LOS ANGELES: Sinned against or sinner? Tom Brady’s four-game ban for his role in the “Deflategate” scandal divided opinion on Tuesday as the New England Patriots star readied an appeal over the suspension.
Brady was hit with a ban on Monday after an investigation which found he was “likely” to have been involved in a plot to manipulate the pressure of balls used in last season’s AFC Championship win over the Indianapolis Colts.
The 37-year-old quarterback — one of the most high-profile athletes in American sports — is planning to challenge the suspension, according to his agent, who branded the sanction “ridiculous.”
Many felt that while the controversy would not diminish Brady’s achievements as a four-time Super Bowl winning icon of the sport, it could not help but tarnish his image.
“It doesn’t change my opinion of him as a quarterback. But from a worldwide public perception, he’s going to be called a cheater,” former Washington Redskins great Joe Theismann told USA Today.
“It hurts his reputation a lot.”
Several of Brady’s fellow NFL professionals felt the league’s punishment was too draconian.
“I honestly feel bad for Tom Brady!! I know first hand the type of competitor he is & how much work he puts in ... came down too hard on him!” Cleveland Browns safety Donte Hitner wrote on Twitter.
Buffalo Bills safety Aaron Williams added: “Not trying to justify the punishment was wrong or anything. I just want to play against the best, and week 2 I want my Defense to play Brady.”
Brady also won support from celebrities, with reality television star Donald Trump railing against the severity of the ban.
“People are so jealous of Tom Brady and the Patriots. No court could convict based on the evidence,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Why do we always try to destroy our true champions and winners in this country?“
Even prominent politicians weighed in, with US Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada contrasting Brady’s punishment with the NFL’s failure to demand that the Washington Redskins change their name, deemed racist by Native Americans and critics.
“I find it stunning that the NFL cares more about how much air is in a football that it cares about a racist franchise name,” Reid wrote.
Many others however felt that the NFL’s sanction was fair.
Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner said the punishment was necessary to protect the integrity of the sport.
“If you believe that he did it, I believe this is more than fair,” Warner said. “If you do something to get a competitive advantage, that messes with the integrity of the game, and that to me is what this is all about.”
Brady’s agent Don Yee on Monday said an appeal would be lodged imminently, condemning the report by Ted Wells which led to the suspension.
“We will appeal, and if the hearing officer is completely independent and neutral, I am very confident the Wells Report will be exposed as an incredibly frail exercise in fact-finding and logic,” Yee said.
Brady ‘Deflategate’ ban divides opinion
