SALEM, Massachusetts — New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said Thursday night the team’s Super Bowl victory over the Seattle Seahawks was not tainted by the “Deflategate” investigation, but he declined to directly respond to the probe’s findings.
“No, absolutely not,” Brady said during a speaking engagement at Salem State University when asked if the scandal over deflated footballs raised questions about the team’s 28-24 victory over the Seahawks in February.
Ted Wells, an attorney hired by the NFL to investigate the scandal that has been widely referred to as “Deflategate,” said in his report released Wednesday that the Patriots probably deliberately deflated footballs in their 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship game that put them in the 2015 Super Bowl.
The report also said Brady, 37, a future Hall of Famer, was probably “at least generally aware” of the violations.
A four-time Super Bowl winner and three-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, Brady may face some form of punishment, perhaps a suspension, in the coming days by the NFL.
Brady, who had scheduled the speaking engagement long before the Wells report was released, said “hopefully soon” when asked when he would discuss the matter publicly.
“There is still a process that is going forth right now and I am involved in that process,” he told the sold-out crowd at the school north of Boston.
“Whenever that happens, it happens. I certainly want to be very comfortable in how I feel about the statements that I make.”
The crowd at Salem State, 15 miles north of Boston, was solidly behind Brady and booed when moderator Jim Gray brought up the scandal.
When asked if he cared what people thought about him, Brady replied: “As a human, you care what people think. I certainly care what the people that are close to me think and what they care about.
“Also as a public figure, you learn that not everyone is going to like you either. So, good, bad, indifferent, there’s a lot of people that don’t like Tom Brady, and I’m okay with that.”
Taylor Krajew, 25, came to the event with her friend.
“We’ve loved Tom since we were 12,” she said. “He can do no wrong in our eyes. That probably sounds uneducated, but (deflating the footballs) I think a lot of people in the NFL do. He just maybe got caught.”
Brady, who appeared uncomfortable at times when asked about the Wells report, said “life so much is about ups and downs.”
“Certainly I accept my role and responsibility as a public figure and a lot of it you take the good with the bad,” he said. “Dealing with different adversities in life, you just try to do the best you can do.”
Brady was interviewed in a question and answer session with Gray in an event that was planned at Salem State several months ago. Before getting to scheduled format, Gray pressed Brady for answers on the Wells report and Deflategate. That exchange follows.
On his reaction to the Ted Wells report: “I don’t have really any reaction. Our owner commented on it yesterday and it’s only been 30 hours so I haven’t had much time to digest it fully. But when I do, I’ll be sure to let you know how I feel about it. And everybody else.”
On when he plans to address the Ted Wells report: “Hopefully soon. There is still a process that is going forth right now and I’m involved in that process. Whenever it happens, it happens. I’ll certainly want to be very comfortable in how I feel about the statements that I make.”
On how he is handling this controversy: “I’ve dealt with a lot of things in the past; I dealt with this three months ago before the Super Bowl. I’ve dealt with a lot of adversity over the course of my career, my life and I’m very fortunate to have so many people that love me and support me. Life so much is about the ups and downs, and certainly I accept my role and responsibility as a public figure. I think a lot of it you take the good with the bad and dealing with different adversities in life, you just try to do the best you can do. I was raised by a great mom and dad who support me and I have a lot of great teammates that support me. We’ll get through it.”
On what his family and teammates are telling him: “They’re a little biased aren’t they? But they love me unconditionally and I love them unconditionally. Like I said, we’ll deal with this at a date. Like you said earlier, this wasn’t what this night was supposed to be about. I was here to come and have some fun.”
On if this controversy has detracted from his joy of winning the Super Bowl: “Absolutely not.”
On why it has not detracted from his joy of winning the Super Bowl: “Because we earned and achieved everything that we got this year as a team. I am very proud of that and our fans should be too.”
On if the Super Bowl XLIX win is tainted: “What do you guys think? Neither do I…I said no, absolutely not.”
On if he cares about what other people think about him: “I think my nature and my character as one — I think as a human you care what people think. I certainly care what the people that are close to me think and what they care about. I think also as a public figure, you learn that not everyone is going to like you either. Good, bad, indifferent, there are a lot of people that don’t like Tom Brady, and I’m OK with that. Like I said, I have teammates that I love and support [who] love and support me. I have fans, I have family. I’m very blessed.”