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NEW YORK (AP) — An NFL investigation has found that New England Patriots employees likely deflated footballs and that quarterback Tom Brady was "at least generally aware" of the rules violations.

The NFL began the investigation after the Patriots won the AFC Championship game in January, when the Indianapolis Colts complained that several footballs were under inflated.

The 243-page report released Wednesday said league investigators found no evidence that coach Bill Belichick and team management knew of the practice.

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The NFL's report on the Patriots deflated football scandal found that it's "more probable than not" that two longtime team employees — locker-room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski — "participated in a deliberate effort to release air from Patriots game balls after the balls were examined by the referee."

The report says Tom Brady "was at least generally aware" of the plan to deflate the balls.

One of the most damning parts of the report is a series of text messages dating to October in which McNally and Jastremski discuss Tom Brady's displeasure with balls' inflation levels and reference delivering a needle to change the pressure.

Here are excerpts of McNally and Jastremski's texts, via the report.

On May 9, 2014, before the start of the season:

McNally: You working

Jastremski: Yup

McNally: Nice dude....jimmy needs some kicks....lets make a deal.....come on help the deflator

On October 17, 2014, after Brady complained about the ball inflation after a game versus the Jets:

McNally: Tom sucks...im going make that next ball a f------ balloon

Jastremski: Talked to him last night. He actually brought you up and said you must have a lot of stress trying to get them done...

Jastremski: I told him it was. He was right though...

Jastremski: I checked some of the balls this morn... The refs f----- us...a few of then were at almost 16

Jastremski: They didnt recheck then after they put air in them

McNally: F---- tom ...16 is nothing...wait till next sunday

On October 21, 2014:

McNally: Make sure you blow up the ball to look like a rugby ball so tom can get used to it before sunday

Jastremski: Omg

On October 23, 2014:

Jastremski: Can't wait to give you your needle this week :)

McNally: F--- tom....make sure the pump is attached to the needle.....f------ watermelons coming

Jastremski: So angry

McNally: The only thing deflating sun..is his passing rating

On October 24, 2014:

Jastremski: I have a big needle for u this week

McNally: Better be surrounded by cash and newkicks....or its a rugby sunday

McNally: F--- tom

Jastremski: Maybe u will have some nice size 11s in ur locker

McNally: Tom must really be working your balls hard this week 

On January 7, 2015, eleven days before the AFC Championship Game:

McNally: Remember to put a couple sweet pig skins ready for tom to sign

Jastremski: U got it kid...big autograph day for you

McNally: Nice throw some kicks in and make it real special

Jastremski: It ur lucky. 11?

McNally: 11 or 11 and half kid

The report suggests Brady was aware of this activity, as after not communicating via phone to Jastremski for six months, there was a frequency of texts and phone calls between Brady and Jastremski starting January 19, when suspicions about the footballs began.

The report says Brady also texted Jastremski, saying, "You good Jonny boy?" and "You doing good?" Jastremski replied, "Still nervous; so far so good though."

Jastremski texted Brady saying, "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."

Read the entire report here.

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Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a defiant statement on Wednesday questioning the NFL's report on the Patriots' deflated ball scandal.

The report concludes that it is "more probable than not" that Patriots' locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski participated in a "deliberate effort to release air from Patriots game balls after the balls were examined by the referee."

The report also says that they don't believe there was any "wrongdoing" by Patriots ownership or head coach Bill Belichick.

In Kraft's statement he says he believed the Patriots "had done nothing inappropriate in this process or in violation of the NFL rules," and that he doesn't feel any differently now.

Kraft argues that the "science of atmospheric conditions" that could have deflated the Patriots' balls — a popular theory at the time— cannot be refuted. Kraft also argued that there is no historical data to compare how the Patriots deflated balls compared to others because PSI levels in footballs have never been measured at halftime.

"To say we are disappointed in its findings, which do not include any incontrovertible or hard evidence of deliberate deflation of footballs at the AFC Championship game, would be a gross understatement," Kraft said.

While the report claims that the Patriots wouldn't make themselves available for a follow-up interview, Kraft says they had already been interviewed four times and felt a fifth time was excessive.

Read the entire statement below:

"When I addressed the media at the Super Bowl on January 26 – over 14 weeks ago – I stated that I unconditionally believed that the New England Patriots had done nothing inappropriate in this process or in violation of the NFL rules and that I was disappointed in the way the league handled the initial investigation. That sentiment has not changed.

"I was convinced that Ted Wells' investigation would find the same factual evidence supported by both scientific formula and independent research as we did and would ultimately exonerate the Patriots. Based on the explanations I have heard and the studies that have been done, I don't know how the science of atmospheric conditions can be refuted or how conclusions to the contrary can be drawn without some definitive evidence.
"What is not highlighted in the text of the report is that three of the Colts' four footballs measured by at least one official were under the required psi level. As far as we are aware, there is no comparable data available from any other game because, in the history of the NFL, psi levels of footballs have never been measured at halftime, in any climate. If they had been, based on what we now know, it is safe to assume that every cold-weather game was played with under inflated footballs. As compelling a case as the Wells Report may try to make, I am going to rely on the factual evidence of numerous scientists and engineers rather than inferences from circumstantial evidence.

"Throughout the process of this nearly four-month investigation, we have cooperated and patiently awaited its outcome. To say we are disappointed in its findings, which do not include any incontrovertible or hard evidence of deliberate deflation of footballs at the AFC Championship game, would be a gross understatement. In addition, given our level of cooperation throughout the process, I was offended by the comments made in the Wells Report in reference to not making an individual available for a follow-up interview. What the report fails to mention is that he had already been interviewed four times and we felt the fifth request for access was excessive for a part-time game day employee who has a full-time job with another employer.

