(Reuters) - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell denied on Tuesday a report that he came down hard on the New England Patriots over "Deflategate" because the league was light-handed in dealing with the team over the so-called Spygate scandal in 2007.
An ESPN report released on Tuesday suggested the Patriots' cheating in Spygate was more extensive than previously believed, and that Goodell abruptly ended the investigation before it could harm the league's integrity.
One unnamed owner termed Goodell’s Deflategate punishment "a makeup call," the ESPN report said.
"I have not seen this report, Mike, in any way, but I can just tell you I’m not aware of any connection between the Spygate procedures and the procedures we went through here," Goodell told ESPN Radio's Mike Greenberg.