Ted Wells’ name is on the tip of plenty of tongues in the NFL right now.
Wells is smack-dab in the middle of the ongoing Deflategate controversy after producing a report that said New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was “generally aware” that footballs were being deflated. Brady eventually was suspended four games.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Wells has been commissioned by the NFL to produce a report. Wells oversaw the investigation into the Miami Dolphins’ bullying scandal following the 2013 season. As a result of that investigation, former Miami Dolphins offensive line coach Jim Turner is now suing Wells for defamation, ESPN.com reported Monday.
Turner, according to the ESPN.com report, believes his reputation has been tarnished and because of it, he’s had trouble getting a new job. The lawsuit also alleges the NFL hired Wells and lawyer Paul Weiss to orchestrate a report that would lay blame on people like Turner.
According to ESPN, Turner’s camp believes the former Dolphins coach was falsely accused of helping to harbor an environment where Richie Incognito was able to bully Jonathan Martin. Incognito also recently told Newsday that Wells left out information like “teammate testimony” in the 2014 report. Incognito even claimed Wells “came in with a mission against me.”
Wells’ independence has been called into question recently by plenty of Patriots fans and media members for the investigation done in Deflategate. The NFL even recently filed court papers claiming the independence of the report doesn’t matter, as the NFL and Brady (along with the NFL Players Association) get set to potentially go to court.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@TheBostonGlobe
