#DeflateGate (Court of Appeals Reinstates Suspension)

[colincb]

I'm on Colts fan sites letting them know who they play week 5.

Great ratings to be sure!!

The NFL restoring its integrity is like a bunch of hoes restoring their virginity.

[Eja117]

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/poll/conversation/_/id/4815418

[D.o.s.]

My issue is if its a nonevent, why not comply ?

I don't know -- it's possible that someone actually suggested that he refuse and lawyer up for the benefit of the NFLPA -- who are already a weak players union, for one.

Personally speaking, I don't believe in the "if you're innocent you shouldn't have anything to hide" line of thinking, and doubly doubt it when sports owners are involved instead of actual laws.

It's not about having anything to hide, it's about cooperating.  The Pats and Brady did not.  They laughed it off.  Now, they're not laughing.

That's a bit of a judgement call, I think, and oversimplifies the relationship between the players and the front office (doesn't have anything to do with the team, who nominally fall on the side of the front office, for the record)

How is it a judgement call ?

Brady didn't comply with his phone, documents, & records.  The Pats organization itself blocked interviews to important witnesses (Jim Mcnally, I.E.) when requested.

The bolded is a judgement call. Which doesn't mean I disagree with you.

[D.o.s.]

Also how has no one gone for the 'testicular fortitude' bit yet?

[Eja117]

And if I'm Brady I'm blowing off my HOF induction and the media going forward. Either you're with Brady or you're with the terrorists.

If you were Brady, you'd give up the evidence, right ? If you were clean that is.

There is no way on Earth I'd ever give my cell phone to anyone, ESPECIALLY not Ted Wells. That league has bigger leaks than the Titanic.

They weren't asking for him to hand over his phone--only the relevant texts in a process that would have been managed by Brady's people.

Do you actually trust the NFL on any level whatsoever? Do you actually trust Ted Wells? They would have said "This is incomplete" and "This isn't relevant" till they had the whole phone. They interviewed McNally like 5 times and Tom for 8 hours. This whole "Well Brady didn't cooperate" thing is a joke. Brady's privacy is worth more than 4 games.
Anything whatsoever that was even eyebrow raising would have been all over the internet in 5 minutes. It wasn't an option. Has any player ever had to hand over his phone? Incognito I believe. Players have to resist that. Next thing they'll want access to their Facebook, and they wanted his email and phone records too. They think they're the NSA. Screw them. I totally support Brady on that.

I get it--no matter what you're blaming the league and exonerating Brady.

It's a free country but the rules of the league that has made Brady a very wealthy man apart from his wife's earnings has rules that say he should have cooperated with their process. Lying and refusing to hand over electronic evidence is not cooperating.

No. I want the double standards to end. I don't want Brady and the Pats treated worse than rapists because their true crime is being better than every other team. I want him treated the same as Aaron Rodgers and the Pats treated the same as other teams caught red handed doing the exact same thing.

[KGs Knee]

I think the suspension is legit. Brady cheated and lied. Can't let that go unpunished.

The fine and loss of drafts picks seems a bit heavy handed, but considering this franchise has now been found guilty of cheating multiple times, the punishment was always going to be more severe. Repeat offenders always get hit harder. Still, a1st round pick is huge, and maybe a bit much.

Uninterested if Pats fans are up on arms over this. Or course they are going to be, hard to expect unbiased opinions from any fan base in such a situation.

[Eja117]

I'm on Colts fan sites letting them know who they play week 5.

Great ratings to be sure!!

The NFL restoring its integrity is like a bunch of hoes restoring their virginity.

TP for the accuracy

[chicagoceltic]

And if I'm Brady I'm blowing off my HOF induction and the media going forward. Either you're with Brady or you're with the terrorists.

If you were Brady, you'd give up the evidence, right ? If you were clean that is.

There is no way on Earth I'd ever give my cell phone to anyone, ESPECIALLY not Ted Wells. That league has bigger leaks than the Titanic.

They weren't asking for him to hand over his phone--only the relevant texts in a process that would have been managed by Brady's people.

Do you actually trust the NFL on any level whatsoever? Do you actually trust Ted Wells? They would have said "This is incomplete" and "This isn't relevant" till they had the whole phone. They interviewed McNally like 5 times and Tom for 8 hours. This whole "Well Brady didn't cooperate" thing is a joke. Brady's privacy is worth more than 4 games.
Anything whatsoever that was even eyebrow raising would have been all over the internet in 5 minutes. It wasn't an option. Has any player ever had to hand over his phone? Incognito I believe. Players have to resist that. Next thing they'll want access to their Facebook, and they wanted his email and phone records too. They think they're the NSA. Screw them. I totally support Brady on that.

I get it--no matter what you're blaming the league and exonerating Brady.

It's a free country but the rules of the league that has made Brady a very wealthy man apart from his wife's earnings has rules that say he should have cooperated with their process. Lying and refusing to hand over electronic evidence is not cooperating.

I have heard a lot of people make a big deal out of Brady not turning over his phone and saying that that is and should be a big reason for his suspension.  If that is the case, where is the outrage about Goskowski not getting suspended?  According to the Wells report both players were questioned, both were asked to turn over their texts/emails and both refused (supposedly at the advice of the Player's Association).  One is penalized and the other is not.  I guess that is the same consistency that the league has shown time and time again so it makes sense...

