#DeflateGate (Court of Appeals Reinstates Suspension)

[Eja117]

Despite the investigation and thousands of cameras there is no photographic or video evidence that the Pats tampered (knowingly). There is not one name yet of one person that did this. Just theories of some shadowy figure ordering a code red.

So we have the Pats cooperating (nobody is saying otherwise) and no evidence whatsoever other than off weights.

We have evidence that refs did the weigh in and handled the balls hundreds of times during the game.

We have a motive for false accusations by the Colts.

We have Rogers on video saying he routinely attempts to cheat without any discipline handed down.

We have two teams caught live on tv cheating with their balls receiving only a warning.

At this point I think the most likely scenario is that a time traveller came back in time with underinflated balls, switched them to give the Pats an advantage......theeeeennnnn made the call to the sports writer to help the Pats get caught......because he knnnoooowwwws in two weeks.....an undesireable outcome will occur.

It's the most likely explanation. Connect the dots.  We have a terminator in our midst. Everyone keep an eye out for someone that looks a little like this....

[KeepRondo]

Let's ignore the question of whether or not the Patriots actually did anything and ask this hypothetical question:

Assume that a team made an intentional effort to change the pressure in footballs after they have been checked.  (I'm not sure why people are assuming that would have to mean someone sneaked in with a needle to tamper with each ball individually and not something like trading one sack of balls for another.)  What should be the penalty?

Ideally, your answer should be the same as it would be if Ballghazi had never come up, but let's be honest, that's not going to be true for everyone.

lol at ballghazi. I guess foxnews will have to get in on that story.

[jambr380]

Let's ignore the question of whether or not the Patriots actually did anything and ask this hypothetical question:

Assume that a team made an intentional effort to change the pressure in footballs after they have been checked.  (I'm not sure why people are assuming that would have to mean someone sneaked in with a needle to tamper with each ball individually and not something like trading one sack of balls for another.)  What should be the penalty?

Ideally, your answer should be the same as it would be if Ballghazi had never come up, but let's be honest, that's not going to be true for everyone.

I think the better question is, why isn't there already a planned penalty in place for this sort of action? It's pretty black and white - either a team deflated the balls or they didn't. They should already know what the punishment is.

But if I were speaking from a Patriot-hater point of view, I would say that they shouldn't be able to play in this super bowl, they should vacate all previous super bowls, and BB/Brady should get the death penalty.

[EJPLAYA]

So it's not against the rules but the nfl is going to punish them for breaking the rules... YES taking the balls and removing air 2 lbs below the legal amount after the refs have checked them is against the rules. Keep rationalizing and break forum rules with personal insults. Right from the school of Bellicheat.

As long as you can prove conclusively that this is exactly what happened, I'm with you. Sadly, so far we've seen absolutely no evidence anyone has "removed air" from the footballs, and I've given you at least one other plausible scenario where the same result can be achieved without tampering with the balls illegally. But of course "Bellicheat" must have cheated, because he's "Bellicheat". That's the type of logic of the modern Internet man.

It is a fact that he has cheated in the past. It is a fact that they were 2 lbs less at halftime after being checked at beginning. Only Pats staff touched them in between. Not hard to make that leap. That being said, the biggest issue is what we're teaching kids. It's okay to cheat if you don't get caught, but if you do you'll just get a slap on the wrist. Integrity and honesty are no longer demanded by the masses. It's sad and that's becoming an issue in society. Many, like the other recent poster, just want you to let it be and tell you to teach your kids what you want. Silence is acceptance. You teach your kids by standing up and speaking out.

[KeepRondo]

So it's not against the rules but the nfl is going to punish them for breaking the rules... YES taking the balls and removing air 2 lbs below the legal amount after the refs have checked them is against the rules. Keep rationalizing and break forum rules with personal insults. Right from the school of Bellicheat.

As long as you can prove conclusively that this is exactly what happened, I'm with you. Sadly, so far we've seen absolutely no evidence anyone has "removed air" from the footballs, and I've given you at least one other plausible scenario where the same result can be achieved without tampering with the balls illegally. But of course "Bellicheat" must have cheated, because he's "Bellicheat". That's the type of logic of the modern Internet man.

