David Ortiz gave a short and sweet take Monday on the NFL’s decision to suspend Tom Brady for four games.
“They (bleeped) up on that one,” the Boston Red Sox slugger told reporters in Oakland.
DeflateGate again was a topic of conversation Tuesday in the Red Sox’s clubhouse, and Ortiz took the opportunity to have a more in-depth discussion about how the deflated-football controversy will — or won’t — affect how the New England Patriots quarterback is remembered.
“I don’t think it will do anything to his legacy,” Ortiz told reporters before the Red Sox’s matchup with the A’s, via the Boston Herald. “I really don’t. Brady is on another level, you know? He knows he’s our hero. He knows we are behind him all the way.
“… It’s like (Brady’s) dad said. In this country, you’re not guilty until somebody proves different. It seems like it’s all based on what somebody says. It’s just based on that. That’s all. Prove it.”
Ortiz went on, bringing up NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s checkered recent history of doling out discipline.
“I think the NFL has been very poor in making some decisions,” he said. “I don’t think they have been strong enough putting up with (domestic violence). You see all the cases popping out, and I’m pretty sure somebody knew about it before. You have to wait for it to happen for people to know about it? That’s sort of weird. And now this Tom Brady thing. I think it’s ridiculous.
“I’m a football fan. Next year, when I don’t see Brady playing out there, I’m going to have questions. And the answer you’re going to give me is that ball thing. That’s the reason he ain’t playing? It don’t make no sense. They’re going to do some damage to their sport, believe it or not.”
A great deal of New Englanders are right there with you, Papi.
