Patriots being investigated after Colts game (6 Viewers)

[Baloney Sandwich]

There seems to be a massive disconnect between sports journalists and the general public on this issue. I keep reading stories about how this is a black eye for the league and how obviously unjust Brady's suspension is, and yet the only people who actually seem to be upset about it all live in the 617 area code. Most everyone else seems happy the Patriots aren't being allowed to slide this time. Wasn't there a poll a while back that showed public opinion around 2-1 in the league's favor? Or am I misremembering that?

Plenty of folks in the 781, 978, 401, 207, 203 & 603 area codes are upset...these aren't the Boston Patriots.

 

[Baloney Sandwich]

Report: 'Influential' owners do not want Tom Brady's suspension reduced

I read another report stating the NFLPA made a

Report: Tom Brady, NFL have had settlement talks

I read another report that said the NFLPA made a settlement offer and the NFL has been silent...sounds like one-sided talks if true

 

[DaveL]

There seems to be a massive disconnect between sports journalists and the general public on this issue. I keep reading stories about how this is a black eye for the league and how obviously unjust Brady's suspension is, and yet the only people who actually seem to be upset about it all live in the 617 area code. Most everyone else seems happy the Patriots aren't being allowed to slide this time. Wasn't there a poll a while back that showed public opinion around 2-1 in the league's favor? Or am I misremembering that?

Neither a fan nor a rival, and that's my view as well. The last thing the NFL wants to do is hurt the image of Brady/Manning/Wilson/Luck/Rodgers. If the 2 attendants took the balls into a bathroom post inspection, as is apparently the case via video evidence, then the suspension for Brady is right.

The talk about: 1) Rodgers doing the same pre-inspection 2) It taking too long 3) Hardy getting the same punishment while leaving out his 15 game paid suspension last season...just clutching at straws. Though I'll have a beef with #2 if this isn't settled by the time the Pats open camp a week from today.

 

[Godsbrother]

Report: 'Influential' owners do not want Tom Brady's suspension reduced

I read another report stating the NFLPA made a

Report: Tom Brady, NFL have had settlement talks

I read another report that said the NFLPA made a settlement offer and the NFL has been silent...sounds like one-sided talks if true

Most likely the NFLPA is willing to accept a deal that involves fines only. My guess the silence from the league is because they want a suspension.

 

[MattFancy]

So a month since the appeal and camp starts next week. How soon is "soon" Rog?

 

[espnespn]

Well, I just want to say that when it's your team's turn I'll be..... on your side. Just saying. Bogus is bogus.

Maybe, but it's not like the NFL only picks on the Pats (although many NE fans in this thread seem to believe that).My team is the Redskins & they got screwed (along with the Cowboys) during the uncapped year. $36 million of cap space taken away because they did something that wasn't even against the rules (but the NFL said "don't do that.")

Good Lord what are you smoking?

They stole a 1st round draft pick and hundreds of thousands of dollars from us because we had a guy film signals from the wrong area.

Seven years later, they say we have a 'reputation' and steal millions of dollars, another 1st (and a 4th), and four games from our GOAT QB because he might have known something about a ####### equipment violation...

Us? You aren't part of the Pats. The NFL essentially fined the 'skins $36 million for refusing to collude with the rest of the teams. If you weren't so bat-#### blinded by your blatant homerism, you'd have realized my post was noting that the NFL has made a habit of "unfair" practices. "You" aren't special; the NFL is an equal oppprtunity screwjob organization.

The funny part is not what absolute BS the bolded is. (What did the Panthers and Vikings get for absolutely, positively screwing with the balls again? A curfew?)

The funny part is by making that statement, you, as one of the most hilariously butthurt and frothing haters on this thread, tacitly admit that Brady and the Patriots are getting screwed.

"He deserves it, he cheated, he's not getting screwed... but if he was getting screwed, well... it's not like you guys are special!"

WTF are you babbling about? Do you even read the posts in this thread, or do you just skim them and say "this guy doesn't bow down to NE, he must be a butthurt salty hater!?"I've said many times that the Pats/Brady are getting screwed. I've said many times that the amount of air in the football has a negligible impact on the game. I've said many times that this "scandal" (no matter what it's ultimate outcome) does not tarnish/diminish NE's SB win(s). I've said numerous times (in this & other threads) that TB is one of the top-2 QBs of all time, and this doesn't change that. I've said he's still a first-ballot HOFer.