"While I respect the independent process of the investigation, the time, effort and resources expended to reach this conclusion are incomprehensible to me. Knowing that there is no real recourse available, fighting the league and extending this debate would prove to be futile. We understand and greatly respect the responsibility of being one of 32 in this league and, on that basis, we will accept the findings of the report and take the appropriate actions based on those findings as well as any discipline levied by the league."

SEE ALSO: Here are the damning text messages between 2 Patriots employees about deflating footballs

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In the NFL's massive report concluding that the New England Patriots probably deflated balls on purpose before the AFC title game, investigator Tedd Wells goes into great detail on what happened to the balls on gameday.

The NFL investigation found that there was "no set of reliable environmental or physical factors" that could have caused the balls to deflate by themselves.

The Patriots' footballs were all measured at 12.5 PSI before the game. When they were remeasured at halftime, all of them were below the legal range.

The NFL's suggestion — which the Wells report lays on pretty thick — is that a Patriots employee, who was seen on a surveillance video taking the balls into a bathroom by himself 20 minutes before kickoff, deflated them.

The Patriots employee in question, a 48-year-old officials' locker room attendant named Jim McNally, referred to himself as "the deflator" in a text message to team equipment manager John Jastremski before the 2014 season.

The Wells report states, "We believe that McNally and Jastremski were aware that the inflation level of the Patriots game balls following pre-game inspection by the game officials would be approximately 12.5 psi and planned for McNally to deflate the balls below that level following the pre-game inspection using a needle provided by Jastremski."

In a text message from earlier in the year, Jastremski referenced providing McNally with a needle:

With that in mind, here's the timeline of what went down with the balls on gameday, according to the report:

3:45 p.m. (two hours, 55 minutes before kickoff) — Referee Walt Anderson starts inspecting the footballs. The NFL isn't required to log inflation data, but Anderson says the Patriots' balls were all set to either 12.5 PSI or 12.6 PSI. While he was measuring them, Anderson says McNally told him something along the lines of, "Remember, Walt, Tom likes them at 12.5."

6:25 p.m. (25 minutes before kickoff) — McNally is seen sitting on a trunk near the two bags of game balls in the officials' locker room. The officials' look room is packed, with everyone waiting around to go to the field after the game's kickoff was pushed back from 6:40 to 6:50 because the NFC title game went to overtime.

6:30 p.m. (20 minutes before kickoff) — McNally takes the two bags of balls into a single-toilet bathroom that's at the end of the tunnel that leads to the field, surveillance video shows. He doesn't tell the referee or anyone on the officiating crew. He locks the door and stays in there for one minute, 40 seconds, which the NFL says was long enough to deflate the balls with a needle. 

6:32 p.m. (18 minutes to kickoff) — McNally is seen on video leaving the bathroom and walks to the field with the balls.

6:35 p.m. (15 minutes before kickoff) — The refs realize the balls are missing. According to the report, "Anderson was visibly concerned and uncharacteristically used an expletive when the game balls could not be located."

6:36 p.m. (14 minutes before kickoff) — The refs send NFL security representative Richard Farley to look for the balls and take the field themselves. Shortly after, they discover that McNally had already taken the two bags of balls out onto the field without their knowledge.

The rest is history. The Colts intercepted a pass in the first quarter, thought the ball was a little light, and had the refs re-measure them at halftime, the report says. When they did, the balls were under-inflated.

According to the report, McNally told NFL Security in an interview the night of the game that he walked the balls directly to the field from the officials' locker room. It wasn't until a second interview a day later that he mentioned that he went to the bathroom.

The report says McNally told NFL investigators in February that it's not unusual for him to take the balls to the field alone, and that he was never told he had to inform the officials when he was doing so. According to the report, that characterization was contradicted by numerous other people familiar with how these procedures work, concluding, "Indeed, all of the officials interviewed disagreed with McNally‟s description of the standard practice at Gillette Stadium."

The reason the report softened its conclusion by saying it's only "probable" that the Patriots tampered with the footballs is obvious: they still don't know what happened in the bathroom.

Based on the report, we know the balls were properly inflated before the game, McNally took them to the bathroom without the referee's knowledge in an unusual move that broke protocol, he stayed in there for two minutes with the door locked, and when the balls were remeasured at halftime, they were deflated.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a statement saying, "To say we are disappointed in its findings, which do not include any incontrovertible or hard evidence of deliberate deflation of footballs at the AFC Championship game, would be a gross understatement."

Read the report in full here >

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Tom Brady has yet to comment on the NFL's report that concluded Brady was "at least generally aware" of an alleged plot to deflate footballs before the AFC Championship.

His father, Tom Brady Sr., however, vigoriously defended his son to USA Today's Jim Corbett.

Brady Sr. told Corbett:

"This thing is so convoluted... They say that possibly — possibly — he was aware of this. The reality is if you can't prove he did it, then he's innocent, and lay off him. That's the bottom line... The league had to cover themselves. The reality is they had no conclusive evidence. This was Framegate right from the beginning.""

He also called it a "sting" by the Colts and the NFL.

Though the report said there was no "wrongdoing" by Patriots ownership or coach Bill Belichick, Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a defiant statement questioning the investigation and saying, "To say we are disappointed in its findings, which do not include any incontrovertible or hard evidence of deliberate deflation of footballs at the AFC Championship game, would be a gross understatement."

