New England Patriots links 5/24/16 - Deflategate dominates while OTAs, NFL meetings in progress

TEAM TALK

• Andy Hart tells us what he'll be watching as the Patriots OTAs kicked off this week, giving the media their first look at the budding 2016 team.
• Paul Perillo shares PFW's draft profile on DL Vincent Valentine.

LOCAL LINKS

• Mike Reiss is looking forward to seeing the Patriots' young QBs at work during OTAs.
• Doug Kyed sees the Patriots spending more than the NFL average on the O-line, but less on cornerbacks.
• Rich Garven finds the Patriots looking for a diamond in the rough at cornerback.
• Steve Balestrieri (PatsFans) Where will Shea McClellin fit in the Patriots defense?
• Mike Reiss looks at which Patriot has more to prove, Jimmy Garoppolo or Marcus Cannon.
• CBS Boston reports Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan were ranked among 50 'Most Fit' athletes.
• Doug Kyed hears from Rob Ninkovich at his Ninko's Ping Pong Challenge charity event

NATIONAL NEWS

• Oliver Thomas (247 Sports) Malcolm Butler keeping pedal to floor entering third NFL season.
• Ryan Disdier (NFL Spin Zone) Tom Brady’s 16 greatest moments.
• Nate Peterson (CBS Sports) Man seeking tryout has been waiting outside Patriots' stadium for a month.
• Mike Tanier (Bleacher Report) The do's and don'ts of NFL OTAs.
• Kevin Boilard (247 Sports) NFL players staring down a big payday from every team.
• Bucky Brooks (NFL.com) Seahawks, Steelers, Panthers headline 10 most talented teams. /Guess which team is not included?.
  
• Judy Battista (NFL.com) Future Super Bowl sites, Las Vegas among topics at NFL meeting.
• Editors (SI) Most fit male athletes in sports.
• Curtis Crabtree (ProFootballTalk) Pete Morelli gets entirely new officiating crew after multiple errors last season.
• Kay Tacke Morse (Huffington Post) Super Bowl QB, Drew Bledsoe, tosses us promising passes for reaping and sowing a rewarding life.
• Richard Deitsch (SI) Media Circus: Should reporters clean up quotes from athletes?
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Should NFL be concerned about putting players in Las Vegas?
• Peter King (The MMQB) Why I still won't use 'R' word. /'R'eally Peter? This is your pressing focus this morning?

DEFLATEGATE - DUMPSTER DIVE

• Michael McCann (SI) Tom Brady facing Deflategate long shot despite en banc appeal petition.
• Dan Wetzel (Yahoo! Sports) Here's why Tom Brady won't give up in deflate-gate fight. /Good Read.
  
• Ryan Hannable lays out what Tom Brady and the NFLPA are arguing in their latest deflategate appeal.
• Stephanie Stradley (Stradley Law) FAQs: Deflategate Second Circuit rehearing request.
• Kevin Duffy reports Tom Brady once made an offer to the NFL to settle Deflategate, but "the league didn't want to do it because he refused to throw his trainers under the bus."
• Gary Myers (NY Daily News) Roger Goodell should forget Tom Brady and Deflategate, focus on issues that really threaten the NFL.
• Bob McGovern and Jeff Howe report Tom Brady has officially filed a petition to appeal his deflategate suspension.
• Tom E. Curran believes Tom Brady's team must convince judges that his case goes beyond the NFL and will have a bearing on all labor law going forward.
• Ryan Hannable hears the court decision on Tom Brady's deflategate appeal will take 'about a month'.
• Phil Perry notes Tom Brady's legal team continues to wonder why Roger Goodell did not hand down a fine for Deflategate.
• Phil Perry points to two cases that Tom Brady's legal team are particularly interested in highlighting, in order to earn themselves a rehearing.
• MIke Florio (ProFootballTalk) NFLPA president says NFL "cannot be trusted to do the right thing" regarding players.
• Jerry Thornton says Tom Brady's team argues his suspension 'defies the rule of law' and it's magnificent.
• Barry Petchesky (Deadspin) Tom Brady will appeal Ballghazi suspension, again.
• Mark Maske (Washington Post) Tom Brady presses forward with Deflategate appeal effort, but it may be a long shot.
• Mike Florio (ProFootballTalk) Understanding the Tom Brady "en banc" petition process.
• Mike Greenberg (ESPN) Olson: Goodell ignored his responsibility under CBA. (2.10 min. audio)
• CBS Boston reports that according to Michael McCann, Tom Brady's odds 'are surmountable, but certainly not good.'
• Bob McGovern reports Tom Brady's lawyer worded his petition like a pitch to the Supreme Court: This case is about "all unionized workers who have bargained for appeal rights."
• Ryan Hannable notes DeMaurice Smith says: NFL penalizing Tom Brady for being generally aware ‘borders on intellectual hypocrisy.’
• Tom Pelissero (USA Today) Tom Brady's appeal of Deflategate suspension will focus on Goodell powers: If an arbitrator can do anything he or she wants, the message is, 'why would you ever agree to arbitration clauses from now on?'
• Henry McKenna reports Tom Brady's lawyer says he'll file for a stay of the QB's suspension if legal battle drags on.
• Michael David Smith (ProFootballTalk) If Brady deserves punishment, why not the same as for Stickum?
• Jeff Kane (ESPNNH) Deflategate: The NFL's never ending story.
• Tom E. Curran doesn't think Goodell's disciplinary reign is nearing an end.
• Doug Farrar (SI) Goodell’s dissonant priorities exposed as NFL’s two big scandals converge.
• Sheila Dingus (Defenders of the Wall) Article 46: Burning down the house?
• James Brady (SB Nation) Tom Brady, NFLPA appeals DeflateGate suspension with request for en banc hearing.
• Andrew Brandt & Ben Volin (ESPN) Brady seeking second hearing. (6.26 min. video)
• Ben Volin writes that Tom Brady still faces a steep uphill climb to get his appeal heard, let alone win it.
• Hayden Bird relays what some legal experts think of Tom Brady's deflategate appeal petition.
• Bart Hubbuch (NY Post) Tom Brady’s new Deflategate appeal is doomed to fail.

• Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada (ESPN) Congressional report says NFL waged improper campaign to influence government study.
• John Branch (NY Times) NFL's concussion research gift came with a promise not to interfere. Some say it was broken.
• Daniel J. Flynn (Breitbart) ESPN, Congressional Democrats team up against NFL.
• Dan Wetzel (Yahoo! Sports) $30M donation brought NFL another crisis of credibility.
• Tom Ley (Deadspin) The most damning excerpts from the Congressional Report on the NFL's improper meddling with concussion research.
• Darin Gantt (ProFootballTalk) Head of NFL’s head, neck and spine committee slams Congressional report.
• Steve Buckley writes how the NFL's integrity takes a hit with the report on concussion study.
• Ryan Williamson (The comeback) NFL once again accused of influencing brain studies.
• Howie Kussoy (NY Post) Uncle Sam is getting wise to NFL’s concussion phoniness.