#DeflateGate (Court of Appeals Reinstates Suspension)

[Moranis]

Ravens issued another statement.  I bolded the actual text message from the Ravens' to the Colts' staff.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13380713/baltimore-ravens-deny-tipping-indianapolis-colts-new-england-patriots-deflated-footballs

The Baltimore Ravens acknowledge a team official contacted the Indianapolis Colts about the New England Patriots' kicking balls, but the Ravens once again insist they did not tip off the Colts about the Patriots' game balls.

"I've been consistent from the beginning when asked about whether the Ravens tipped off the Colts about deflated footballs," coach John Harbaugh said in a statement released by the team Wednesday. "I'll say it again -- we didn't. We knew nothing about deflated footballs."

This comes one day after the release of emails Tuesday that allege Ravens special-teams coach Jerry Rosburg called Colts coach Chuck Pagano to warn him about the condition of designated "kicking" footballs used at the AFC divisional playoff game in New England, which was one week before the AFC Championship Game between the Colts and Patriots.
Long after the season ended with New England's Super Bowl championship, the subject of deflated footballs remains a hot topic.

"As a former special-teams coach, I know that members of the kicking group from teams talk to their counterparts all the time about conditions, including field, weather and footballs," Harbaugh said. "I learned this morning that our kicking consultant [Randy Brown] sent a text to Coach Pagano on Jan. 16 suggesting to the Colts that they pay attention to how the officials rotate the kicking balls into the game. Coach Brown's text did not mention the Patriots and did not complain about anything the Patriots did. The Colts never responded to Randy's text, and he had no further communications with the Colts on this matter."

The Ravens released a text that kicking consultant Randy Brown had sent to Pagano:

"Make sure the refs rotate the kicking balls cause last week they wouldn't let our ball in the game. Their ball was done so poorly that it was nearly impossible to kick off deep...It was hard and not worked in well at all...Let Tom (McMahon, Colts special teams coordinator) know he can call me at any time."

Rosburg said that Pagano called him "on or about Jan. 12" to ask about a punt/field goal substitution play that the Patriots had used against the Ravens in the divisional playoff game.

"Coach Pagano wanted to know about New England's substitution, because the coaching video does not show that part," Rosburg said. "There was no conversation regarding footballs."

[PhoSita]

Doesn't mean he's not lying, but it still may not mean that he had anything to do with deflating the balls.

I agree that the likely explanation here is that Brady's been told to maintain utter ignorance of the policies the NFL is trying to apply to him.  That's an important thing to establish given the way that arbitration law works.

[BballTim]

So, I finally got a chance to read through Brady's testimony...  He does not come across as credible at all to me. 

I think that this was a sloppy investigation by the NFL, I think that the punishment has no precedent, I think that the league probably knew exactly what result it was looking for...  but I think Brady is lying through his teeth.

  I'd agree. I thought Brady said that one of the reasons he appealed the original suspension was to restore his reputation, that ship has clearly sailed.

[smicker16]

So based on this being released everyone looks like liars in some capacity right?  The NFL (Goodell, Vincent, all of them), Brady, the Ravens, the Colts.  Glad this became such a big deal and end ed up dragging so many people through the mud.  And at the end of the day no matter what is released people will not change their opinions on this.  There are those that believe Brady and the Pats and then those that do not. 

Granted I do not think any one is on the side that the NFL handled this correctly and that this really does not take away from anything that Brady or the Patriots have accomplished considering this only started happening after the Jets game this past October.

[PhoSita]

So, I finally got a chance to read through Brady's testimony...  He does not come across as credible at all to me. 

I think that this was a sloppy investigation by the NFL, I think that the punishment has no precedent, I think that the league probably knew exactly what result it was looking for...  but I think Brady is lying through his teeth.

  I'd agree. I thought Brady said that one of the reasons he appealed the original suspension was to restore his reputation, that ship has clearly sailed.

At this point I think it's all about getting to play those 4 games without having to ever admit that he did anything wrong.

Brady probably broke the rules, but I'm sure he feels like there's nothing that he did that warrants publicly outing himself as a "cheater."

[Donoghus]

So, I finally got a chance to read through Brady's testimony...  He does not come across as credible at all to me. 

I think that this was a sloppy investigation by the NFL, I think that the punishment has no precedent, I think that the league probably knew exactly what result it was looking for...  but I think Brady is lying through his teeth.

  I'd agree. I thought Brady said that one of the reasons he appealed the original suspension was to restore his reputation, that ship has clearly sailed.

At this point I think it's all about getting to play those 4 games without having to ever admit that he did anything wrong.

Brady probably broke the rules, but I'm sure he feels like there's nothing that he did that warrants publicly outing himself as a "cheater."

If the NFL had just fined him in the first place & moved on, this whole mess wouldn't have transpired.  The fact that the NFL looked to take a pound of flesh and try to reflex their muscles after the Ray Rice debacle is what helped get them in trouble.  Now it looks like it could very well backfire on them.