I've also said that Brady screwed up here. Whether he knew or not what those 2 guys were doing, he made it clear to them how he liked his footballs, and after the fact, he had numerous opportunities to admit his part of the situation, take one for the team (fall on the sword, if you will) & say "it was all my fault," or claim partial blame. He chose, however, to say "I don't know anything," he claimed he didn't know those guys, he allowed them to get suspended without saying a word. When giving a chance to clear his name (sharing the text records), he chose not to do so. As a result, he gave Wells/the NFL the opportunity to say he was probably generally aware of a very minor rules infraction AND refused to cooperate. If he had handled it differently, the NFL wouldn't have had the grounds to try to levy such a stiff penalty.

Just because I'm not a Pats homer and I can acknowledge that the Pats aren't completely innocent patsies who were picked on by the big bad NFL in this situation doesn't make me a "butthurt" salty hater; it just means I'm not blinded by my red and blue fan goggles & can see the whole situation.

So if you agree Brady's getting screwed beyond all comprehension, why are you saying he needs to accept his punishment (like Cassius Clay did)?

If you agree he's getting screwed, why are you attempting to justify said screwing with garbage like the following: "If he wasn't such a self-righteous, arrogant ##### when admonishing the Ravens to "study the rulebook," he wouldn't be getting the backlash he is getting. But the fact is that he screwed hiimself"?

Even in the very same post you claim to have said all along that Brady is getting screwed, you nonetheless justify said screwing ("if blah blah blah hadn't blah blah blah... the NFL wouldn't have had the grounds to try to levy such a stiff penalty").

But hey, you've thrown in a few tired little qualifiers here and there, you've noticed Brady is a first ballot Hall-of-Famer, so obviously you're totally credible, my mistake.

Just embrace the hate, and accept that the only "situation" you've managed to see here is a chance to dump on an organization you do

I didn't bring up Clay, you (or another poster) did as an example of someone "following their conscience" as an excuse for why Brady didn't share his text records (as opposed to the far more likely scenario that they contained damning information). If you (or another poster) want to make that comparison, then you (or the other poster) have to draw the comparison out to its conclusion, which is following his conscience led to Clay being punished, as it should for Brady.The fact is that Brady is a self-righteous #####. The fact is that Brady is getting screwed with a harsh punishment. The fact is that NE's SBs, Brady's records, and Brady's place in the HOF are are still secure. None of those facts are mutually exclusive. They can all be true, and they all are true.

I didn't justify the punishment, I merely noted how he made his situation worse (i.e.-he screwed himself). If he hadn't dug such a hard line in the sand by lying at the onset, then decided to stick to the lie, this would all be over & maybe he'd have gotten a fine (which would have been the more appropriate punishment). However, he told a lie, then decided to stick to that lie, despite all evidence to the contrary, and now he's dealing with the aftermath of that decision to screw himself.

I sincerely hope that your take on this situation isn't indicative of NE fans in general, because I'm starting to think this isn't schtick, and you really think this situation is as black and white as your posts indicate. "Tom Brady is an infallible god; he couldn't have done this, despite the overwhelming amount of evidence that he did! Anyone who thinks he isn't perfect must be jealous, a hater, or both. I lover Tom Brady! Yay! Yay! Yay!"

Writer's Tip: Very important. Quotation marks are to quote what someone has said, not your deranged imaginings of what someone has said.

You know, in this entire exchange, your sole salient point was when you asked me if I bother to read any of this.

Turns out, I should read more closely, because if I did I'd have remembered you as that guy with the thinly-veiled psychotic hatred for Tom Brady I had the chore of dealing with some pages back.

It's like arguing with the world's worst lawyer, pedantic and half-witted all at once. You qualify your excretions about Tom Brady by saying he's a first ballot Hall-of-Famer, you say "he's getting screwed" before ranting about how he deserves everything that's coming to him... who do you think you're fooling dude?

Then there's your ludicrous arguments: the Patriots get treated just like everyone else? You realize the Panthers and Vikings still have their 2016 first round draft picks right?

In all honesty, you read like you're a jilted ex-girlfriend of his, taking every little thing and slanting it impossibly bad (e.g. he deserves everything that has happened because of a snide response to a team whining about perfectly legal formations).