In the statement, Kraft questions how the investigation could refute the "science of atmospheric conditions" that many people initially believed could have naturally deflated the balls. Brady Sr. echoed a similar notion, stating, "To impugn somebody without conclusive evidence saying this is more probable than not? The reality is they have scientific evidence. Now they're overriding the scientific evidence and badgering the Patriots. It's disgusting."

The NFL concluded Brady was "generally aware" of the deflated balls after finding text messagesbetween locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski talking about deflating the balls to Brady's liking and discussing how Brady was upset with the inflation levels of the balls after a game. The report also said Brady and Jastremski increased phone communcation after January 19, when suspicions began, with Brady sending texts reading, ""You good Jonny boy?" and "You doing good?"

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Barcelona and Bayern Munich were tied 0-0 in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal when Lionel Messi decided to take over, scoring two goals in five minutes.

The second goal was a classic. In the 80th minute, Messi found room on the right side of the box, showed some beautiful footwork, made defender Jerome Boateng fall over, and lofted a shot into the goal:

He's insane:

Five minutes before, Messi caught a pass and rocketed a shot from just outside the 18:

Barcelona continued to pile it on in the final minutes of the game with Neymar getting open on a break and hitting a shot past Munich's goalie.

Barcelona took the win 3-0 to take a commanding lead going into the second leg.

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The NFL has issued its findings on the New England Patriots deflated football scandal concluding it's "more probable than not" that two employees worked together to intentionally deflate footballs and that Tom Brady was "at least generally aware."

One of the biggest mysteries that surrounded the "Deflategate" investigation was just how deflated the footballs used by the Patriots during the AFC Championship game were when measured at halftime.

An initial report from Chris Mortensen of ESPN said 11 of the 12 game balls "were inflated significantly below the NFL's requirements." He added that the "footballs were inflated 2 pounds per square inch below what's required by NFL regulations." Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network later contradicted that report saying, "One was about two pounds under. Several were about a pound under, and several more were just a tick below 12.5 PSI."

Now we know the real answer.

According to the NFL's report, during the pre-game inspection, most of the Patriots' footballs were found to be at 12.5 PSI, the minimum allowed by the NFL. Two tested below 12.5 and were raised by game officials up to the 12.5 level. All of the 11 game balls were remeasured twice at halftime by separate officials.

Of the 11 footballs, seven were found to be between 1.0 and 2.0 PSI below the 12.5 minimum on both measurements. Two other footballs were found to be more than 1.0 PSI below the minimum on one measurement and between 0.5 and 1.0 PSI below on the second measurement. The two remaining footballs had PSI levels less than 1.0 below on both measurements.

Only one football (No. 7) measured above 12.0 PSI and that was on just one of the measurements.

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We put the two biggest soccer stars in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, head to head.

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The NFL has finished its investigation into the New England Patriots and concluded that the team likely intentionally broke league rules and deflated footballs used in the AFC title game.

While the investigation focuses on the actions of two employees, locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski, the report also concludes that Tom Brady "was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of McNally and Jastremski involving the release of air from Patriots game balls."

This is a pretty damning accusation against one of the NFL's biggest stars.

The league's evidence against Brady centers on three main points: 1) his reaction to the condition of game balls used in a Week 7 game against the New York Jets in October, 2) how he interacted with McNally and Jastremski following subsequent games, and 3) how he communicated with the two after Deflategate exploded.

The report points to evidence of Brady's interest and knowledge of ball inflation levels as early as October 2014, several months before the AFC Championship game. In a text message exchange between McNally and Jastremski following a game against the Jets, Brady is portrayed as angry about the condition of the footballs (NSFW language below):

The next day, Jastremski responded to a text about footballs saying he spoke to Brady, who mentioned McNally must "have a lot of stress trying to get them done."

Prior to the next game McNally and Jastremski — who were venting about Brady at that point — had another exchange about the conditions of the balls, and specifically referenced the use of a needle.

If you're having trouble following this, McNally is talking about retaliating against Brady by inflating the balls with a needle and pump, rather than deflating them with just a needle, suggesting Brady's preference is a deflated ball.

According to the report, investigators believe the McNally and Jastremski "planned for McNally to deflate the balls below that level following the pre-game inspection using a needle provided by Jastremski."

In addition to those texts, McNally receiving gifts from Brady during the playoffs, according to the report, even though text messages indicate that Brady did not usually give McNally any special items.

Jastremski confirmed to the NFL that he passed along a sweatshirt and a pair of sneakers to McNally from Brady "sometime around January 7, 2015," prior to the Patriots first playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Several days later, McNally also received two autographed footballs and had Brady autograph a jersey McNally had obtained earlier.

After the Deflategate scandal broke on January 19, the investigation concluded that there was also a "material increase in the frequency of telephone and text communications between Brady and Jastremski."

 "Jastremski and Brady spoke to each other on the telephone four times on January 19 (the day after the AFC Championship game), for a total of 25 minutes and 2 seconds. They also exchanged a total of twelve text messages. Jastremski and McNally spoke to each other on the telephone five times after 7:00 a.m. on January 19, for a total of 57 minutes and 59 seconds. McNally also sent Jastremski a text message that day."

According to the investigation, Jastremski first contacted Brady via text message at 7:25 a.m., just 21 minutes after accessing a story on his computer about allegations of deflated footballs. Brady then called Jastremski one minute later. It appears to have been their first "phone-based communications (phone conversations or text messages) in six months," according to the report.

Later that morning, Brady and Jastremski exchanged text messages with Jastremski admitting he is "nervous" and at one point telling Brady, "He knows it's unrealistic you did it yourself."

The investigation goes on to document numerous other phone and text conversations between Jastremski and Brady over the next few days, a volume deemed unusual. In addition, Brady took what was called an "unprecedented step" of meeting with Jastremski in the QB room at Gillette Stadium, the report says, the first time Jastremski had ever done that in 20 years as a Patriots employee.