It is a fact that he has cheated in the past. It is a fact that they were 2 lbs less at halftime after being checked at beginning. Only Pats staff touched them in between. Not hard to make that leap. That being said, the biggest issue is what we're teaching kids. It's okay to cheat if you don't get caught, but if you do you'll just get a slap on the wrist. Integrity and honesty are no longer demanded by the masses. It's sad and that's becoming an issue in society. Many, like the other recent poster, just want you to let it be and tell you to teach your kids what you want. Silence is acceptance. You teach your kids by standing up and speaking out.

Are you a liberal? 

[greg683x]

Let's ignore the question of whether or not the Patriots actually did anything and ask this hypothetical question:

Assume that a team made an intentional effort to change the pressure in footballs after they have been checked.  (I'm not sure why people are assuming that would have to mean someone sneaked in with a needle to tamper with each ball individually and not something like trading one sack of balls for another.)  What should be the penalty?

Ideally, your answer should be the same as it would be if Ballghazi had never come up, but let's be honest, that's not going to be true for everyone.

Perhaps the Pats can just tell Rodger Goodell that they hired someone to do an internal investigation and they found no evidence of wrong doing.  trying to prove Bill and Tom knew about those footballs is kinda like trying to find out if someone knew a tape existed eh Rodger? 

all kidding aside.  this is not nearly as bad as the whole spygate thing and they were fined the max and docked a first rounder I believe.  So I would probably still fine the max amount  but maybe take a later round pick away instead of a first rounder.  Thats if Im judging based on this incident alone, which it probably should be instead of making a judgement on this regimes history as well.

[kozlodoev]

Assume that a team made an intentional effort to change the pressure in footballs after they have been checked.  (I'm not sure why people are assuming that would have to mean someone sneaked in with a needle to tamper with each ball individually and not something like trading one sack of balls for another.)  What should be the penalty?

Um, maybe because the officiating crew places their individual physical mark on each inspected ball, and check for that mark on every ball they spot in game?

Also, the potential penalty has been spelled out in the rules: includes but not limited to a $25,000 fine. Which of course means it's perfectly appropriate to, I don't know, throw the Patriots organization out of football, because that punishment is fully commensurate to the alleged crime.

[rondohondo]

So it's not against the rules but the nfl is going to punish them for breaking the rules... YES taking the balls and removing air 2 lbs below the legal amount after the refs have checked them is against the rules. Keep rationalizing and break forum rules with personal insults. Right from the school of Bellicheat.

As long as you can prove conclusively that this is exactly what happened, I'm with you. Sadly, so far we've seen absolutely no evidence anyone has "removed air" from the footballs, and I've given you at least one other plausible scenario where the same result can be achieved without tampering with the balls illegally. But of course "Bellicheat" must have cheated, because he's "Bellicheat". That's the type of logic of the modern Internet man.

It is a fact that he has cheated in the past. It is a fact that they were 2 lbs less at halftime after being checked at beginning. Only Pats staff touched them in between. Not hard to make that leap. That being said, the biggest issue is what we're teaching kids. It's okay to cheat if you don't get caught, but if you do you'll just get a slap on the wrist. Integrity and honesty are no longer demanded by the masses. It's sad and that's becoming an issue in society. Many, like the other recent poster, just want you to let it be and tell you to teach your kids what you want. Silence is acceptance. You teach your kids by standing up and speaking out.

Are you really depending on Athletes to be a role model to your kids ? That is ludicrous

[Eja117]

So it's not against the rules but the nfl is going to punish them for breaking the rules... YES taking the balls and removing air 2 lbs below the legal amount after the refs have checked them is against the rules. Keep rationalizing and break forum rules with personal insults. Right from the school of Bellicheat.

As long as you can prove conclusively that this is exactly what happened, I'm with you. Sadly, so far we've seen absolutely no evidence anyone has "removed air" from the footballs, and I've given you at least one other plausible scenario where the same result can be achieved without tampering with the balls illegally. But of course "Bellicheat" must have cheated, because he's "Bellicheat". That's the type of logic of the modern Internet man.

