Tom Brady is deflecting Deflategate questions but vows to respond to damning report
Brady evaded questions about the scandal at a previously scheduled appearance at Salem State University in Massachusetts, but said that he will address the accusations he's facing soon, according to The New York Times.
Earlier this week, Brady's agent released a blistering statement defending Brady after an NFL investigation concluded that he was probably "generally aware" of a suspected plot to deflate footballs before the AFC title game.
At the Massachusetts event, Brady reportedly said: "It's only been 30 hours, so I haven't been able to digest it fully, but when I do, I will address it." In response to a question about when he would address the scandal, he said: "Hopefully soon. It's a process that I'm involved in."
Brady also said that he's "dealt with a lot of things in the past" and is "very fortunate to have people who love and support" him.
The evidence the NFL has against Brady is circumstantial, but NFL investigator Tedd Wells said there was enough to conclude Brady knew what was going on with the ball-deflating scheme.
One of the key pieces of evidence against Brady is the significant uptick in communication between him and equipment assistant John Jastremski in the days after the scandal broke in January. Investigators believe Jastremski and locker room attendant Jim McNally conspired to deflate the game balls before the AFC title game, with McNally physically deflating the balls using a needle provided by Jastremski.
Jastremski hadn't talked to Brady over the phone or exchanged texts with him in six months going into January 19 when the scandal surfaced, but over the next 72 hours, they reportedly talked on the phone eight times and exchanged 15 texts.
The texts show that Brady continually checked up on Jastremski and talked to him multiple times a day. Brady even invited him to the quarterback meeting room to talk for the first time in Jastremski's 20 years with the team.
Tony Manfred contributed to this report.