I have not heard threatening to go to ESPN in anything except a joke format in one of the text messages.

Its a very good question why one of the employees was terminated. However the other, the one who absconded with the balls away from the ref, gave them cause to fire them. That is not supposed to happen for any reason.

But if you want to play the "what answers all the outstanding questions" you should add these two:

Why did the Patriots fire an employee who could blow the whistle on them?
Why does anyone believe any air was release from the balls after the ref inspection?