So it's out, like the air from a Patriots football.
The Wells report -- a 243-page document -- states the New England Patriots as an organization were not directly connected to the allegations that the team took air from the football.
The same report, however, does state that Tom Brady probably was involved. Most likely. Assuredly possibly.
This is a formal ruling of what we all expected, at least in regard to Brady. There's no way a quarterback as talented and experienced as Brady would not be able to tell the difference between footballs that have roughly 30 percent less air in them. (That said, we still find it hard to be believe that a control freak like Bill Belichick knew absolutely nothing about this.)
If you have any lingering doubt Brady knew exactly about the state of the footballs, then do you think a master carpenter is unfamiliar with his hammer? Heck, the Indianapolis Colts defensive players who intercepted Brady knew the balls were softer and easier to grip.
Jay GreesonIf you have any question about whether this is a big deal or not, well, which rules are they going to enforce and which ones are considered optional?
The NFL has taken a ton of lumps for a lot of disciplinary decisions that have ranged from puzzling to terrible.
Let's not compare Deflate-Gate to the domestic violence stuff, because that's way more serious and way more involved. That said, this directly affects the game -- the NFL's core product, mind you -- rather than the people involved.
The NFL is not a policing agency, and all of its off-the-field decisions are made to protect the brand and make sure the court of public opinion does not turn on a business that makes 10 figures annually. So the harsh actions against those who have violated laws is self-serving and understandable.
The NFL, however, has an obligation to its teams, players, fans and itself to maintain a fair playing field. It talks continually about "The Shield" and protecting it, but that shield was forged on the competition of the sport and the fairness of the field.
One comparison we could make is BountyGate, the debacle with the New Orleans Saints in which head coach Sean Payton was suspended for an entire season because of the bounty system the Saints defensive players and coaches used to reward teammates for a variety of things including injuring opponents.
Granted, BountyGate was more dangerous, but there are similarities beyond the -Gate suffix. First, there are rumored reports that each is a common practice across the league. Second, the outcome on the game is debatable.
But the Deflate-stuff is directly against league rules, whereas the Bounty stuff was more unscrupulous than anything. The Saints were hit hard by the NFL.
The league now is faced with the question about how hard will it land on Brady, who has not helped his cause with questionable quotes to the media and refusing to cooperate with the investigation.
The early punishment rumors have increased since the initial reaction the Wells Report. It started with reports of heavy fines but not missing any game time.
Now the tides have turned to talks of a four-game suspension. Yes, four games. And the likelihood of Brady missing games has gone from possible to most probable since Las Vegas has taken every bet involving the Patriots off the board.
The NFL in the last year as the off-the-field incidents have increased in occurrence and attention has become quick to go too far in punishment rather than too soft. It's reactionary since the underwhelming discipline and the overwhelming fallout when the video circulated after Ray Rice was suspended for two games.
It has been an offseason of weird violations and punishment. The Browns general manager got a four-game suspension for texting on the sideline. The Falcons got slapped on the wrist and lost a draft pick for too much faux crowd noise.
So despite the ridiculous claims from Brady's attorney -- and even Brady's dad has weighed in on the topic -- about the league and the Indianapolis Colts participating in a sting, the NFL hardly wants this.
But it's here, and the final ruling will forever be part of Brady's legacy.
Add to it the pressure on the NFL not to show favor to the perceived-league-favorite Patriots or, even worse, the fallout of perceived racial preference for the golden-haired white quarterback married to the super model, and the next few weeks will be extremely stressful for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
That's OK, since Goodell made $45 million last year, a salary generated in part because of the NFL's dominance of the pop culture realm.
With that popularity comes increased scrutiny, even on deflated footballs.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6343. Follow him on Twitter at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com. Read his online column "The 5-at-10" weekdays starting at 10 a.m. at timesfreepress.com.