@PatsPropaganda what would *really* be a reasonable punishment for what amounts to questionable at best evidence?

— Rick Starke (@rickstarke) May 15, 2015

It’s a very good question. The Wells Report Context site makes a pretty good argument about the Pats being cooperative and more importantly, that there’s the very strong possibility that there’s no real evidence the balls were even deflated. So if you have a unbiased scientist testify the balls were not tampered with, what is the NFL left with? Under this scenario is it out of line that the NFL should pay reparations to the Patriots for dragging the entire organization and one of the faces of the game through the mud?

Unfortunately not even I can imagine that scenario realistically happening. At this point I think the best we can hope for is a 1-2 game suspension for Brady (though I wouldn’t totally rule out him not missing a game), and a reduced fine. The draft picks kill me almost more than anything, especially the first-rounder. Those seem more related to Spygate than anything else. So get the picks back, make it a $500K fine, Brady misses a game for whatever reason and then we move on? That’s probably the conservative guess of what a federal court might rule. Goodell isnt’ knocking it down to that on his own unless this was all a plot for him to make himself look like the good guy.