The effects of the "Deflategate" scandal has not only made its way in the New England Patriots locker room but also, and more alarmingly, in the entire NFL community. The involvement of Tom Brady in the alleged cheating scandal has painted the NFL athletes in such a bad light that the other teams in the league are also feeling the aftermath. One of the NFL team owners who feel that the matter became so much bigger than it should be is Houston Texans chief Bob McNair. The owner of the NFL team openly shared that the matter dragged on due to the uncooperative stance of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots - actions that Houston Texans quarterback JJ Watt would not have done.
"What escalated the whole thing is that Brady and the Patriots were going to cooperate fully, and then when it came down to it, they didn't," explained McNair, according to ESPN. The Houston Texans owner further said, "If it was J.J. Watt, I think he would have been cooperative, and it wouldn't be a question. I don't think J.J. [Watt] would destroy his cell phone." He added, "In the minds of somebody in that organization, they thought it was important. They thought it would give them a competitive advantage, and that's why they did it."
While McNair pointed out that the act of destroying the cellphone on the part of Tom Brady and the subsequent protection sent for him by the New England Patriots do not make up for any "conclusive evidence," the Houston Texans owner feel that the issue blew up due to the potential implications of the lack of cooperation. He shared, "I think we could have handled it better, I think the Patriots could have handled it better, I think Brady could have handled it better."
Meanwhile, the Houston Texans have been busy acquiring NFL stars to bolster the chances of the JJ Watts-led team in the Super Bowl. Bearing in mind that the Houston Texas lost the AFC title to the New England Patriots last year, it bears noting that the former might have the advantage this year due to the Tom Brady drama. In an effort to clear the roster to meet the 53-man cut off, the Houston Texans saw the departure of Khari Lee to the Chicago Bears locker room in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, according to a separate ESPN report. Although the final list of athletes in the Houston Texans roster has yet to be finalized, the 2015 NFL Preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday (September 3) could spell the difference among those vying for the highly coveted spots.
