Report: No NFL punishment for Patriots employees in Deflategate
The NFL will not impose a league punishment upon John Jastremski and Jim McNally, the two Patriots employees who were suspended indefinitely without pay for allegedly deflating footballs during last year’s AFC championship game, reportsThe Boston Globe's Ben Volin.
The Patriots submitted a formal request for their employees’ reinstatement last week, but Troy Vincent, NFL executive vice president of football operations, requested a meeting with them before deciding their futures, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported Sunday.
A Patriots representative, Jastremski and McNally will meet with Vincent in the coming days, and the two employees will reportedly be reinstated with new roles soon, Volin reports.
Jastremski and McNally, who were the Patriots equipment staffer and locker room attendant, respectively, were implicated in the Deflategate scandal after text messages surfaced in which McNally called himself “the deflator” and suggested that he let the air out of footballs in order to receive free shoes and signed memorabilia. Both men were cited in the Wells Report.
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Despite reports that the two men could face discipline by the league, Rapoport reported later that they would not receive further penalty.
Tom Brady has advocated for the staffers’ reinstatement. Brady’s four-game suspension for his role in Deflategate was overturned, and he played in the Patriots Week 1 win over the Steelers.
The Patriots will next face the Bills in Buffalo.
- Erin Flynn
