The only way to hurt the NFL is through their wallet and it seems that New England Patriots fans that were displeased with the entirety of DeflateGate made their opinion heard. The NFL stripped the Patriots of their first round pick in 2016 and their 4th round pick in 2017, and suspended quarterback Tom Brady for four games based on an unproven whim.
According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, Patriots fans tuned out and ignored the opening round of the NFL Draft at an incredible rate.
For ESPN's coverage of Day 1 of the NFL draft, the Boston market did a 1.