A new book reports that Tom Brady offered to pay a $1 million fine to avoid his four-game "Deflategate" suspension.

But Roger Goodell wanted an admission of guilt.

"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."

“There’s no way I’m gonna ruin these guys for something I believe they didn’t do,” Brady is said to have told DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association and Brady’s legal representative, according to the book.