Tom Brady offered $1M fine, turned down alternative to Deflategate suspension, per report

Steve Gardner | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Is the NFL in crisis mode? From anthem protests to domestic violence to President Trump and from looming labor disputes to CTE, the NFL is at a crossroads regarding its future.

Tom Brady could have avoided being suspended because of Deflategate if he was willing to blame two New England Patriots staffers for the scandal.

The star quarterback proposed a $1 million fine, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell demanded that he state former equipment managers John Jastremski and Jim McNally had tampered with the footballs without his knowledge, according to a report by ABC News.

Brady declined and eventually accepted a four-game suspension.

ABC bases its report on a new book — 12: The Inside Story of Tom Brady's Fight for Redemption — in which authors Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge quote Brady as telling NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, "There's no way I'm gonna ruin these guys for something I believe they didn't do."

After a protracted legal battle, Brady ended up sitting out the first four games of the 2015 regular season after the NFL accused the Patriots of purposely under-inflating game balls during the AFC Championship game.

A spokesperson for the NFL declined to comment on the book for ABC. Brady and the Patriots did not respond to request for comment from ABC.

The book also describes tensions between Brady and Patriots owner Robert Kraft over what the quarterback believed was a lack of support from the organization at the time. The two have since been able to resolve their differences for the most part.

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