While the report does conclude that there is "less direct evidence linking Brady to tampering activities" than McNally or Jastremski, investigators also found it reasonable to believe Brady knew what was going on:.

"We nevertheless believe, based on the totality of the evidence, that it is more probable than not that Brady was at least generally aware of the inappropriate activities of McNally and Jastremski involving the release of air from Patriots game balls."

In addition, investigators found it unlikely that McNally and Jastremski would have tampered with the balls without Brady knowing:

"Based on our interviews and assessment of McNally and Jastremski, we also do not believe that they would personally and unilaterally engage in such conduct in the absence of Brady‟s awareness and consent."

Brady has yet to comment on the report, but Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a defiant statement saying he was disappointed in the investigators' conclusions.

The NFL has yet to decide on how the Patriots or those involved are punished. Suddenly, the biggest NFL story of the offseason is how hard the league will come down on Brady.

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The headline writers of New York's tabloids are clearly enjoying the New England Patriots' ongoing "Deflategate" scandal.

A new report released Wednesday indicated the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady most likely broke National Football League rules intentionally by deflating their footballs in an AFC title game.

Thursday morning, the New York Post, Daily News, and Metro were filled with puns involving the word "balls." Brady himself repeatedly used the word during a January news conference when the scandal first emerged.

Here's the Post:

Here's the News:

And here's Metro:

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Tom Brady's agent, Don Yee, released a blistering statement defending his client after an NFL investigation concluded that Brady was probably "generally aware" of a suspected plot to deflate footballs before the AFC title game.

In the statement, Yee calls the report "a significant and terrible disappointment." He accuses the report of omitting key Brady testimony that would have provided context and says the investigators in charge had a "limited understanding of professional football."

In addition, he calls the whole thing a "sting operation" because the NFL never notified the Patriots that Colts general manager Ryan Grigson asked the league to be vigilant about ball air-pressure levels before the AFC championship game.

"This report contains significant and tragic flaws, and it is common knowledge in the legal industry that reports like this generally are written for the benefit of the purchaser," he concludes.

The full statement, via Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo:

The Wells report, with all due respect, is a significant and terrible disappointment. It's omission of key facts and lines of inquiry suggest the investigators reached a conclusion first, and then determined so-called facts later. One item alone taints this entire report. What does it say about the league office's protocols and ethics when it allows one team to tip it off to an issue prior to a championship game, and no league officials or game officials notified the Patriots of the same issue prior to the game? This suggests it may be more probable than not that the league cooperated with the Colts in perpetrating a sting operation.

The Wells report buries this issue in a footnote on page 46 without any further elaboration. The league is a significant client of the investigators' law firm; it appears to be a rich source of billings and media exposure based on content in the law firm's website. This was not an independent investigation and the contents of the report bear that out — all one has to do is read closely and critically, as opposed to simply reading headlines. The investigators' assumptions and inferences are easily debunked or subject to multiple interpretations. Much of the report's vulnerabilities are buried in the footnotes, which is a common legal writing tactic. It is a sad day for the league as it has abdicated the resolution of football-specific issues to people who don't understand the context or culture of the sport. I was physically present for my client's interview. I have verbatim notes of the interview. Tom made himself available for nearly an entire day and patiently answered every question. It was clear to me the investigators had limited understanding of professional football.

For reasons unknown, the Wells report omitted nearly all of Tom's testimony, most of which was critical because it would have provided this report with the context that it lacks. Mr. Wells promised back in January to share the results of this investigation publicly, so why not follow through and make public all of the information gathered and let the public draw its own conclusions? This report contains significant and tragic flaws, and it is common knowledge in the legal industry that reports like this generally are written for the benefit of the purchaser.

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The NFL has concluded its months-long investigation into Deflategate and determined that it is "more probable than not" that two employees deliberately released air from game balls and that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady "was at least generally aware" of the plan.

The scandal, in which the Patriots were found to be using deflated game balls during their 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC title game, is a huge black eye for the Patriots and Brady, and it draws the legitimacy of last year's Super Bowl championship into question.

Perhaps the most dumbfounding part of this is that the NFL had more than one chance to stop it from happening and did nothing.

According to the report, the league first became aware of the possibility that the Patriots were deflating the footballs when Ryan Grigson, the general manager of the Colts, sent an email to two senior members of the NFL Football Operations Department days before the AFC championship game.

In the email, Grigson included a note from a Colts equipment manager that said the Patriots were known for deflating footballs. He added: "All the Indianapolis Colts want is a completely level playing field. Thank you for being vigilant stewards of that not only for us but for the shield and overall integrity of our game."

Here is the note from the equipment manager to the NFL. It describes exactly what NFL investigators believe happened before the AFC title game:

As far as the gameballs are concerned it is well known around the league that after the Patriots gameballs are checked by the officials and brought out for game usage the ballboys for the patriots will let out some air with a ball needle because their quarterback likes a smaller football so he can grip it better, it would be great if someone would be able to check the air in the game balls as the game goes on so that they don't get an illegal advantage.

That email was forwarded to several other league officials, including two senior members of the NFL Officiating Department, who responded by saying they would bring the issue up with Walt Anderson, the referee assigned to the AFC title game.

At no time was there any indication that the Patriots were made aware of the Colts' concerns or that the NFL was making members of the Patriots' front office aware of a potential rules infraction.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com spoke with an anonymous league official who said this would have never happened under previous commissioners.