It is a fact that he has cheated in the past. It is a fact that they were 2 lbs less at halftime after being checked at beginning. Only Pats staff touched them in between. Not hard to make that leap. That being said, the biggest issue is what we're teaching kids. It's okay to cheat if you don't get caught, but if you do you'll just get a slap on the wrist. Integrity and honesty are no longer demanded by the masses. It's sad and that's becoming an issue in society. Many, like the other recent poster, just want you to let it be and tell you to teach your kids what you want. Silence is acceptance. You teach your kids by standing up and speaking out.

Right, but I also don't want my kid to be a finger pointing, excuse making, cry baby who focuses on minor issues of other kids, while not paying attention to his own ability to do his job.

[Eja117]

So it's not against the rules but the nfl is going to punish them for breaking the rules... YES taking the balls and removing air 2 lbs below the legal amount after the refs have checked them is against the rules. Keep rationalizing and break forum rules with personal insults. Right from the school of Bellicheat.

As long as you can prove conclusively that this is exactly what happened, I'm with you. Sadly, so far we've seen absolutely no evidence anyone has "removed air" from the footballs, and I've given you at least one other plausible scenario where the same result can be achieved without tampering with the balls illegally. But of course "Bellicheat" must have cheated, because he's "Bellicheat". That's the type of logic of the modern Internet man.

It is a fact that he has cheated in the past. It is a fact that they were 2 lbs less at halftime after being checked at beginning. Only Pats staff touched them in between. Not hard to make that leap. That being said, the biggest issue is what we're teaching kids. It's okay to cheat if you don't get caught, but if you do you'll just get a slap on the wrist. Integrity and honesty are no longer demanded by the masses. It's sad and that's becoming an issue in society. Many, like the other recent poster, just want you to let it be and tell you to teach your kids what you want. Silence is acceptance. You teach your kids by standing up and speaking out.

Soooooo....the thing to teach our kids here is how to rush to judgement without evidence and convict people in the court of the media.

Nope.

Dear media. You are not a court. You will never be a court. You have never been a court. Your opinion is irrelevant.

[EJPLAYA]

So it's not against the rules but the nfl is going to punish them for breaking the rules... YES taking the balls and removing air 2 lbs below the legal amount after the refs have checked them is against the rules. Keep rationalizing and break forum rules with personal insults. Right from the school of Bellicheat.

As long as you can prove conclusively that this is exactly what happened, I'm with you. Sadly, so far we've seen absolutely no evidence anyone has "removed air" from the footballs, and I've given you at least one other plausible scenario where the same result can be achieved without tampering with the balls illegally. But of course "Bellicheat" must have cheated, because he's "Bellicheat". That's the type of logic of the modern Internet man.

It is a fact that he has cheated in the past. It is a fact that they were 2 lbs less at halftime after being checked at beginning. Only Pats staff touched them in between. Not hard to make that leap. That being said, the biggest issue is what we're teaching kids. It's okay to cheat if you don't get caught, but if you do you'll just get a slap on the wrist. Integrity and honesty are no longer demanded by the masses. It's sad and that's becoming an issue in society. Many, like the other recent poster, just want you to let it be and tell you to teach your kids what you want. Silence is acceptance. You teach your kids by standing up and speaking out.

Are you really depending on Athletes to be a role model to your kids ? That is ludicrous

Nope, but if you don't think kids look up to athletes you're not being honest. I teach my kids morals and sadly have another example of what not to do. That includes the Pats actions, but also many in here dismissing their cheating as not a big deal.

[Eja117]

So it's not against the rules but the nfl is going to punish them for breaking the rules... YES taking the balls and removing air 2 lbs below the legal amount after the refs have checked them is against the rules. Keep rationalizing and break forum rules with personal insults. Right from the school of Bellicheat.

As long as you can prove conclusively that this is exactly what happened, I'm with you. Sadly, so far we've seen absolutely no evidence anyone has "removed air" from the footballs, and I've given you at least one other plausible scenario where the same result can be achieved without tampering with the balls illegally. But of course "Bellicheat" must have cheated, because he's "Bellicheat". That's the type of logic of the modern Internet man.

