Now for the first time, readers will have an exclusive look into Tom Brady’s experience and the NFL’s shocking strangle-hold on their players. It’s a drama that unfolds in the locker room, the court room, and under the brightest lights in all of sports - the Super Bowl. If he failed to return to his usual self, all the critics and even the history books would have to put a giant asterisk next to his name, signifying one thing: he was a cheater.ġ2 is the propulsive story of this gritty comeback. The pressure couldn’t have been more intense: Brady’s legacy was at stake. When the dust settled, Brady would be able to play again – but only after watching the first four games of the 2016 season from his couch. Brady was devastated and seemingly more nervous in front of a judge that on a game-winning drive. As shockwaves rippled throughout the NFL system, the very legitimacy of one of the league’s most popular teams and their star quarterback began to erode, even as the Patriots and Brady went on to win that year’s Super Bowl.īut as the celebrations gave way to the offseason, the investigation only intensified, reopening old wounds between the Patriots’ powerful owner, Robert Kraft, and the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell.

As evidence began to build, however, a full on NFL investigation was launched, exploding an unsubstantiated rumor into an intense scandal that would lead news coverage for weeks. In January 2015, rumors circulated that the New England Patriots - a team long suspected of abiding by the “if you ain’t cheating you ain’t trying” philosophy - had used under-inflated footballs in their playoff victory against the Indianapolis Colts.

12 by Casey Sherman