The Patriots Are Not on the Clock: Deflategate Fallout Looms Large in NFL Draft

April 26, 2016   ·   Mike Freeman   ·   Jump to comments

When the New England Patriots were penalized first- and fourth-round picks in May 2015 because of Deflategate, the reaction around the league could only be described as massive joy. Fist bumps and high-fives flew inside NFL front offices and locker rooms. 
"When they were busted," one front-office executive said, "I thought, 'Good! The league finally caught those cheating douchebags.'"
Based on interviews then and now, this was the consensus sentiment among team executives, coaches and players at the time. The Patriots obviously cheated. Everyone knows they did, and the league got it right. 
In the year since, something really strange and unexpected has happened.
I spoke to many of these same sources, 10 interviewed in total, and they now have completely the opposite view. They believe the NFL got the investigation wrong—or mostly wrong—and that the Patriots never cheated. They believe that's the new consensus around the league.
What ...

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