I could go on and on... but I already did!

Good god. If you are trying to project an air of intelligence, at least make sure you are correct. Quotation marks are used to indicate sarcasm in writing, as well as to indicate direct quotation. Since this message board has a QUOTE response function, anyone with a modicum of intelligence should have been able to infer that I was being sarcastic.I'm going to put you on ignore now. You seem to have some serious issues & rather than continue to point out the lunacy in your incoherent, senseless, factless posts; I will allow you to continue to think Tom Brady is completely blameless & is simply being picked on because the NFL wants its best, most visible, most famous, SB MVP to be labeled as a cheater. Because that is exactly the kind of publicity the NFL would want, so it makes perfect sense to try to make him look bad.

The NFL deliberately leaked false rumors about 11 Patriots balls being 2 pounds under the minimum. And never corrected those false rumors for months. So yes, the NFL didn't have a problem making the Patriots look bad with false rumors.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/06/23/exploring-nfls-inconsistent-reactions-to-erroneous-espn-reports/

 

[Run It Up]

Am i the only 1 who is sick of hearing brady being compared to hardy?

Agreed. These are apples and oranges. One guy is being punished for cheating, which is the sort of thing that any sports leagues is clearly going to take a keen interest in. The other guy is being punished for off-the-field behavior that's only tangential to the league's business (important for marketing reasons only).

Hardy didn't miss ####, he got game checks for those games.

 

[Old Smiley]

Kevin Seifert ‏@SeifertESPN 15m15 minutes ago

Per @Edwerderespn, Tom Brady willing to pay fine for non- cooperation in DeflateGate. Same as Favre/TextGate in 2010. http://es.pn/1MnETAn

Kevin Seifert ‏@SeifertESPN 14m14 minutes ago

Possible settlement would allow Brady to maintain innocence in tampering with footballs. NFL might accept if it fears federal court ruling.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Not a chance. This is going to court.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Am i the only 1 who is sick of hearing brady being compared to hardy?

Agreed. These are apples and oranges. One guy is being punished for cheating, which is the sort of thing that any sports leagues is clearly going to take a keen interest in. The other guy is being punished for off-the-field behavior that's only tangential to the league's business (important for marketing reasons only).

Hardy didn't miss ####, he got game checks for those games.

Then maybe they'll have Brady sit out whilst awaiting trial and determination.

 

[Run It Up]

Am i the only 1 who is sick of hearing brady being compared to hardy?

Agreed. These are apples and oranges. One guy is being punished for cheating, which is the sort of thing that any sports leagues is clearly going to take a keen interest in. The other guy is being punished for off-the-field behavior that's only tangential to the league's business (important for marketing reasons only).

Hardy didn't miss ####, he got game checks for those games.

Then maybe they'll have Brady sit out whilst awaiting trial and determination.

Chances are about equal to the league not absolutely ####### every aspect of deflategate up. So somewhere between one and none %.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

"... softer than the footballs in Foxboro."

 

[BroadwayG]

Am i the only 1 who is sick of hearing brady being compared to hardy?

Agreed. These are apples and oranges. One guy is being punished for cheating, which is the sort of thing that any sports leagues is clearly going to take a keen interest in. The other guy is being punished for off-the-field behavior that's only tangential to the league's business (important for marketing reasons only).

Hardy didn't miss ####, he got game checks for those games.

He both made and lost out on a boatload of guaranteed money by not playing all year.

 

[Jercules]

Well, I just want to say that when it's your team's turn I'll be..... on your side. Just saying. Bogus is bogus.

Maybe, but it's not like the NFL only picks on the Pats (although many NE fans in this thread seem to believe that).My team is the Redskins & they got screwed (along with the Cowboys) during the uncapped year. $36 million of cap space taken away because they did something that wasn't even against the rules (but the NFL said "don't do that.")

Good Lord what are you smoking?

They stole a 1st round draft pick and hundreds of thousands of dollars from us because we had a guy film signals from the wrong area.

Seven years later, they say we have a 'reputation' and steal millions of dollars, another 1st (and a 4th), and four games from our GOAT QB because he might have known something about a ####### equipment violation...

