#DeflateGate (Court of Appeals Reinstates Suspension)

[jambr380]

It's all rooted in jealousy. Just be happy Pats fans that we have been able to witness a true legacy - nobody can take that away from us.

Goodell seems like a horrible person. I remember when he came into office and he was dropping the hammer left and right, people were impressed with him...and it's possible something needed to change. However, his decisions the last couple of seasons have been bizarre (to say the least) and ultimately inconsistent.

This punishment will reaffirm people's view of the Pats as cheaters, but let them continue to enjoy crappy football from their own teams. Patriots #1!

[mef730]

I'm just curious...

What happens if we enter a world where Brady gets suspended for half of the season or the entire season and the Pats finish up as one of the worst five teams (Unlikely, I know, but it's my world and y'all are just living in it.)?  Do the same people calling for Brady's head also call for the Patriots to lose their first-rounder at that points, since the Pats shouldn't be allowed to "benefit" from TB's transgressions?

FWIW, I think he's likely involved.  And I think that precedent would indicate that a fine is appropriate.

Mike

No, I don't think so. I do think that if the Pats lose a pick, it'll probably be around their fourth-rounder. Something that has some value, but isn't totally crippling. If you're interested in sticking it to the pats fans (or playing the "everyone hates us" card), there's nearly no justification for it that stands up to anything. Its also a bad precedent to set for future impropriety, and the NFL does care about that (a little bit) if only because it's something they can get called out on later.

Say what you will about the merits of Bill Simmons, but he was absolutely right when he said that the NFL front office was waiting to hear back from the court of public opinion before they laid down a punishment. That's why (IMO) whatever suspension does happen will get appealed down.

Guess that answers that question, huh?   

Mike

[D.o.s.]

I feel like everyone who's been involved has said that a first rounder is severe and/or beyond their expectations. I don't think anyone was calling for it?

[Csfan1984]

This is great if Jimmy keeps it together Pats might have the fire to get 19-0 this time.

[Eja117]

If the NFL can go through your phone where does it stop? Going through your mail? Your car? Your amazon account? Your trash? Your home? When does an employee get to say "Heck no I'm not letting you go through my own stuff" and not get punished? Seems to me like employers now get the right to basically harass you because of hearsay. I'm glad Brady said no.

[GreenFaith1819]

I'm just glad my Washington Redskins are NOT in the news this time, LOL.

Thanks Brady.

[knuckleballer]

If the NFL can go through your phone where does it stop? Going through your mail? Your car? Your amazon account? Your trash? Your home? When does an employee get to say "Heck no I'm not letting you go through my own stuff" and not get punished? Seems to me like employers now get the right to basically harass you because of hearsay. I'm glad Brady said no.

Exactly, TP.

[LarBrd33]

Man... this is a rough week for Simmons to go radio silent... three buzzer beaters... Brady Suspension... dude must be screaming inside.

[KJ33]

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.

This is where you and Clover have bought the ESPN hype machine and not studied the facts of the case. He was interviewed 4 times. They did not refuse a follow up interview, they granted that request 3 times! What they refused was a request for a 5th interview of a part time employee who essentially had already spent lots of time with investigators. The Pats felt a 5th interview was an excessive request. It's easy to just watch ESPN and hear that the Pats denied a follow up interview, but the facts are otherwise. How differently would you have interpreted it if it was reported as the Pats refused a request for a part time employee to be interviewed for a 5th time?

[jambr380]

I'm a bit naive about punishments in the NFL. Most of the ones that gain notoriety are the domestic violence / criminal activity types. What kind of precedent is there for an independent arbitrator to uphold the penalties against Brady AND the Patriots, especially since the report seemed to let the Patriots [front office] off the hook?

Is this just big bad Goodell trying to show who is boss or is there actually a possibility that these punishments will be fully enforced?

[knuckleballer]

The ball intercepted by the Colts was measured at 11.45.  As per the ideal gas law, that ball should have measured at.... you guessed it, 11.45.

But because the NFL did not understand the ideal gas law, this whole investigation kicked off.  Sure, that makes a lot of sense.

[D.o.s.]

Man... this is a rough week for Simmons to go radio silent... three buzzer beaters... Brady Suspension... dude must be screaming inside.

I'm sure there's 15,000 words on how his trials and tribulations are exactly like a B-story on CHIPS just waiting in the wings.

[knuckleballer]

I'm a bit naive about punishments in the NFL. Most of the ones that gain notoriety are the domestic violence / criminal activity types. What kind of precedent is there for an independent arbitrator to uphold the penalties against Brady AND the Patriots, especially since the report seemed to let the Patriots [front office] off the hook?

Is this just big bad Goodell trying to show who is boss or is there actually a possibility that these punishments will be fully enforced?

Brady can get his suspension lifted, but I don't think there is any recourse for the monetary fine or draft picks.  Who knows what Goodell's agenda was or why.

[Granath]

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.

Good post. TP.

Of course Pats fans are upset. But they've been caught cheating multiple times and their actions hurt the shield, something that Goodell has always come down hard on even with scant evidence. He suspended Ben Roethlisberger for six games - reduced to four - on an unfounded sexual assault charge where there was no physical evidence and not even probable cause to charge him. Why? Because he was a star QB and it hurt the NFL's image. He body slammed the Saints on the bounties because it looked bad with all of the concussion lawsuits going down. The timing was horrid and therefore the Saints were punished harshly. He tried to overreact on Ray Rice after the video came out (this PR disaster being largely Goodell's fault for the initial punishment not being strict enough) and tried to kick him out of the league. And now Brady and the Patriots look like they just won a Super Bowl in some small part because they knowingly broke the rules. It looks bad. Therefore, there's a stiff penalty. It's entirely consistent with his other actions. When Roger feels like the NFL brand is being damaged, his punishments are overly strict.

Of course, this is also why there is so much criticism of the NFL's disciplinary policies because they're so uneven. If it's a lesser player or team and it can be swept under the rug, the penalties aren't much. When it's a premier, Super Bowl winning franchise - the Steelers, the Patriots, the Saints, etc. - Goodell overreacts.

[mahonedog88]

Since Brady is appealing, there's a solid chance this isn't over by a long shot.  Don Yee made a fantastic point in his recent statement bringing up the fact that in multiple occasions when a player appeals a Goodell ruling with an independent arbitrator, every time the ruling gets retracted with an added statement that they think Goodell is being too abusive with his power.

Happened with Adrian Peterson, happened with Ray Rice, happened with Jonathan Vilma.

So it's not totally inconceivable that Brady could take this to an independent judge and have the majority, if not all, of this punishment be overturned