"As one league source with no connection to the present controversy explained it to PFT in January, past Commissioners like Paul Tagliabue would have informed the Patriots of the situation," Florio wrote, adding that Tagliabue would have "warned them that the NFL is paying attention, that the league reserves the right to check the air pressure in the footballs during the game, and that any funny business would be met with a decidedly unfunny reaction from the league office."

Doing this would have almost certainly scared the Patriots enough to ensure that nobody was altering the footballs during that game. 

To make matters worse, the NFL and one of the game's referees were made aware of the allegations, and yet the footballs still went missing before the game.

Knowing that the Patriots were being accused of deflating footballs and knowing that the footballs went missing, the officials could have easily retested the footballs once they were found. That would have eliminated the weather defense — a central point to the Patriots' defense as evidenced by Robert Kraft's statement following the release of the Wells report — as it is assumed that the only chance to deflate the balls occurred before the game, meaning there would have be very little time between the initial measurements and the retests.

But more important, it would have kept the Patriots from using illegal footballs during one of the most important games of the season.

The report also makes it clear that the NFL should have taken the allegations made by the Colts seriously, noting that the actions of one of the employees accused of altering the footballs, locker room attendant Jim McNally, had come under review of the NFL after allegations arose that he was supplying "non-approved practice balls" in place of approved footballs during a game in 2004.

The report insists that there was "was no 'sting' operation" put in place by the NFL. But if the goal was to catch the Patriots red-handed, it apparently worked.

At the same time, the NFL has another ugly mess that it seems could easily have been avoided.

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The NFL's evidence that Tom Brady knew about a likely plot to deflate footballs before the AFC title game is circumstantial.

But this isn't a court of law. NFL investigator Tedd Wells thought there was enough to conclude Brady was probably "generally aware" of what was going on, and said as much in his report.

One of the key pieces of evidence that led Wells to this conclusion was Brady's level of communication with equipment assistant John Jastremski in the days after the scandal broke. According to the report, investigators believe that Jastremski and locker room attendant Jim McNally conspired to deflate the game balls before the AFC title game, with McNally physically deflating the balls using a needle provided by Jastremski.

After the scandal broke in the early morning hours of January 19, according to the report, there was a significant uptick in communication between Brady and Jastremski. Investigators found this suspicious. Jastremski, who was in charge of preparing balls for game day, hadn't talked to Brady over the phone or exchanged texts with him in six months going into January 19. Over the next 72 hours, according to phone records, they talked on the phone eight times and exchanged 15 texts.

The texts show Brady continually checked up on Jastremski after the scandal broke, talked to him multiple times a day, and even invited him to the quarterback meeting room to talk for the first time in Jastremski's 20 years with the team.

Here's all the communication between the two in the three days after the AFC title game, as detailed by the report.

January 19, the day after the AFC title game: They talk on the phone four times for a total of 25 minutes and exchange 12 texts. It's their first phone communication in six months.

According to the report, Jastremski read a ProFootballTalk article about the deflated football scandal at 7:04 a.m. on the day after the game. Twenty minutes later, at 7:25 a.m., he texted Brady asking him to call him:

Brady calls him a minute later, and they talk for 13 minutes. Jastremski initially told NFL Security that they didn't talk about the deflated balls, but later told Wells that they did.

9:51 a.m.: Brady texts Jastremski checking up on him. Jastremski says he's "still nervous":

Brady (9:51 a.m.): You good Jonny boy?

Jastremski (9:53 a.m.): Still nervous; so far so good though. I'll be alright

Brady (9:54 a.m.): You didn't do anything wrong bud.

Jastremski (9:55 a.m.): I know; I'll be all good

Brady told investigators he was just supporting Jastremski because he knew Jastremski was responsible for the condition of the balls. Jastremski told investigators he was joking when he said he was "nervous."

10:54 a.m.: Jastremski texts Brady giving him a heads up that head equipment manager David Schoenfeld was going to interview him:

Jastremski (10:54 a.m.): 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...

Jastremski (10:55 a.m.): Just a heads up

Brady (10:59 a.m.): No worries bud. We are all good

Jastremski told investigators that the "it's unrealistic you did it yourself" text was a joke.

2:30 p.m.: Brady texts Jastremski asking him to come up to the quarterback room, which is basically Brady's office:

Brady (2:38 p.m.): Jj are you here?

Jastremski (2:38 p.m.): Yup

Brady (2:38 p.m.): Come to qb room

Brady says they discussed ball preparation for the Super Bowl. Jastremski has worked for the team for 20 years and Brady had never called him into his office.

5:21 p.m.: Brady tells Jastremski to call him.

They talk for 12 minutes, again telling investigators they were talking about Super Bowl balls.

January 20: They talk on the phone twice for nearly 10 minutes and exchange two texts.

7:24 a.m.: Jastremski tells Brady to call him.

They talk for about six minutes. Again Jastremski says they discussed Super Bowl balls, not the deflated ball scandal.

5:31 p.m.: Brady checks in:

They talk on the phone for three minutes. From the report:

"Jastremski said that he did not understand Brady's text message to be a reference to the NFL's investigation of the circumstances surrounding the AFC Championship Game, even though Jastremski had been interviewed by NFL Security that afternoon. Instead, Jastremski said that he understood Brady to be checking in because Brady knew that 'it's a pain in the butt' to prepare over fifty footballs for the Super Bowl."

January 21: They talk twice on the phone and exchange one text.

7:27 a.m.: Brady texts him asking to call. 

They talk for 13 minutes. Brady says they talked about Super Bowl balls. Jastremski says they talked about Super Bowl balls and his wedding.

11:45 a.m.: They talk on the phone for seven minutes.

