The biggest question surrounding the Deflategate saga is whether or not New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was more than “generally aware” of the goings-on about the PSI levels of footballs during the AFC Championship.
However, former NFL quarterback Jim McMahon suggests Patriots coach Bill Belichick knew what was happening. In an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, McMahon recounted a story where Belichick allegedly lied to him. He said:
“I was with Bill in Cleveland in ’95. He lied to me, right to my face so I never trusted him after that. So all this stuff that happened, I’m sure he was right in the middle of it.”
According to McMahon, he sat out 10 weeks without being paid, despite Belichick—again, allegedly—promising the quarterback that the team (the Cleveland Browns) would “take care of” him.
“I know he’s a liar, so cheating ain’t far behind, I would think.”
McMahon, who turned 56 on Friday, certainly could be telling the truth about the happening in 1995, but that particular event doesn’t necessarily justify an inference that Belichick cheated 20 years later.
No matter one’s view about what the Patriots did or didn’t know, McMahon’s comments don’t change a thing.
Brady knew about the footballs. Or he didn’t. Belichick turned a blind eye to the footballs. Or he never had the slightest clue about what Jim McNally and John Jastremski might or might not have done.
A ruling in the Deflategate case cannot come soon enough.