Us? You aren't part of the Pats. The NFL essentially fined the 'skins $36 million for refusing to collude with the rest of the teams. If you weren't so bat-#### blinded by your blatant homerism, you'd have realized my post was noting that the NFL has made a habit of "unfair" practices. "You" aren't special; the NFL is an equal oppprtunity screwjob organization.

The funny part is not what absolute BS the bolded is. (What did the Panthers and Vikings get for absolutely, positively screwing with the balls again? A curfew?)

The funny part is by making that statement, you, as one of the most hilariously butthurt and frothing haters on this thread, tacitly admit that Brady and the Patriots are getting screwed.

"He deserves it, he cheated, he's not getting screwed... but if he was getting screwed, well... it's not like you guys are special!"

WTF are you babbling about? Do you even read the posts in this thread, or do you just skim them and say "this guy doesn't bow down to NE, he must be a butthurt salty hater!?"

I've said many times that the Pats/Brady are getting screwed. I've said many times that the amount of air in the football has a negligible impact on the game. I've said many times that this "scandal" (no matter what it's ultimate outcome) does not tarnish/diminish NE's SB win(s). I've said numerous times (in this & other threads) that TB is one of the top-2 QBs of all time, and this doesn't change that. I've said he's still a first-ballot HOFer.

I've also said that Brady screwed up here. Whether he knew or not what those 2 guys were doing, he made it clear to them how he liked his footballs, and after the fact, he had numerous opportunities to admit his part of the situation, take one for the team (fall on the sword, if you will) & say "it was all my fault," or claim partial blame. He chose, however, to say "I don't know anything," he claimed he didn't know those guys, he allowed them to get suspended without saying a word. When giving a chance to clear his name (sharing the text records), he chose not to do so. As a result, he gave Wells/the NFL the opportunity to say he was probably generally aware of a very minor rules infraction AND refused to cooperate. If he had handled it differently, the NFL wouldn't have had the grounds to try to levy such a stiff penalty.

Just because I'm not a Pats homer and I can acknowledge that the Pats aren't completely innocent patsies who were picked on by the big bad NFL in this situation doesn't make me a "butthurt" salty hater; it just means I'm not blinded by my red and blue fan goggles & can see the whole situation.

So if you agree Brady's getting screwed beyond all comprehension, why are you saying he needs to accept his punishment (like Cassius Clay did)?

If you agree he's getting screwed, why are you attempting to justify said screwing with garbage like the following: "If he wasn't such a self-righteous, arrogant ##### when admonishing the Ravens to "study the rulebook," he wouldn't be getting the backlash he is getting. But the fact is that he screwed hiimself"?

Even in the very same post you claim to have said all along that Brady is getting screwed, you nonetheless justify said screwing ("if blah blah blah hadn't blah blah blah... the NFL wouldn't have had the grounds to try to levy such a stiff penalty").

But hey, you've thrown in a few tired little qualifiers here and there, you've noticed Brady is a first ballot Hall-of-Famer, so obviously you're totally credible, my mistake.

Just embrace the hate, and accept that the only "situation" you've managed to see here is a chance to dump on an organization you do

I didn't bring up Clay, you (or another poster) did as an example of someone "following their conscience" as an excuse for why Brady didn't share his text records (as opposed to the far more likely scenario that they contained damning information). If you (or another poster) want to make that comparison, then you (or the other poster) have to draw the comparison out to its conclusion, which is following his conscience led to Clay being punished, as it should for Brady.

The fact is that Brady is a self-righteous #####. The fact is that Brady is getting screwed with a harsh punishment. The fact is that NE's SBs, Brady's records, and Brady's place in the HOF are are still secure. None of those facts are mutually exclusive. They can all be true, and they all are true.

I didn't justify the punishment, I merely noted how he made his situation worse (i.e.-he screwed himself). If he hadn't dug such a hard line in the sand by lying at the onset, then decided to stick to the lie, this would all be over & maybe he'd have gotten a fine (which would have been the more appropriate punishment). However, he told a lie, then decided to stick to that lie, despite all evidence to the contrary, and now he's dealing with the aftermath of that decision to screw himself.

