Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay. Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay denied reports claiming he and Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti were “pressuring” commissioner Roger Goodell to hold firm on a four-game suspension for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Brady appealed a four-game suspension for his role, and non-compliance in the NFL’s investigation, into the deflation of game balls in the AFC Championship Game. The Patriots beat the Colts in that game, one week after dispatching the Ravens.
“That’s not true at all,” Irsay told the Indianapolis Star. “I haven’t talked to Roger Goodell about Deflategate since late January. Not true. That’s not the way things work involving someone else’s business and someone else’s team. It’s not something I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been around (NFL) ownership for half a century.”
Sal Paolantonio of ESPN named Irsay, Bisciotti “and others in the AFC” believe “the Patriots have gotten away with murder for years and have not been publicly punished properly.”
Goodell and the NFL issued a $1 million fine to the Patriots, who also forfeit two draft picks, including a first-rounder in 2016.
