The aftershock of the prolonged debate over “Deflategate,” which resulted in Tom Brady’s suspension over deflated footballs being overturned in judicial proceedings, has crushed the popularity of those involved.
-Commissioner Roger Goodell, who had rebounded from a 12% favorable rating a year ago after his Ray Rice decision to 24% at the conclusion of the Super Bowl, fell back down to 14% favorable.
-Brady himself fell from 61% to 34% favorable since his winning Super Bowl performance.
-Coach Bill Belichick fell from 38% to 21% favorable in the same seven months.
Brady’s counterpart, the ever-popular Peyton Manning of Denver, remains consistently high, with a 61% favorable rating, almost double Brady’s, and right where he has been since the question was first asked in November of 2010.
“Winning a court decision is not the same as winning back the hearts of the fans,” said Gentile. “They have a long way to go.”