Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio has expressed his belief that the sanctions handed out to the New England Patriots and Tom Brady for the deflategate scandal were an "overreaction" by the NFL.
The Patriots were docked their first-round pick in the 2016 Draft and a fourth-round selection in 2017 along with a $1m (£631,000), while Brady was banned for four games for being generally aware that members of the Patriots' equipment staff had deflated footballs in their AFC championship win over the Indianapolis Colts.
"I think there are some similarities in terms of an overreaction, from my standpoint," Del Rio told reporters. "I think it was a little bit overdone, but that's somebody else's problem right now.
"Everybody understands that quarterbacks all want to get the balls how they like them, and why not? They throw these balls around, and one of the reasons the sport is so popular is the ability of guys like Peyton [Manning] and Brady to throw the ball the way they do."
Brady has appealed his suspension, which will be heard by commissioner Roger Goodell.
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