New book states Brady declined Deflategate punishment of admission, $1M fine

A new book detailing 2015's infamous "Deflategate" states that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell offered New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady a $1 million fine and an admission as punishment for the quarterback's apparent involvement, ABC News reports.

"(Goodell) demanded that Brady state publicly that former Patriots equipment guys (John) Jastremski and (Jim) McNally had purposely tampered with footballs, even without his knowledge," authors Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge wrote in "12: The Inside Story of Tom Brady's Fight for Redemption."

Brady declined Goodell's offer, which led to a four game suspension to open the 2016 season.

"There's no way I'm gonna ruin these guys for something I believe they didn't do," Brady told NFLPA director DeMaurice Smith, according to the book.

Sherman and Wedge's book not only details the Deflategate scandal, but also the tension between Brady and Patriots owner Robert Kraft during Kraft's press conference accepting the veteran quarterback's suspension.

"Kraft's star quarterback Tom Brady watched the news conference along with millions of others on television," the book states. "He was devastated and angry. Brady grabbed his cell phone and punched in the contact number for DeMaurice Smith."

Sherman said that while tension remains in Kraft and Goodell's relationship, stemming from the 2015 incident, Brady and Kraft have made peace.

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