A revelation found in a new book about the Deflategate controversy states that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady could have avoided a four-game suspension and all the drama accompanied by his back-and-forth with Roger Goodell’s office if he agreed to publicly admit that two New England equipment personnel were to blame for the change in the questioned ball’s air pressure, as reported by ABC News.

“He demanded that Brady state publicly that former Patriots equipment guys [John] Jastremski and [Jim] McNally had purposely tampered with footballs, even without his knowledge,” authors Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge write in their new book “12: The Inside Story of Tom Brady’s Fight for Redemption.”

“Tom said no.”

Tom Brady initially offered to shell out $1.5 million to cover his fine while maintaining his innocence. That amount of money, however, didn’t suffice Goodell, who wanted Brady to acknowledge that Jastremski and McNally were the main culprits behind the thinning of the air in the balls used in the 2015 AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts.

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Brady eventually served a four-game suspension to start the 2016 NFL season, but not before a laborious court battle with the league. Brady’s absence didn’t put a big dent on the Pats’ record, however, as they went 3-1 in the four games that the five-time Super Bowl champion was absent.

As for Jastremski and McNally, the two got suspended by New England, but they have since been reinstated.