It's important to note that there isn't a full electronic paper trail on Brady because he wouldn't give investigators access to his phone, which investigators say "potentially limited the discovery of relevant evidence and was not helpful to the investigation."

Is this (combined with other evidence suggesting Brady was vigilant about ball inflation levels) enough to conclude Brady was probably "generally aware" of the likely plot?

Brady's camp certainly doesn't think so. Brady "denied any knowledge of or involvement in any efforts to deflate game balls after the pre-game inspection by the game officials," according to the report. His agent, Don Yee, released a blistering statement blasting Wells' conclusion and accusing the league of staging a sting operation. Wells concludes otherwise, saying it's likely that Brady knew something.

Now it's up to the NFL to make its own conclusions about what Brady knew and determine whether he should be punished.

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Now that Kevin Love is out for the rest of the playoffs with a shoulder injury, attention has turned to his immediate future with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers have some significant advantages in keeping Love this summer: they can offer him more money, a longer contract, and a chance to compete for a title.

However, Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on The Dan Patrick Show that Love re-signing with the Cavs isn't such a sure thing. Wojnarowski told Patrick:

"I think he has all year long looked longingly at free agency and the possibility of what else is out there... He's going to look at free agency, I think he's going to look at other teams. He could always opt in for another year and go into free agency next summer where there's that even bigger pool of money, but there's legitimate fear within the Cavs that he'll just walk."

Love would be risking a huge amount of money by not re-signing with Cleveland. If he opts out of the final year of his contract, becomes a free agent this summer, and signs with another team, he'd be eligible for a max contract worth about $86 million over four years. 

The smarter financial decision for Love would be to opt into his $16.7 million player option for 2015-16 and become a free agent in 2016, when the salary cap is set to explode because of the league's new TV deal. If he were to re-sign with the Cavaliers that summer, he'd be eligible for a five-year deal worth 30% of the estimated $89 million salary cap with 7.5% raises each season. That'd be a five-year, $153 million deal.

So, depending on when Love chooses to become a free agent and where he chooses to go, he could be facing a $67 million difference in earnings.

Even if Love wants to leave, he'd be smarter to wait until 2016. If he opts-in to his 2015-16 contract and then leaves next summer, he'd be eligible for a max contract worth about $114 million over four years. This would still represent a nearly $40 million difference from re-signing with Cleveland in 2016, but he'd earn more money than if he walked this summer.

For many players, that would be too much to turn down, especially if it meant competing for a title. However, there's a human element that can't be ignored in these situations.

Chris Bosh warned Love before the season that his role would be marginalized by playing with two ball-dominant offensive players. Not only did Love see a dip in his numbers, he was often under-used in offensive schemes, forced to play a "stretch-four" role for which he's arguably over-qualified. Additionally, his awkward relationship with LeBron James hasn't made his adjustment any easier.

It might seem laughable to turn down millions of dollars and a chance to compete for a title, but if Wojnarowski's report is to be believed there's at least a chance that Love, 1) doesn't think he fits in Cleveland, and 2) thinks he can be the best player on a title team and doesn't want to be diminished as a third fiddle.

As ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported, the Cavaliers have basically already started their recruiting pitch for Love this summer. Losing Love would be a nightmare for the Cavs. They wouldn't have the financial capability to replace him with a free agent of his caliber, and they'd have traded former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, 2014 No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins, and a future first-round pick for a one-year rental.

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The NFL has finished its investigation into the New England Patriots and concluded that the team likely intentionally broke league rules and deflated footballs used in the AFC title game.

While the investigation focuses on the actions of two employees, locker room attendant Jim McNally and equipment assistant John Jastremski, the report also concludes that Tom Brady "was at least generally aware" of the inappropriate activities.

The feeling among most NFL insiders is that Brady is going to be suspended for at least one game to start the 2015 season.

A source told Adam Schefter of ESPN that the NFL is "considering discipline" for Brady. Schefter later sent a tweet with a play on the Wells report's "more probable than not" conclusions.

Schefter is speculating that backup Jimmy Garoppolo will be the starting quarterback for the Patriots when they open the NFL season against the Pittsburgh Steelers because Brady will be suspended.

Others have been quick to point out that these accusations against Brady and the Patriots are a big deal because they involve the integrity of the game and the league.

Andrew Brandt of theMMQB.com called the implications for Brady "serious" and that "the violations in the Wells report strike at the heart of the league’s watchwords — integrity and competitive balance."

"I would expect a multi-game suspension of Brady, perhaps four games (and it would be games, not weeks)," wrote Brandt.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com was a guest on "The Dan Patrick Show." When asked who will start for the Patriots in Week 1, Florio guessed it would be Garoppolo, citing the same "integrity of the game of football" issue.

"It's hard for me to not say Jimmy Garoppolo," Florio told Dan Patrick. "If it's Tom Brady then a different set of rules is being applied to Tom Brady than is being applied to all of the guys who get suspended for things completely unrelated to the integrity of the game: smoking marijuana, off-field misconduct. As bad as that stuff might be, that stuff doesn't jeopardize in any way the integrity of the game of football. This is a game integrity violation. A failure to fully cooperate with the investigation ... I don't know how you can not suspend Tom Brady.

Former NFL head coach and current NBC analyst Tony Dungy was also asked if Brady would be suspended on "The Dan Patrick Show."

"That's a tough one," said Dungy. "When you look at the performance [enhancing] deals, they have always been tougher on that. Whether it is a missed test or whatever, I think this is something the players are going to say [to the commissioner], 'Hey, you punched a lot of people, so you need to make this fair.'"