[BudweiserCeltic]

So, I finally got a chance to read through Brady's testimony...  He does not come across as credible at all to me. 

I think that this was a sloppy investigation by the NFL, I think that the punishment has no precedent, I think that the league probably knew exactly what result it was looking for...  but I think Brady is lying through his teeth.

Why is credibility an issue anyways?

So he wasn't a credible WITNESS...

[KeepRondo]

I feel like if Brady was honest, that most fans would have gotten over it and compared it to a lot of other situations that teams and players have done. But the longer he goes on with the lying, the worse it makes his offense seem like.

[PhoSita]

Shaughnessy is right, I think, when he says this:

Sorry, I think the Patriots are guilty.

I know that is not a popular opinion and I could very well be wrong, but from the jump they’ve behaved like a guilty party, and I’ve spent enough time around them to believe this is exactly the kind of microsystem they would design in order to get a small edge. And the league-hating Belichick and ever-angry Jonathan Kraft would never admit guilt. No matter how small the infraction. Better to deny all and see if the league can make it stick.

On the other hand, I also believe the league has played dirty and gone out of its way to embarrass and punish New England for a petty crime.

[jambr380]

Shaughnessy is right, I think, when he says this:

Sorry, I think the Patriots are guilty.

I know that is not a popular opinion and I could very well be wrong, but from the jump they’ve behaved like a guilty party, and I’ve spent enough time around them to believe this is exactly the kind of microsystem they would design in order to get a small edge. And the league-hating Belichick and ever-angry Jonathan Kraft would never admit guilt. No matter how small the infraction. Better to deny all and see if the league can make it stick.

On the other hand, I also believe the league has played dirty and gone out of its way to embarrass and punish New England for a petty crime.

Big surprise, Shaunessy continues to play contrarian.

I still don't think the Patriots or Brady did anything wrong and I really don't care if they did. This whole thing has been the biggest waste of time and money in history.

[D.o.s.]

Speaking of -- don't forget to buy more Pats memorabilia on the way out, and be sure to re-up those season tickets 

[Roy H.]

Shaughnessy is right, I think, when he says this:

Sorry, I think the Patriots are guilty.

I know that is not a popular opinion and I could very well be wrong, but from the jump they’ve behaved like a guilty party, and I’ve spent enough time around them to believe this is exactly the kind of microsystem they would design in order to get a small edge. And the league-hating Belichick and ever-angry Jonathan Kraft would never admit guilt. No matter how small the infraction. Better to deny all and see if the league can make it stick.

On the other hand, I also believe the league has played dirty and gone out of its way to embarrass and punish New England for a petty crime.

This is probably the first time I've ever agreed with Shaughnessy.

[smicker16]

Shaughnessy is right, I think, when he says this:

Sorry, I think the Patriots are guilty.

I know that is not a popular opinion and I could very well be wrong, but from the jump they’ve behaved like a guilty party, and I’ve spent enough time around them to believe this is exactly the kind of microsystem they would design in order to get a small edge. And the league-hating Belichick and ever-angry Jonathan Kraft would never admit guilt. No matter how small the infraction. Better to deny all and see if the league can make it stick.

On the other hand, I also believe the league has played dirty and gone out of its way to embarrass and punish New England for a petty crime.

This is probably the first time I've ever agreed with Shaughnessy.

Idk they didnt really fight Spygate that much even though they just placed a camera in the wrong spot so fighting like this really has not happened before not sure what Shaughnessy means by that. 

[smicker16]

Now that all of his e-mails are out there everyone agrees with him not giving over any texts or his phone at all right?  Granted he should not have gotten a new one and destroyed that one around that time with everything else going on.

[Moranis]

Shaughnessy is right, I think, when he says this:

Sorry, I think the Patriots are guilty.

I know that is not a popular opinion and I could very well be wrong, but from the jump they’ve behaved like a guilty party, and I’ve spent enough time around them to believe this is exactly the kind of microsystem they would design in order to get a small edge. And the league-hating Belichick and ever-angry Jonathan Kraft would never admit guilt. No matter how small the infraction. Better to deny all and see if the league can make it stick.

On the other hand, I also believe the league has played dirty and gone out of its way to embarrass and punish New England for a petty crime.

This is probably the first time I've ever agreed with Shaughnessy.

Idk they didnt really fight Spygate that much even though they just placed a camera in the wrong spot so fighting like this really has not happened before not sure what Shaughnessy means by that.

He means the Patriots always are looking for ways to get right up to the edge of the rules.  For example, you have their handling of injury reporting (not crossing the line, but certainly not always living up to the spirit of the rules).  You have their sneaky substitutions against Baltimore in the playoffs last year (again deemed legal, but again seems a little sneaky and against the spirit of the rules).  I'm sure there are other examples of that sort of gray area type stuff.  And then you have Spygate where they in fact crossed the line and were hit hard for it.