This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith indicated in a media session with reporters on Thursday that the league will not be interviewing players regarding Deflate-gate until after the conclusion of the Super Bowl.
With only a few days remaining until Super Bowl XLIX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, interviews would act as an even larger distraction for players on the Patriots. And in reality, that would be unfair to the team as a whole.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had previously indicated that he didn’t expect to hear from the league until after the game, a belief that was confirmed by Smith on Thursday.
It remains to be seen what the investigation will conclude, but Robert Kraft and the Patriots are going to be under the microscope once the Super Bowl concludes. If any wrongdoing is found, punishment could include anything from fines and draft picks being taken away to suspensions.
Of course, the NFL investigation has yet to wrap up. So we won’t know much more until after the season concludes.