Patriots Employees Reinstated from Deflategate Suspensions

Jim McNally and John Jastremski, the New England Patriots employees most directly tied to the Deflategate scandal, are allowed to return to work. The NFL released a statement Wednesday saying the league has granted the Patriots' request for reinstatement, per Doug Kyed of NESN.

McNally and Jastremski had been suspended earlier this year amid the NFL's investigation into allegations the Patriots had deflated game balls below the league's PSI requirements. The NFL-commissioned Ted Wells report relied greatly on exchanges between McNally and Jastremski, who emerged as the two focal points of the alleged conspiracy.

As part of his reinstatement, McNally can no longer be a locker room attendant or handle equipment, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Jastremski may no longer handle game balls.

News of McNally's and Jastremski's return comes two weeks after a federal judge overruled Tom Brady's four-game suspension. Commissioner Roger Goodell had suspended Brady after the Wells report found beyond a reasonable doubt the former MVP was aware McNally and Jastremski were deflating footballs.

“I think that, you know, it’s been a very tough situation for everybody,” Brady said, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “It’s been a lot of stress on everybody’s families, and I feel bad that anybody’s in the position that we’ve been put in. Hopefully, we can just keep learning from life experiences. I certainly feel terrible for them that they’re not able to be with us right now.”

With Brady, McNally and Jastremski all back in the fold, it arguably calls into question why the Patriots are being penalized at all. They will not have a 2016 first-round pick or a 2017 fourth-round pick in the wake of the scandal and were fined $1 million.

Owner Robert Kraft told the media the team will accept the punishment, but if all others involved in the scandal are essentially found not guilty, one may question why the Patriots are still subject to a competitive disadvantage.   

At the very least, let's just hope this starts closing the Deflategate chapter once and for all. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.