I sincerely hope that your take on this situation isn't indicative of NE fans in general, because I'm starting to think this isn't schtick, and you really think this situation is as black and white as your posts indicate. "Tom Brady is an infallible god; he couldn't have done this, despite the overwhelming amount of evidence that he did! Anyone who thinks he isn't perfect must be jealous, a hater, or both. I lover Tom Brady! Yay! Yay! Yay!"

Writer's Tip: Very important. Quotation marks are to quote what someone has said, not your deranged imaginings of what someone has said.

You know, in this entire exchange, your sole salient point was when you asked me if I bother to read any of this.

Turns out, I should read more closely, because if I did I'd have remembered you as that guy with the thinly-veiled psychotic hatred for Tom Brady I had the chore of dealing with some pages back.

It's like arguing with the world's worst lawyer, pedantic and half-witted all at once. You qualify your excretions about Tom Brady by saying he's a first ballot Hall-of-Famer, you say "he's getting screwed" before ranting about how he deserves everything that's coming to him... who do you think you're fooling dude?

Then there's your ludicrous arguments: the Patriots get treated just like everyone else? You realize the Panthers and Vikings still have their 2016 first round draft picks right?

In all honesty, you read like you're a jilted ex-girlfriend of his, taking every little thing and slanting it impossibly bad (e.g. he deserves everything that has happened because of a snide response to a team whining about perfectly legal formations).

I could go on and on... but I already did!

Despite some opinions to the contrary, the league isn't the Gestapo. You don't really think the league should go to that extreme for a single incident of heating the ball under frigid conditions? And, yes, I do know you're not supposed to do anything to the ball.

I don't think the league should be going to that extreme for any kind of equipment violation.

Is what the Patriots are likely (but not certainly) guilty of worse than what those two teams did? Sure, obviously.

But does the severity of the alleged misdeed correlate sensibly with the severity of the punishment? Not even close.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Am i the only 1 who is sick of hearing brady being compared to hardy?

Agreed. These are apples and oranges. One guy is being punished for cheating, which is the sort of thing that any sports leagues is clearly going to take a keen interest in. The other guy is being punished for off-the-field behavior that's only tangential to the league's business (important for marketing reasons only).

Hardy didn't miss ####, he got game checks for those games.

So? Apples and oranges.

 

[Old Smiley]

From Dan Wetzel: Roger Goodell's handling of deflate-gate has become three-ring circus

I was going to pull some quotes, but the whole thing...

 

[Run It Up]

Am i the only 1 who is sick of hearing brady being compared to hardy?

Agreed. These are apples and oranges. One guy is being punished for cheating, which is the sort of thing that any sports leagues is clearly going to take a keen interest in. The other guy is being punished for off-the-field behavior that's only tangential to the league's business (important for marketing reasons only).

Hardy didn't miss ####, he got game checks for those games.

So? Apples and oranges.

In this instance comparing how ridiculous these apples and oranges are is completely appropriate.

 

[Faust]

Report: NFL believes Tom Brady will accept a shorter suspension

 

[Old Smiley]

Back and forth wishful leaking. Don't cross the streams!!

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Report: NFL believes Tom Brady will accept a shorter suspension

Because he is going to be exposed in court.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I might suffocate from laughter if Brady rolls over and accepts a reduced suspension. After Kraft caving back in the spring, that would be epic.

 

[theplayer11]

so after 7 months, people still don't understand the science I guess.

 

[Ghost Rider]

If I am the NFL, I call Brady's bluff and make him take them to court, where all of his texts and whatnot will come out, likely showing that he was complicit in some manner.

 

[Old Smiley]

I don't even know if the union's case would go near any of that. Don't they keep winning just challenging the disciplinary process?

 

[bostonfred]

Appeals aren't supposed to be a negotiation

 

[Ksquared]

I think the NFL is delaying this long enough to lead to the possibility of Brady missing games later in the season if he takes it to court.

1. delay the final ruling long enough so if Brady takes it to court and gets a RO, he gets to play early in the season

2. pressure builds as the case goes into the season.

3. If at any point it looks like the suspension could be upheld, Brady would miss games later in the season and probably more critical games.

 

[Old Smiley]

Appeals aren't supposed to be a negotiation

I don't see why there would be any input from other owners, either. And yet, apparently there is.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Appeals aren't supposed to be a negotiation

I don't see why there would be any input from other owners, either. And yet, apparently there is.

The threat of a suit against the league.

