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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Tom Brady claims scandal doesn’t take away from Super Bowl win

Associated Press

SALEM, Mass. – New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said Thursday night the scandal surrounding his use of deflated footballs in the NFL playoff last season hasn’t detracted in any way from his Super Bowl title.

“Absolutely not,” Brady told a friendly university crowd in his first public appearance since an NFL investigation concluded Brady likely knew Patriots employees were cheating.

“We earned everything we got and achieved as a team, and I am proud of that and so are our fans,” he said.

Brady declined to discuss his thoughts about the 243-page report that said that he was likely at least aware two team employees were breaking rules by deflating footballs for him.

“I don’t really have any reaction. It has only been 30 hours. I’ve not had much time to digest it,” Brady said. “When I do, I will be sure to let you know how I feel about it. And everybody else.”

Brady said he will address things more once things play out and he is more comfortable.

Brady is still waiting to see whether the league will discipline him with a fine, suspension or both.

“There is a process going forward and I am involved in this process,” he said.

Asked whether public backlash is bothering him, Brady said he accepts his role as a public figure and has people who support him and help him get through it.

“As a human you care about what people think. I think also as a public figure you learn not everyone is going to like you,” he said. “Good, bad or indifferent there are a lot of people who don’t like Tom Brady, and I am OK with that.”

The report by Ted Wells, an independent investigator hired by the NFL, found some of Brady’s claims implausible in explaining why balls were underinflated during the Patriots’ 45-7 win against Indianapolis in the AFC title game.

The superstar quarterback spoke at a Q&A session moderated by sportscaster Jim Gray during a previously scheduled, sold-out event at Salem State University. He arrived by helicopter for the talk on leadership, avoiding a long line of fans outside and media waiting for him to enter. The event was delayed more than 30 minutes to allow fans to file in, including some wearing Brady jerseys.

Gray said the session would largely stick to subjects they planned previously when they arranged the talk four months ago. But he acknowledged the difficulty in avoiding one of the hottest topics in sports.

“There’s an elephant in the room,” Gray said.

“Where?” Brady responded.

Gray shot back: “You might be the only one in the room who does not see it.”