In recent days much ink has been spilled — the report was 243 pages long — in roundly condemning New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady because — more likely than not — he was the reason behind Patriots’ employees deflating the footballs used in the AFC Championship game last season, subsequently won by the Pats in a 45-7 squeaker. Did he do it or not? Probably. Do I care? Not really.
Some perspective: “When Eli Manning drops back to pass, the football in his hands will be familiar. That’s because the ball has been scoured, scrubbed, soaked and seasoned, a breaking in process that takes months and ensures that every ball used by the Giants in a game will meet Manning’s exact preferences” — Source: New York Times, Nov. 24, 2013 (shortened for brevity).
More perspective: The football report, at 243 pages, was longer than the official report about the My Lai Massacre from the Vietnam War.
One more thing: The Patriots recently visited the White House because the team won the NFL Super Bowl. After the game, Coach Bill Belichik took the whole team to visit the Veterans Hospital. Team owner Robert Kraft wore sneakers, specially made because he has bad feet.
Terence McManus
New Sharon
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