OT - Report concludes Patriots probably cheated, Brady aware

[Covert Rain]

Wow...how fast this stuff trickles down to kids. My daughter comes home and says "hey dad....what happens if you see a murderer, a spy and a cheat walking down the street?"........I said "I don't know what"......she said "you know the Patriots are in town".

She said everyone was telling the joke at school. LOL.

 

[Russ Smith]

They've been debating it on Mike and Mike a few days now. They're going back and forth on the difference between gamesmanship, breaking rules, and cheating.

They don't have a clear definition but they seem to agree cheating involves both of the first 2, but at a level where it's not widespread so "everyone is doing it" is not true, there's a clear belief you're getting a benefit from it, and you're in a position to do it in a way that harms the other team.

That is in this case we're not aware any other team was tampering with the balls in this manner. The Pats clearly believe they got a benefit or they wouldn't have been doing it, apparently for years. And with McNally having the bag of balls that belonged to the Colts, it crossed the line into them having the ability to sabotage the other team.

There's also some weird back story that has been dropped about Gostkowski apparently attempting to get a kicking only ball onto the field in regular game play. It's not clear to me if it was when the Pats had the ball, or the opponent, I assume it's opponent the kicking balls are not designed for passing at all. That's why the NFL wanted to talk to him too but they apparently decided it wasn't pertinent to this case so they didn't suspend him for failing to cooperate like they did with Brady.

But if they were a college, New England would be on probation now for lack of institutional control and fostering an atmosphere of non compliance.

 

[moklerman]

But if they were a college, New England would be on probation now for lack of institutional control and fostering an atmosphere of non compliance.

Which, to me, is the only thing that would curtail all of this. In the case of repeat offenders like the Patriots, start instituting "bowl bans" and vacating wins.

Think they'd pull this type of stuff if the penalty was having their SB trophy taken away and 2 years of playoff ineligibility?

 

[Cheesebeef]

okay... I actually used to like watching the Patriots and Brady, but they are completely turning themselves in black hat villains/idiots at this point and I will now root for them to lose every game I watch.

I mean... they cheated, have cheated, but I was always of mind of "if you're not cheating, you're not trying" and do whatever it takes to win. But at this point, their contempt in the face of getting caught is just ridiculous.

Jim McNally's text about being "the deflator" was because... HE'S FAT?! Come on now.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ally-called-himself-deflator-because-hes-fat/

 

[BigRedRage]

okay... I actually used to like watching the Patriots and Brady, but they are completely turning themselves in black hat villains/idiots at this point and I will now root for them to lose every game I watch.

I mean... they cheated, have cheated, but I was always of mind of "if you're not cheating, you're not trying" and do whatever it takes to win. But at this point, their contempt in the face of getting caught is just ridiculous.

Jim McNally's text about being "the deflator" was because... HE'S FAT?! Come on now.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ally-called-himself-deflator-because-hes-fat/

I keep trying to deflate but I find the longer I am married the more I just inflate instead.

 

[ARZCardinals]

Brady WAS CAUGHT CHEATING ON HIS FINALS AT MICHIGAN

Brady left his very pregnant girlfriend for his current wife

…yea Brady is a saint who would never skirt the rules.

HE IS GUILTY…get over it. This is absurd…take your punishment like a man. I lose more and more respect for the Pats and Brady with every move they are doing. TAKE YOUR PUNISHMENT and move on.

In my eyes Robert Kraft has gone from Hero to Zero with his new smear campaign on Wells. Accept the fact Brady did it and he's lying to you...yes even some of the best employees lie.

Funny thing is now EVERYWHERE Tom goes...he's going to hear someone yell 'CHEATER!' and eventually it'll get under his skin. His untarnished image is now a thing of the past...and he's going to have to face this one forever.

 

[Russ Smith]

The funny thing about Brady posting his old resume online as a joke is as even Michigan fans have noticed, he basically outed Michigan for NCAA violations, although past the statute of limitations. At least 3 of the jobs Brady held while at Michigan involved either working for the school or working for a booster.

Now they could be innocent but one wonders if the Construction company or golf course regularly hired Accounting majors at Michigan to supervise or if they just hired the QB of the football team.

 

[daves]

That is in this case we're not aware any other team was tampering with the balls in this manner.

I was with you until I found the link I just posted in another thread... quoting two of our favorites, Jeff Blake and Matt Leinart, claiming that they and "every team" had balls tampered with:

Jeff Blake says he had footballs deflated every game

Leinart: Every team tampers with the footballs. Ask any Qb In the league, this is ridiculous!!