 

[Run It Up]

If I am the NFL, I call Brady's bluff and make him take them to court, where all of his texts and whatnot will come out, likely showing that he was complicit in some manner.

All his texts to a third guy? They have Mcnally and Jastremski's phone records.

 

[ratbast]

This is so annoying.

 

[Old Smiley]

[crooked nose] The Don would like you to know that the Mara Family would be very upset if this suspension was reduced and we would hate for anything to happen to our friendship...[/crooked nose]

 

[Bayhawks]

If I am the NFL, I call Brady's bluff and make him take them to court, where all of his texts and whatnot will come out, likely showing that he was complicit in some manner.

All his texts to a third guy? They have Mcnally and Jastremski's phone records.

If they have everything, why did Wells ask for Brady's records? And why did Brady refuse?

Please don't say he was worried something would be leaked. Brady was given the option of CHOOSING what he shared; unless he's a moron (which I doubt) and accidentally included nude pics of his wife with copies of his text messages, the fear of a leak excuse doesn't work. Not to mention that Wells NEVER leaked anything.

We don't know what was in those records that Brady didn't want Wells to see, but the simplest explanation is that there was something there he wanted to hide, because if there wasn't, sharing those records would have been the biggest thing he could have done to clear his name.

 

[renesauz]

Not a chance. This is going to court.

How is going to court a good thing?

If playrs are shown to be cheating, the NFL should have the absolute ability to suspend....there's no good reason for a court to be involved.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

Not a chance. This is going to court.

How is going to court a good thing?

If playrs are shown to be cheating, the NFL should have the absolute ability to suspend....there's no good reason for a court to be involved.

Exposure.

 

[NE_REVIVAL]

Not a chance. This is going to court.

How is going to court a good thing?

If playrs are shown to be cheating, the NFL should have the absolute ability to suspend....there's no good reason for a court to be involved.

Exposure.

So settling out of court isn't better? Thats what the Steelers QB (Big Ben ) did after he raped that woman: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/steelers/story/2012-01-20/ben-roethlisberger-settles-lawsuit/52702798/1 Wave those towels steeler fans

 

[BigSteelThrill]

 

[skinsrule05]

I might suffocate from laughter if Brady rolls over and accepts a reduced suspension. After Kraft caving back in the spring, that would be epic.

This would be funny but I can't imagine it happening. Brady would have been arguing all this time to then just admit that he did it? He has a legacy to protect.

 

[Pots]

I might suffocate from laughter if Brady rolls over and accepts a reduced suspension. After Kraft caving back in the spring, that would be epic.

This would be funny but I can't imagine it happening. Brady would have been arguing all this time to then just admit that he did it? He has a legacy to protect.

Many an athlete who have been forced into a corner have had to do the same to save what little face they have left.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

If I am the NFL, I call Brady's bluff and make him take them to court, where all of his texts and whatnot will come out, likely showing that he was complicit in some manner.

100% agree, he's bluffing.

But even if that's wrong there's no chance Brady will challenge the findings in court. He'll just challenge the procedure. The last thing Brady wants is to go through disclosure or have to choose between telling the truth or perjuring himself.

IMO most likely outcome is this is wrapped up just in time for the season to start. At some point you have to show your cards or fold.

 

[Anarchy99]

If I am the NFL, I call Brady's bluff and make him take them to court, where all of his texts and whatnot will come out, likely showing that he was complicit in some manner.

100% agree, he's bluffing.

But even if that's wrong there's no chance Brady will challenge the findings in court. He'll just challenge the procedure. The last thing Brady wants is to go through disclosure or have to choose between telling the truth or perjuring himself.

IMO most likely outcome is this is wrapped up just in time for the season to start. At some point you have to show your cards or fold.

If I am Brady's defense team, I would argue that "even if Brady knew" or "even if he somehow were found to have participated," it doesn't change that:

- The Wells report has more holes than Swiss cheese. The data for the AFCCG does not conclusively show the footballs were artifically deflated.

- The league has a history of giving people/teams warnings and not suspensions.

- The infraction fell under the auspices of an equipment violation, which historically has met with a minimal fine.

- Other teams have been caught in the act manipulating footballs and nothing happened to them.

- The league never gave a rat's a$$ about football inflation until the AFCCG.

- Refuing to turn over a cell phone = $50,000 fine, precident already set.

