocked that it was four games, I really am.”
On the affect Tom Brady’s suspension on the Patriots:
“You look at the division, you have to start thinking about ultimately can I get out of my division? That’s the most important. If I can get out of my division, if I can win my division still, I’m going to get into the playoffs. The Patriots are still in position to do that even missing Tom Brady the first four games of the season. They’re still in position to do that so they have an opportunity to get into the playoffs. But it will certainly affect this team, not only not having Tom Brady, [but] of course not having the secondary they had last season.”
NFL Network Analyst Marshall Faulk
On if the four-game suspension for Tom Brady was fair:
“The severity of the penalty and the actual crime, I know when you sit at home you’re like that seems like a lot. But when you think about what’s going to happen: Tom Brady is going to miss four games, they’ll pay $1 million, it will cost them some draft picks. But in reality if you ask some teams would they pay $1 million or have their quarterback sit out the next four games for a Super Bowl, I think they’ll say yes. Some teams would say yes, I’ll take it. Because you can’t change what it is. You can’t go back and change what it is. You really can’t look at the crime and does it fit? You have to think about what happens after that and what it allowed them to do. Not to mention, we don’t know how long it was going on or if this was a one-time thing. But all in all, I’m going to say this. I want them to get off my back about me calling the Patriots cheaters. Everybody in Boston thinks I hate the Patriots. I’m just like let’s just play the game. Let’s play fair.”
On if the punishment for the Patriots was more about the actual infraction or the lack of cooperation:
“I think it had to do with the lack of cooperation. I think this is something for quarterbacks to say. I know it’s easier to hold on as a running back to a ball that is a little bit deflated. But I don’t know how much of an advantage you really get from it. I think that part of it and I’ve heard a lot quarterbacks, they really got upset with Tom Brady when he made the statement at his press conference that I don’t know about the balls, I didn’t see a difference. Every quarterback, they were upset because they were saying your livelihood is about throwing this football; this is why each team gets their own footballs. I’m going to say it had more to do with what they did not give up, not cooperating. And the question is, by not cooperating who else was not implicated? I love Tom Brady. I think that Tom is one of the best – if not the best – quarterbacks to play in our league what he’s been able to do. People are talking about this tarnishes Brady – as long as Tom is not coming out and saying here is what I did and it’s not going to stop him from having a football career, Tom Brady is going to be Tom Brady. He’s going to go out there and continue to win football games.”
On the impact of Tom Brady missing the first four games of the season:
“I’m thinking back to what Bill Belichick was able to do without Tom Brady with Matt Cassel; won 11 games. Normally these suspensions, it takes a while before we hear them. Teams really don’t know what’s going on, they don’t know who they should get ready. But in this case, they have an opportunity to get their young guy ready. They have minicamps, they have training camp – they can get this guy ready to play and the pieces around him to help him those first four games. We call Bill Belichick one of the greatest coaches – if not the greatest coaches – playing our game what he’s been able to do in New England. He will have his team ready to play. If you step on that field thinking they don’t have Tom Brady, this is going to be a cakewalk – you’re going to lose football games. Matt Cassel won 11 games. They went 11-5 with Matt Cassel in the starting lineup when Tom Brady went down.”
On the punishments for the Patriots:
“We’re going to talk about this the whole season. Every time that there is a chance, we are going to talk about this. But for the Patriots, understand what this becomes for Bill Belichick. They are going to rally around this; it’s going to be them against the world. This cultivates the Patriot Way even more so. Tom Brady, the whole talking to the media, giving good answers and being honest, I think that’s going to end for Tom Brady. There is no more of that. He can now walk away because he has a reason to and only focus on football. They’re not going to talk about this anymore, I guarantee you that.”
NFL Network Analyst LaDainian Tomlinson
On the four-game suspension for Tom Brady:
“I really believe that Tom Brady would have only gotten two games if he would have been forthcoming with his phone and really took part in the investigation. I think they really came down tough on Tom Brady because he wasn’t forthcoming with his text messages and giving over his phone. So I do think in this case the crime fits the punishment because of that. Because we always talk about the integrity of the game and you can’t let things like this happen if you want to protect the integrity of the game. We always talk also about the past of the NFL, how they have handled decisions and been wrong about certain decisions. In this case, I think they absolutely got it right.”
NFL Network Analyst Charley Casserly
On the Patriots’ punishment:
“The Patriots got off easy in my opinion, and here’s why. I was never in an NFL investigation so I don’t know what that’s like. But I can’t imagine – this is the NFL now, this is who you work for, they say we want X and you don’t give it to them. To me, when you fail to comply with a request, you’ve given them a free shot. That is a free shot for them to do what they want. So anything they could have done after you don’t cooperate, they could have done anything they wanted in my opinion. So why don’t you cooperate? If you don’t cooperate, you’re hiding something, correct? That’s the logic. The bottom line is they did not cooperate. Do you believe that [Tom] Brady was involved in this? I believe it. Let’s start with that premise; despite what other people say I believe Brady was involved…Second major violation by the organization. I would imagine last time – maybe this wasn’t said but I have to believe it was implied – don’t ever come back here again on my watch by the Commissioner.”
Recent Comments