I really thought this was a more black and white issue of Brady and the Patriots getting caught doing something that no or few other QBs or teams have done, but apparently (according to Brady!) they're the only team that DOESN'T do it. Haha.

Sigh.

...dbs

 

[sunsfan88]

I just don't get it. NE is paying so much for attorney fees and yet the best they came up with was "Oh his nickname was deflater because he's losing weight".....my 9 year old niece comes up with better lies than that.

 

[Russ Smith]

I was with you until I found the link I just posted in another thread... quoting two of our favorites, Jeff Blake and Matt Leinart, claiming that they and "every team" had balls tampered with:

Jeff Blake says he had footballs deflated every game

Leinart: Every team tampers with the footballs. Ask any Qb In the league, this is ridiculous!!

I really thought this was a more black and white issue of Brady and the Patriots getting caught doing something that no or few other QBs or teams have done, but apparently (according to Brady!) they're the only team that DOESN'T do it. Haha.

Sigh.

...dbs

Yes but Matt deflated footballs by underthrowing balls into the ground.

 

[Azlen]

The question that NE needs to answer is if the Deflator name and going to ESPN and such meant completely unrelated innocent things then why were those two people fired?

 

[moklerman]

I was with you until I found the link I just posted in another thread... quoting two of our favorites, Jeff Blake and Matt Leinart, claiming that they and "every team" had balls tampered with:

Jeff Blake says he had footballs deflated every game

Leinart: Every team tampers with the footballs. Ask any Qb In the league, this is ridiculous!!

I really thought this was a more black and white issue of Brady and the Patriots getting caught doing something that no or few other QBs or teams have done, but apparently (according to Brady!) they're the only team that DOESN'T do it. Haha.

Sigh.

...dbs

I'd seen that Leinart quote before but something that I think is important to the conversation is when the tampering happened. My impression is that all QB's inflate/deflate the balls to the way that they like them before they get the final inspection and that most of the time, the ref's either okay them or not.

Where Brady is running into trouble is that the balls were tampered with after the final inspection.

 

[Proteus]

Shouldn't there be a neutral party hearing the appeal instead of Goodell? That doesn't seem fair to me.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

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[Covert Rain]

I just don't get it. NE is paying so much for attorney fees and yet the best they came up with was "Oh his nickname was deflater because he's losing weight".....my 9 year old niece comes up with better lies than that.

This has to be up there with the lamest excuse of the year award. This sounds like something a kid would come up with.

Really Patriots?!!?

 

[jmt]

This has to be up there with the lamest excuse of the year award. This sounds like something a kid would come up with.

Really Patriots?!!?

Ditto!

 

[TJ]

Shouldn't there be a neutral party hearing the appeal instead of Goodell? That doesn't seem fair to me.

Yes, but i fully expect this to be taken to federal court when/if Goodell upholds the penalties.

Goodell, once again, is out of touch with reality.

 

[Azlen]

Yes, but i fully expect this to be taken to federal court when/if Goodell upholds the penalties.

Goodell, once again, is out of touch with reality.

If Brady sues then the NFL will have the right to subpoena his phone and phone records. He might not want that to happen.

 

[juza76]

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[Russ Smith]

Yes, but i fully expect this to be taken to federal court when/if Goodell upholds the penalties.

Goodell, once again, is out of touch with reality.

won't he have to go to a state court first like teh Vikings guys did to fight a PED suspension? And as others said, if he does that, he'll get subpoenaed so if he IS guilty, he'll get caught if he goes to court.

Same reason you see lawyers threaten to sue the NCAA all the time when a kid isn't cleared to play(Renardo Sidney, Shabazz etc) but they almost never sue, because in most cases they know they did something wrong and if they go to court, the NCAA can now get access to stuff they don't already have.

 

[oaken1]

IMO the commish should hear their appeal,....then increase the penalty.

these candy ass athletes these days are always trying to get away with ****....he should let it be known that if you do not have a solid case for appeal the penalty may be increased....so appeal wisely instead of automatically.

 

[sunsfan88]

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[JCSunsfan]

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[sunsfan88]

WOW this is worse than I thought

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...he-witnessed-patriots-use-doctored-footballs/

 

[Covert Rain]

Pats team threw in the towel. I think they had seen the writing on the wall not to mention sounds like the other owners were backing the Commish on this one.

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/...t-fight-nfl-sanctions-from-deflategate-051915