If you ask Bob McNair, this whole Deflategate scandal is a problem of character. And if it were his team's face of the franchise, this whole mess never would have started.
As Tom Brady waits for a federal judge to rule whether the league can suspend him for his role in the NFL's big scandal of the offseason, the Houston Texans owner is eager to point out that this isn't a matter of cheating -- it's an issue of cooperating with the league during an investigation.
Brady's decision to destroy his cell phone interfered with that investigation -- and revealed something about his character, McNair thinks. ESPN reports that, in an interview with Houston's Sports Radio 610, McNair drew a distinct line between the Patriots' star and his own.
"What escalated the whole thing is that Brady and the Patriots were going to cooperate fully, and then when it came down to it, they didn't," McNair said. "If it was J.J. Watt, I think he would have been cooperative, and it wouldn't be a question.
"I don't think J.J. would destroy his cell phone."
In Houston, Watt is seen as the golden boy. That's not to say he doesn't have flaws, but as far as he's revealed, those don't include lying and deception:
The Texans will host the Patriots in December, which will no doubt thrust McNair's comments in between the teams -- and give them a chance to settle things on the field.