It is in Brady's best interest to drag this out, as it could take forever to play itself through the court system. With an injunction, Brady could continue to play. If he were to get hurt, if NE had already wrapped up a bye, if they hit an easy stretch in their schedule, Brady could snap his fingers and drop his lawsuit and take the penalty (especially if it was trimmed to one or two games). It IS NOT in his (or the team's) best intererst to have to sit at the start of the season. Strategically, there are other games that would not make as big an impact on NE's chances of winning or losing those games. And if he really wanted to, I don't think it would be that hard to get everything stretched out until after the season is over the way courts work.

I also am not fully aware of the rules / guidelines / laws with regard to providing access to a personal cell phone. It doesn't sound like there is a law that requires Brady to hand over his phone. Is there a clause in the CBA that states he MUST hand over his phone?

 

[Old Smiley]

Let's remember it's going to be a union suit.

Well, we don't know if Brady will sue as well....

 

[Faust]

Report: Colts, Ravens owners don't want NFL to reduce Brady suspension

 

[NE_REVIVAL]

Tired of all the Rothlisberger is a rapist talk? Kind of blows doesn't it The chutzpah; keep waving those towels for your hero

 

[Old Smiley]

Bill Simmons ‏@BillSimmons 47m47 minutes ago

1. I will always be grateful to Robert Kraft for saving the Pats from moving to STL, hiring Belichick and building the 2001-15 juggernaut.

2. But Kraft sold out Brady and Patriots fans by not fighting the Wells Report. He picked the league over the fan base. It's just a fact.

3. And Kraft needs to know that, for the rest of his life, it's going to be one of the first things Pats fans mention when we discuss him.

4. I agree with everything in this Tom Curran piece from 3 days ago. http://www.csnne.com/new-england-patriots/roger-goodell-has-no-path-out-of-deflategate …

(Looks like ESPN is no longer the boss of him...)

The Curran piece is good, by the way.

One thing in that piece that struck me is that we know, actually know, of one instance of somebody sticking a needle into a ball post-inspection. That's the Colts equipment guy sticking a needle into a Pats ball during the game. Hmph. An equipment guy overstepping his authority.

 

[skinsrule05]

I might suffocate from laughter if Brady rolls over and accepts a reduced suspension. After Kraft caving back in the spring, that would be epic.

This would be funny but I can't imagine it happening. Brady would have been arguing all this time to then just admit that he did it? He has a legacy to protect.

Many an athlete who have been forced into a corner have had to do the same to save what little face they have left.

. I guess, I just think the damage to his legacy would be huge if he admits to it.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Bill Simmons ‏@BillSimmons 47m47 minutes ago

1. I will always be grateful to Robert Kraft for saving the Pats from moving to STL, hiring Belichick and building the 2001-15 juggernaut.

2. But Kraft sold out Brady and Patriots fans by not fighting the Wells Report. He picked the league over the fan base. It's just a fact.

3. And Kraft needs to know that, for the rest of his life, it's going to be one of the first things Pats fans mention when we discuss him.

4. I agree with everything in this Tom Curran piece from 3 days ago. http://www.csnne.com/new-england-patriots/roger-goodell-has-no-path-out-of-deflategate …

(Looks like ESPN is no longer the boss of him...)

The Curran piece is good, by the way.

One thing in that piece that struck me is that we know, actually know, of one instance of somebody sticking a needle into a ball post-inspection. That's the Colts equipment guy sticking a needle into a Pats ball during the game. Hmph. An equipment guy overstepping his authority.

Like it would matter. Simmons takes the phrase "irrational fanboy" to another level when it comes to discussing the Patriots or Celtics (and the Red Sox, although he loves basketball and football way more than baseball).

 

[Catbird]

If Brady or the union files a lawsuit, they have a big choice to make. If they try to strictly limit the case to examining the procedures the league followed in its investigation (which I assume they will) that won't tell us much of anything new about Brady's level of involvement, but only about what steps the league took and should have taken. Nothing there, as I see it, clears Brady's name for the great majority of people who now think he was involved in cheating. Whether the league crossed all the T's or dotted the I's won't address whatever Brady did or didn't do.

