He called himself the deflator. A longtime locker-room attendant for the New England Patriots, Jim McNally, was responsible for controlling the air pressure in the footballs that quarterback Tom Brady would use on the field.

Another Patriots employee, an equipment assistant named John Jastremski, was in direct communication with Brady and provided McNally with memorabilia, including shoes and autographed footballs.

Those three men — two low-rung employees and Brady, the passer regarded as one of the best ever — are now linked in a scandal that threatens Brady’s legacy and further tarnishes the reputation of the Patriots, a team that has taken suspicious paths to success.

On Wednesday, the N.F.L. released its report on the inquiry into New England’s surreptitious deflation of game-day footballs to make them easier to grip, a program uncovered during January’s A.F.C. championship game.