In the aftermath of the Wells Report that investigated the "deflate-gate" issue that alleges the New England Patriots and their staff knowingly put less than the standard ball pressure on the footballs used during their recent Super Bowl win, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports opines that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has quite the conundrum on his hands.

In a recently published Yahoo Sports article, Robinson writes that the NFL could impose harsh punishments to a franchise that has had a history of damaging the integrity of the game, or peg the Patriots as a victim of lower-level personnel taking it upon themselves to gain an advantage in a football game.

The Wells Report uncovered a text exchange between Patriots equipment assistant John Jastremski and official locker room attendant Jim McNally that suggests they were co-conspirators, at the very least, in the alleged ball deflation incident at the Super Bowl.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was mentioned repeatedly during the text exchanges, and has refused to reveal the contents of his phone communication. With that decision, Brady has kept plausible deniability as his ally for the moment.

It's likely that Jastermski and McNally get the brunt of the punishment that's sure to be levied. In the case of Brady, and the Patriots, that's a situation that's a bit murkier.

During the Jenn Sterger harassment probe, Goodell determined that Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre was "not candid in several respects during the investigation," when he refused to turn over pertinent information. He was fined $50,000, but was not suspended, as noted by Robinson.

Cleveland Browns manager Ray Farmer was suspended four games for sending text messages to the sidelines during NFL games. The Atlanta Falcons were fined $350,000 and lost a draft pick when team employees were found to pump fake crowd noise into the stadium.

Robinson opines that the NFL could go light on the Patriots, with a possible one or two game suspension levied on Brady, along with possible fines to himself, and the team.

The NFL commissioner finds himself in a tough spot again, one where there might not be a win angle for himself and the league.