[knuckleballer]

All because stupid NFL executives and jealous, dumb fans don't remember sixth grade science that explains the relationship between temperature and air pressure.  Unbelievable.

[Vermont Green]

I predicted in another thread that the penalty the NFL tries to impose is going to be a bigger gate than the gate itself.  I don't think that Kraft has any recourse because of his franchise agreement with the league but do you really think the other owners are going to think this is OK?  Even the ones that hate Kraft (and I don't think there are too many) aren't going back Goodell on this.  I predict Goodell is done.  He will be forced out.  He is making himself bigger than the game and that is not what the owners are going to want.

As for Brady, he is a member of a union and that union is not going to let this stand I wouldn't think.  The union doesn't like Goodell already.  They are going to do everything they can to make him look as bad as they can.  They may not have all that much procedural recourse (any appeal is adjudicated by Goodell so what good is that) but this is an affront to players rights and I will be shocked if the NFLPA doesn't come out "swinging" (although they have been pretty quiet to date which already surprises me).

This is absolutely ridiculous when you consider they are not even sure the balls were under inflated (even Mike Florio is questioning this conclusion).  This is not rational.  This is Goodell getting caught up in mob mentality and being too full of himself to see it.

[Roy H.]

And if I'm Brady I'm blowing off my HOF induction and the media going forward. Either you're with Brady or you're with the terrorists.

If you were Brady, you'd give up the evidence, right ? If you were clean that is.

There is no way on Earth I'd ever give my cell phone to anyone, ESPECIALLY not Ted Wells. That league has bigger leaks than the Titanic.

They weren't asking for him to hand over his phone--only the relevant texts in a process that would have been managed by Brady's people.

Do you actually trust the NFL on any level whatsoever? Do you actually trust Ted Wells? They would have said "This is incomplete" and "This isn't relevant" till they had the whole phone. They interviewed McNally like 5 times and Tom for 8 hours. This whole "Well Brady didn't cooperate" thing is a joke. Brady's privacy is worth more than 4 games.
Anything whatsoever that was even eyebrow raising would have been all over the internet in 5 minutes. It wasn't an option. Has any player ever had to hand over his phone? Incognito I believe. Players have to resist that. Next thing they'll want access to their Facebook, and they wanted his email and phone records too. They think they're the NSA. Screw them. I totally support Brady on that.

I get it--no matter what you're blaming the league and exonerating Brady.

It's a free country but the rules of the league that has made Brady a very wealthy man apart from his wife's earnings has rules that say he should have cooperated with their process. Lying and refusing to hand over electronic evidence is not cooperating.

I have heard a lot of people make a big deal out of Brady not turning over his phone and saying that that is and should be a big reason for his suspension.  If that is the case, where is the outrage about Goskowski not getting suspended?  According to the Wells report both players were questioned, both were asked to turn over their texts/emails and both refused (supposedly at the advice of the Player's Association).  One is penalized and the other is not.  I guess that is the same consistency that the league has shown time and time again so it makes sense...

The difference is that Goskowski wasn't the subject of the investigation, and the Wells report said they basically dropped the request.  With Brady, he actively evaded them.

[PhoSita]

Who will be the first in the local media to suggest this could be Jimmy G's opportunity to pull a Brady-over-Bledsoe on Brady?


Tanguay?


Anyways, big picture, this all probably doesn't matter.  I've learned better than to totally count out the Pats, but I wouldn't feel great about them this year even without all the #DeflateGate nonsense because they gutted the secondary that allowed them to get back into championship caliber form in the first place.

[Neurotic Guy]

I think the suspension is legit. Brady cheated and lied. Can't let that go unpunished.

The fine and loss of drafts picks seems a bit heavy handed, but considering this franchise has now been found guilty of cheating multiple times, the punishment was always going to be more severe. Repeat offenders always get hit harder. Still, a1st round pick is huge, and maybe a bit much.

Uninterested if Pats fans are up on arms over this. Or course they are going to be, hard to expect unbiased opinions from any fan base in such a situation.

I am a Pats fan, but not up in arms.  Not really a big deal.

I think the opposite of your synopsis -- I agree with the league that draft picks should be taken (though a #1 is a high price).  The known violation is an organization violation: with some knowledge of players, 2 employees conspired to deflate footballs after the refs had approved the balls.   An organizational penalty seems appropriate to me (though I thought it would be a 3rd round pick).   Brady's suspension is mainly for not cooperating with the investigation and 4 games seems very high to me.  That said,  Brady has 5 weeks of injury-free football and the Pats probably go at least 2-2.   Can't wait for next season.  Go Pats!

[rondohondo]

People talking about how this goes to the integrity of the game, yet they allow for the 1st half to be played even though the balls went missing, and they were warned before hand to watch out for it.

Ha this is a total sting

People are questioning Bradys HOF status, what about jerry Rice saying he used stickum throughout his career when it was banned in 1981?

[GreenWarrior]

the level to which an under-deflated ball causing all this nonsense is utter crap. esp. considering other players admit to over inflating(and Goodell says "but that's ok, even though it's still not regulation") and another team paying players to injure other players and only losing 2 2nd rnd. picks.

between the NBA and the NFL i'm not impressed with their ability to delegate and enforce rules.

I think Brady should go punch Goodell's wife on tv, he might get the suspension overturned.