Patriots: 'Deflator' Referred to Weight Loss

Tom Brady appealed his four-game suspension over under-inflated footballs with about an hour to spare before today's 5pm deadline, reports AP. The NFL Players Association filed the paperwork on his behalf. The Patriots, meanwhile, issued a detailed rebuttal to the league report on the scandal, saying its conclusions are "at best, incomplete, incorrect and lack context." One notable part: Referring to texts between team employees Jim McNally and John Jastremski, the Patriots say there's no proof they were talking about deflating footballs, reports the Boston Globe. Instead, McNally's "deflator" nickname referred to weight loss, says the team:

• "Mr. Jastremski would sometimes work out and bulk up—he is a slender guy and his goal was to get to 200 pounds. Mr. McNally is a big fellow and had the opposite goal: to lose weight. 'Deflate' was a term they used to refer to losing weight."

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