If Brady chooses to assert his innocence or the league can widen the scope of the suit to include that question (which seems to me the only way he 'clears his name'), Brady can/will be deposed under oath and questioned minute detail by minute detail. His phone and all records will be subpoenaed and he'll be required to turn over the cell and anything recorded on it, and required to disclose any communications with anyone about ball inflation ever. Anything he erased will be recovered if possible and any erasures scrutinized. I imagine depositions will follow with Belicheck, teammates, each of the equipment guys and maybe even Kraft if he has any relevant knowledge. They aren't going to like this at all and the Patriots cannot control what employees or former employees say under oath, even if the employees are trying to help.

I don't think Brady or the union will file a suit unless Brady and the team feel they can strictly limit it to looking at what the league did. If they don't open it up to and include Brady's involvement in the lawsuit, I don't see how anything in it clears his name - although knocking out the suspension or part of it would probably excite those already supporting Brady.

I think this is a tough choice for the Brady and Patriot forces. 1) Spend a year or so re-hashing what has already been disclosed and questioning whether that was enough basis for the league action taken - which doesn't address Brady's actual involvement or do anything significant to clear his name; 2) Launch an effort to clear his name that will become a greater media circus than anything yet in deflategate and force Brady and the franchise to undergo excruciating scrutiny and grave uncertainty about what will be said and found; or 3) Accept the penalty, saying that they did nothing wrong but choose to avoid the media circus and instead will go forward to play the game and compete for another Superbowl.

 

[Anarchy99]

For those suggesting Brady "has" to hand over his phone, where is it written in either the law or the CBA that he "has to?" As others have mentioned I. Other areas of this case, this is not a criminal case. I'f Brady had been charged with murder that would be one thing. I am not sure even a court could force Brady to compel his phone short of criminal charges being filed.

So what boundaries did have to conduct his investigation? Could he have demanded to search Brady's house? How about Belichick's? Kraft's? What limits are expected in conducting an investigation? Full access to every computer file and tape the Pats had since 1960?

If I were presiding this case, I would demand access to Brady's cell records (calls made and texts) for the week leading up to the Colts game and that's it. Wells was tasked to investigate whether the balls in the AFC championship game were intentionally under inflated.

IMO, stuff from October to me was crossing the boundary of what Wells was asked to do.

Unless the league wants to commandeer every cell from from every team and every team employee of all 32 teams, IMO the investigation was prejudicial against NE.

Brady can easily say that there is personal and private information on his phone that he did not want people to see or get leaked to the media. Given that in this case in particular that's pretty much been the M. O. Of the media, I think that is a legit concern.

 

[Bayhawks]

For those suggesting Brady "has" to hand over his phone, where is it written in either the law or the CBA that he "has to?" As others have mentioned I. Other areas of this case, this is not a criminal case. I'f Brady had been charged with murder that would be one thing. I am not sure even a court could force Brady to compel his phone short of criminal charges being filed.

So what boundaries did have to conduct his investigation? Could he have demanded to search Brady's house? How about Belichick's? Kraft's? What limits are expected in conducting an investigation? Full access to every computer file and tape the Pats had since 1960?

If I were presiding this case, I would demand access to Brady's cell records (calls made and texts) for the week leading up to the Colts game and that's it. Wells was tasked to investigate whether the balls in the AFC championship game were intentionally under inflated.

IMO, stuff from October to me was crossing the boundary of what Wells was asked to do.

Unless the league wants to commandeer every cell from from every team and every team employee of all 32 teams, IMO the investigation was prejudicial against NE.

Brady can easily say that there is personal and private information on his phone that he did not want people to see or get leaked to the media. Given that in this case in particular that's pretty much been the M. O. Of the media, I think that is a legit concern.

This has been covered many times in this thread. Players are obligated to cooperate with NFL investigations. The CBA doesn't specifically say "players must give their cell phones to NFL investigators." However, failure to comply with an NFL investigation constitutes conduct detrimental to the league.

Also, Brady can't easily say there is personal and private information on his phone, as Wells didn't even ask for his phone. He asked Brady and/or his lawyer to provide him with all texts/emails that pertained to the investigation (i.e.-texts about deflation, air pressure, to/from McNally or Jastremeski, etc). There was no danger to his personal and private information, as he/his agent would control exactly what was turned over.

 

[Jercules]

Suddenly everyone is a legal expert.