"I think there is a possibility of [Garoppolo starting Week 1] because if it doesn't, [the NFL] is sending a message and I don't think the commissioner wants to do that. It will be interesting, but I do think there is going to be some game time [missed by Brady]. I just have to believe that."

There is also the issue of the perceived conflict of interest between the commissioner and the Patriots, specifically Roger Goodell's close relationship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft (although there are suggestions that the relationship is not as strong as it used to be) and the power that Kraft may hold over Goodell.

When asked what the commissioner will do, Florio quickly responded, "Punt."

"How does the commissioner make this decision?" said Florio. "Now that you have this information, you are hopelessly conflicted. Robert Kraft is one of three people who determines how much money the commissioner makes or doesn't make. The bonuses are determined every March. How can the commissioner be fair and unbiased? ... The commissioner is hopelessly conflicted."

The majority of Goodell's salary comes in the form of annual bonuses determined by the owners.

It is difficult to say just how much this will sway Goodell when handing down discipline. After all, the NFL had a chance to stop this before it started and make the entire thing quietly go away and they did not.

But the writing on the wall seems clear to many. Most expect Brady to be suspended and miss at least one game in the 2015 season.

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Though Floyd Mayweather beat Manny Pacquiao in a unanimous decision in their much-anticipated fight, he praised Pacquiao after afterward.

The two have very different styles. Mayweather is a defensive virtuoso, capable of sliding around and avoiding big hits from opponents. Pacquiao uses a quirky combination of speed, power, and angles to deliver big hits.

In a postfight video interview with Fight Hype, Mayweather described what makes Pacquiao so tough to fight, pointing out his left-handedness and ability to "set traps" and unload shots on opponents:

"He's a good fighter. He's a hell of a fighter. And he'll beat a lot of fighters 'cause, the way he fights, he basically sets a trap. He sets traps for other fighters to where he can load up all of his arsenal and use different angles to win on fighters."

When asked how he studied Pacquiao's style, Mayweather said he did it through sparring, and then gave a detailed scouting report of what Pacquiao does in the ring:

"He throws the awkward left, a straight left hand, leans and throws it, and bobbing and weaving, bobbing and weaving, keep pressure, keep pressure. When he gets the guy, he goes crazy drilling him, drilling him. And the guy opens, Pacquiao throws the one shot and then he catches the guy. And that's what he do."

In another video interview with Fight Hype, Mayweather noted Pacquiao's left hand has "a little thump" unlike any other boxer he's fought.

Mayweather's defensive skill helped him avoid some of the Pacquiao hits that have devastated opponents in the ring.

In a 2008 fight with Oscar De La Hoya when Pacquiao was rising to the top of the boxing world, he hit De La Hoya with the brutal straight left hand that Mayweather described:

In a 2010 fight with Antonio Margarito, Pacquiao showed off his speed and power. The Filipino fighter unleashed a dazzling combination when Margarito opened up, also like Mayweather described:

Pacquiao was able to open up Mayweather occasionally, hitting him with a one particularly strong, straight left hand:

However, Mayweather guarded himself from Pacquiao's blitzing combinations, and that may have been the biggest difference in the fight. Mayweather simply covered up and let Pacquiao throw combinations that didn't land or create any holes:

Though Pacquiao fought with an injured shoulder, it seems Mayweather was simply better prepared. He clearly knew what Pacquiao wanted to do and guarded himself, not allowing Pacquiao to use his greatest strengths.

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Controversy sprung up Wednesday night at (and after) Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers beat the Bulls but it seems as if the lasting story of the game is one of the promotional videos that the Cleveland Cavaliers showed in the stadium during the matchup.

We found out about this story from Buzzfeed who pointed first to a tweet from Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick:

While the video is clearly a parody, eventually it made it online and a firestorm ensued, with people screaming that the Cavs were promoting domestic violence. The team released a statement Thursday afternoon, reports TMZ.

If you haven't seen it, here's what you can expect ...

It starts out as a man and a woman, seemingly in a relationship, hear "Time Of My Life" (you know, from "Dirty Dancing") and begin wooing each other into dancing.

The dancing intensifies ...

Then we get to the moment where they're getting ready to mimic that iconic scene from "Dirty Dancing."

That's the moment where the man sees that she's in fact wearing a Bulls shirt (and is therefore a Bulls fan) and throws her across the room instead of spinning her around (you can see it in the video below).

Afterwards, as she ices her head, they agree to just watch the game ... and "Go Cavs."

This has started a storm on social media with people claiming that the video supports domestic violence.

As of this writing the Cavs have not yet issued any responses to the accusations, we'll update this post when they do.

Ultraviolet, a group that fights for women's rights, has issued this statement from one of its cofounders:

“The Cleveland Cavaliers should be ashamed of themselves. If the last year has taught us anything, it's that domestic violence is a very serious issue in America—three women die each and every day as a result of domestic abuse. With a national epidemic of violence against women, we simply cannot afford to have the NBA condone this kind of violence. The Cavaliers need to make this right. Whoever is responsible for this video should be fired immediately. "

UltraViolet has spent the last year holding the NFL accountable on domestic violence after a string of high-profile abuse issues, including Ray Rice. 

Here's the whole video:

Here's the statement from the Cavs, first reported by TMZ:

During a timeout at last night’s Cavaliers vs. Bulls playoff game at The Q in Cleveland, we ran a 1-minute in-arena video that was intended to be a humorous spoof on a popular commercial centered on a song and dance from the classic movie ‘Dirty Dancing.’ While the video was not intended to be offensive, it was a mistake to include content that made light of domestic violence."

Domestic violence is a very serious matter and has no place in a parody video that plays in an entertainment venue. We sincerely apologize to those who have been affected by domestic violence for the obvious negative feelings caused by being exposed to this insensitive video.