It is a fact that he has cheated in the past. It is a fact that they were 2 lbs less at halftime after being checked at beginning. Only Pats staff touched them in between. Not hard to make that leap. That being said, the biggest issue is what we're teaching kids. It's okay to cheat if you don't get caught, but if you do you'll just get a slap on the wrist. Integrity and honesty are no longer demanded by the masses. It's sad and that's becoming an issue in society. Many, like the other recent poster, just want you to let it be and tell you to teach your kids what you want. Silence is acceptance. You teach your kids by standing up and speaking out.

Are you really depending on Athletes to be a role model to your kids ? That is ludicrous

Nope, but if you don't think kids look up to athletes you're not being honest. I teach my kids morals and sadly have another example of what not to do. That includes the Pats actions, but also many in here dismissing their cheating as not a big deal.

The Pats are like maybe 200 people. Give us one name of one person that knowingly cheated and the evidence.

[KeepRondo]

So it's not against the rules but the nfl is going to punish them for breaking the rules... YES taking the balls and removing air 2 lbs below the legal amount after the refs have checked them is against the rules. Keep rationalizing and break forum rules with personal insults. Right from the school of Bellicheat.

As long as you can prove conclusively that this is exactly what happened, I'm with you. Sadly, so far we've seen absolutely no evidence anyone has "removed air" from the footballs, and I've given you at least one other plausible scenario where the same result can be achieved without tampering with the balls illegally. But of course "Bellicheat" must have cheated, because he's "Bellicheat". That's the type of logic of the modern Internet man.

It is a fact that he has cheated in the past. It is a fact that they were 2 lbs less at halftime after being checked at beginning. Only Pats staff touched them in between. Not hard to make that leap. That being said, the biggest issue is what we're teaching kids. It's okay to cheat if you don't get caught, but if you do you'll just get a slap on the wrist. Integrity and honesty are no longer demanded by the masses. It's sad and that's becoming an issue in society. Many, like the other recent poster, just want you to let it be and tell you to teach your kids what you want. Silence is acceptance. You teach your kids by standing up and speaking out.

Are you really depending on Athletes to be a role model to your kids ? That is ludicrous

Nope, but if you don't think kids look up to athletes you're not being honest. I teach my kids morals and sadly have another example of what not to do. That includes the Pats actions, but also many in here dismissing their cheating as not a big deal.

wonderful. You sound like a good parent who's able to take the time to teach your kid what's right and wrong. So what exactly is your problem then? I know there's certainly a lot worst things going on in the world then a controversy over a football. I'm sure your kid will be fine.

[Eja117]

The problem is with nobody available to have done the deflating and the entire episode caught on 47 NFL cameras we now have to endorse the theory that a magic deflation needle left the book depository headed downward at an angle of 17 degrees. It entered Bill Belichik's hand and then was raised up, left his hand hung in mid air for 1.3 seconds, where it continued onward to the 12 footballs, made a dramatic left turn where it now entered Tom Brady's hand, made a dramatic u turn to reinflate one football, then entered the vicinity of the refs, but they never saw it, because it was invisible.

Now that's one magic needle. There had to be a second deflater.

[Jonny CC]

I think that there's a difference between breaking a rule and cheating.  In every game, rules are broken to get a competitive advantage...for example, holding.  A player may hold another player in an attempt to get a better result.  If they are caught, they are penalized.  Is that considered "cheating"?  Nope.  In Deflategate, a rule was broken and they should be penalized.  But, how can it be called cheating if they did better with the inflated balls in the second half??  Is it proven that under-inflated balls give a team an advantage?  Obviously not.  It's just a personal preference.  It's not like a corked bat or doctored baseball which would have a positive impact in most (if not all) cases.  Can you cheat when you do something that is not proven to actually help you win?!?!?  This is a witchhunt.  Brad Johnson, former QB for Tampa admitted that he paid someone to scuff the footballs at the Super Bowl.  If that was Brady who said that, the world would explode.