New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will unquestionably go down as one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time. But the findings in the latest scandal surrounding the Patriots have put another black mark on his legacy.

On Wednesday, the NFL released the Ted Wells report on the footballs used in the AFC Championship Game, and while the report revealed no definitive evidence that New England personnel deliberately violated the rules of play through their efforts to take air out of the footballs used by the Patriots offense that evening, the report concluded that it was “more probable than not” that was the case.

Additionally, the 243-page report reveals that “it is more probable than not that Tom Brady was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities…involving the release of air from Patriots game balls.”

Without definitive evidence, due in large part to Brady’s lack of cooperation with the investigation, the terminology does of course leave some doubt over Brady’s role. But the lengthy report pieces together some pretty damning evidence implicating Brady.

While Brady refused to cooperate by way of turning over his phone, text and e-mail communications — which is his right because of the independent nature of the investigation — the same could not be said for the two Patriots employees seemingly tasked with making sure the balls were deflated, Officials locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski. Both men permitted investigators access to their communications, and the Wells report is littered with text conversations between the two. In those conversations, the two men implicate each other and Brady in the scheme to deflate balls prior to games, dating back to an October 16 Thursday night game between the Patriots and Jets that New England won 25-16.

The report also revealed a sudden opening in the line of communications between Brady and Jastremski in the days after the AFC Championship game after questions began to arise about the deflation of the game balls. Those communications included long phone conversations on three separate mornings after the AFC title game and a series of text messages:

“Brady sent Jastremski text messages seemingly designed to calm Jastremski (“You good Jonny boy?”; “You doing good?”). For his part, Jastremski sent Brady text messages confirming that he was okay (“Still nervous; so far so good though”) and cautioning Brady about questioning (“FYI…Dave will be picking your brain later about it. He‟s not accusing me, or anyone…trying to get to bottom of it. He knows it’s unrealistic you did it yourself…”).

The report also goes into detail about the mechanics of releasing air from a football and denotes a brief but notable period of time prior to the AFC Championship game when McNally broke protocol and disappeared with the game balls long enough to deflate them.

The evidence is all circumstantial, but as it’s pieced together in the report, it’s hard to deny Brady’s involvement in what is a clear violation of the rules, however minor we may believe it to be.

Now the franchise once again faces sanctions and Brady faces a possible suspension, one that could further tarnish his legacy. At the time of the report’s release, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hinted at forthcoming disciplinary action and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that the punishments would come down from the league office within days.

“As with other recent matters involving violations of competitive rules, Troy Vincent and his team will consider what steps to take in light of the report, both with respect to possible disciplinary action and to any changes in protocols that are necessary to avoid future incidents of this type,” Goodell wrote. “At the same time, we will continue our efforts vigorously to protect the integrity of the game and promote fair play at all times.”

Reactions to the findings of the report have been wide-ranging. Many believe that the whole investigation was a waste of time and the relatively minor actions of those involved are likely commonplace league-wide. Others feel this is another clear indicator that the Patriots are unwilling to play within the rules and therefore should be punished for their actions. Both seem to be reasonable stances to take.

What you have to wonder is why this all happened at all. It’s pretty clear that the negligible difference in the PSI of the balls alone didn’t lead the Patriots to a 45-7 victory over the Colts on that Sunday afternoon. It didn’t stop Indianapolis from being able to tackle LaGarrette Blount, who ran for 148 yards and three touchdowns. It’s not a game-changing alteration.

Furthermore, outside of those who are clearly biased against the Patriots, it’s pretty commonly recognized that the team’s actions in Spygate or now in Deflate-Gate aren’t sizable enough to make up the difference between the Patriots being an average team and a great team and Brady being an average quarterback and a great quarterback. With or without these infractions, the Patriots are the NFL’s most outstanding team of the era and Brady is not only the best quarterback of the last 20 years, but one of the greatest ever.

So why do this particular franchise and this particular player feel the need to continually live outside the rules? It’s a question we may never know the answer to, but we’ll have wait and see if this latest mark on the legacy of each, and the subsequent punishment, is enough to deter them from bending and breaking the rules in the future.

RAVENS GREAT ED REED RETIRES

One of the greatest defensive backs of his generation has officially decided to hang up his cleats.

Iconic Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed retired from the NFL on Wednesday after 12 seasons, spent mostly in Baltimore. The announcement will be made official on Thursday afternoon in a press conference at the Ravens facility, where it is expected that Reed will sign a one-day contract to end his career with the team that brought him into the league.

Reed was selected by Baltimore in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft out of the University of Miami and immediately went to work building an incredible legacy as one of the league’s pre-eminent ball hawks. He spent 11 seasons in Baltimore, during which he collected 61 interceptions, including seven pick-sixes, 137 passes defensed and 605 tackles. He was a five-time First Team All-Pro selection and nine-time Pro Bowler, and was named AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2004.

After years of coming up short following his arrival, Reed finally culminated his Ravens career with a crowning achievement in Super Bowl XLVII, a 34-31 Ravens win in which he fittingly grabbed the final interception of his Ravens career in the second quarter.

Reed went on to sign with the Houston Texans in 2013 and was later traded to the New York Jets, for whom he tallied three more interceptions, bringing his career regular season total to 64, sixth most all-time. He did not play last season and after spending the offseason contemplating his future, has decided he’s ready to call it a career.

CARDINALS CLAIM ALFONZO DENNARD

One of the league’s deepest defensive backfields got a little deeper with the addition of a Super Bowl champion to the secondary.

The Arizona Cardinals claimed Alfonzo Dennard off waivers on Wednesday after he was released by the New England Patriots on Tuesday. Dennard finished last season on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring strain late in the season, but he was previously a valuable member of the New England cornerback corps.

Once thought to be a top cornerback talent in the 2012 draft, concerns about the Nebraska corner’s character, stemming from an arrest on assault charges, sent Dennard tumbling to the seventh round, where he was scooped up by the Patriots.

Dennard played in 29 games across three seasons in New England, including 20 starts and amassed a total of five interceptions. He started four games for the Patriots last season, but was somewhat phased out of the team’s plans due to the arrival of cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner as well as the emergence of Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler.

In Arizona, Dennard will have the opportunity to compete for playing time across from another All-Pro, Patrick Peterson as the team attempts to replace the production lost in the departure of Antonio Cromartie. According to general manager Steve Keim, appearing on Sirius/XM NFL Radio on Wednesday, the Cardinals valued Dennard based on his positional versatility.

“He’s a lot like our other players in our secondary. Versatile,” Keim said. “We liked what we saw on tape.”

Dennard had one-year remaining on his contract with the Patriots at $1.5 million, which will be absorbed by the Cardinals via the waiver claim.