SEE ALSO: Everyone's blowing this leaked email from Marvel's CEO on female superheroes completely out of proportion

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The Washington Wizards were dealt a major blow Thursday afternoon when the team announced that point guard John Wall has five non-displaced fractures in his left wrist.

Wall hurt his wrist early in Game 1 of the Wizards' second-round series with the Atlanta Hawks when he crashed to the ground after a layup attempt. Amazingly, Wall finished the game, scoring 18 points with seven rebounds and 13 assists in the Wiizards' win.

However, Wall was a late scratch for Game 2, a game the Wizards lost. According to Washington Post's Michael Lee, Wall said he thought he broke his wrist when he first fell. He was right.

On Tuesday, before Wall was ruled out, Wizards beat writer J. Michael posted an Instagram of Wall's left wrist, which was taped up and badly swollen:

Though there's no timetable for Wall's return — the team says "his playing status has yet to be determined" — it's a crucial loss for the Wizards, who have gained perhaps more momentum than any other team in the playoffs, with Wall leading the way.

Washington swept the Toronto Raptors in convincing fashion in the first round, and stole home-court advantage from the Hawks with their Game 1 victory. The Hawks appear out of sorts while the Wizards (before Game 2) were riding a five-game winning streak.

In an Eastern Conference in which the Cavaliers are without Kevin Love and the Bulls are too inconsistent to be relied upon, the NBA world was beginning to wonder if the Wizards, who sported an unimpressive 46-36 regular season record, could sneak into the Conference Finals and maybe even the NBA Finals.

Even if Wall isn't out for the season, it would seem unlikely that he can return to 100% for the remainder of the playoffs. Although Wall is a righty and he hurt his left wrist, playing one-handed isn't ideal and Washington lacks another versatile playmaker like Wall.

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Professional video gaming is a young man’s game.

As players get into their mid-20s, their reaction time slows and the game’s mechanics become more difficult, says Diego “Quas” Ruiz, a player on professional League of Legends team Team Liquid.

Those who don’t retire because of diminished skills often tire of pro gaming’s long days and unusual living situation.

Retirement doesn’t mean sitting back on the beach, though. While players often earn upwards of $100,000 per year, they don't make nearly enough money to support themselves for the rest of their lives.

Many of Team Liquid’s players are fast approaching that mid-20s sell-by date. Of the team’s five players, Christian “IWDominate” Rivera is 24; Diego “Quas” Ruiz is 23; and Alex “Xpecial” Chu is 22.

We asked them what they plan to do when they retire.

Christian “IWDominate” Rivera

Rivera has played League of Legends for five years — practically centuries in video game years. He's restless about his team’s inability to win the League Championship Series, the pro league in North America, and every loss brings up thoughts about retirement. While he wouldn’t put a concrete date on his retirement, he says he thinks about it "every day."

When Rivera retires, he'll likely stay in the video game industry in some capacity. Over the course of his career, he has amassed a sizeable following on social media sites and would likely parlay that into a career streaming on Twitch.

Many gamers have found they can make a lot of money through streaming, which involves playing video games on camera for an audience online. Although the streams cost nothing to watch, streamers can earn six figures by running ads, gaining sponsors, selling merchandise, and soliciting donations from the audience. 

In addition, Rivera says he'll look into coaching a pro League of Legends team or working for Riot Games, the publisher of League of Legends.

If none of those opportunities materializes, however, Rivera says he'll go back to college to finish his degree in psychology. He dropped out of the University of Miami with only one semester left.

Alex “Xpecial” Chu

While Chu has been playing since he was 18, he's uncertain about retirement, saying it's probably a few years off. He's equally wishy-washy about what he will do when it comes.

For a year before going pro, Chu attended University of California, Santa Barbara. According to Chu, if he were to retire tomorrow, he would finish his degree. However, as he gets older, he's less enthused about returning to school.

“I can't rule out going back to college, but I can't say that I want to,” Chu says. “If I go back to school, I need to have a really good guideline [for what I will use it for] or I'm just wasting another four years. I'd rather look for a job and not go back …”

Chu is unsure what that job would be. He talks about pursuing other opportunities in the gaming industry but is otherwise vague.

Diego "Quas" Ruiz

Before moving to the US to play League of Legends professionally, Ruiz studied mechanical engineering at a university in Maracaibo, Venezuela. While he doesn’t plan to continue those studies, he'd like to attend college in the US to learn programming — a skill he could use in a longterm career.

Ruiz says he would work while attending college. That work would likely involve coaching inexperienced players, which he did before going pro, or streaming instructional videos on Twitch or YouTube.

“It’s natural for me to give players solid advice,” Ruiz said.

Ruiz's retirement date depends on two factors: how well Team Liquid performs and his desire not to enter “the real world too late.” At most, Ruiz says he will play for another two years.

In many ways, League of Legends has served its purpose for Ruiz. He used the game to obtain an athletic visa to the US, a place he has dreamed about living in since childhood.

What about everyone else?

Because League of Legends and pro gaming are so young, it's too early to know how former pro-gamers are doing as a whole. However, Dan Dinh, the VP of Operations for Team SoloMid, one of the top League of Legends teams, offered up some helpful perspective.

"Some make the leap to a personality and make YouTube videos or stream on Twitch full time … Some go back to college. A lot of players go work for Riot. Others build a connection with other gaming companies while they are playing and work for them,” says Dinh, who's been involved with League of Legends since the beginning and watched many players retire.

“You see a lot of people in interesting places and a lot of people in not so interesting places," he added. "There's the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

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