Pranksters eavesdrop on talk between BUF and TB GMs (1 Viewer)

[Bamac]

Recording at linked site:

http://deadspin.com/pranksters-record-two-nfl-gms-discussing-free-agency-ov-452366184

 

[gump]

Awesome.

Also awesome to see Dom complain about his QB.

 

[GregR]

Most interesting thing for me is the impact they mention the "legal tampering" window is having. About players not wanting to re-sign during it.

I'm a bit torn there. Some players I believe did re-sign during it, where they probably found out what they were worth and decided their original team was offering the best, or good enough.

But if you do away with the time frame, it probably just goes back to the teams who are illegally tampering get a big advantage over those who aren't.

Maybe they have the 3 day legal tampering window, then add a 2 day non-tampering window where agents again can only talk to their original teams, giving those teams a chance to make last ditch offers where the player knows what his market is, but there isn't a chance to actively play teams against each other?

I'm not sure where the happy compromise is.

 

[IHEARTFF]

Dis here sunofagun don't use dem fancy numbers to build dat dere footbawl team.

 

[BroadwayG]

A couple of admin assistants will be hitting unemployment soon.

 

[jonboltz]

Then Buddy Nix called them back. And he kept calling back. Into Thursday evening, resuming again on Friday morning, Nix's personal number kept lighting up their cell phone. They ignored it, until they came up with a plan.

He never realized that the voicemail greeting was some other person?

 

[Steve Tasker]

Then Buddy Nix called them back. And he kept calling back. Into Thursday evening, resuming again on Friday morning, Nix's personal number kept lighting up their cell phone. They ignored it, until they came up with a plan.

He never realized that the voicemail greeting was some other person?

He's like a lovable confused grandpa.This is how I picture it.

 

[Bruce Hammond]

I guess it's easy to make fun of Nix because of his accent and age if you're into that sort of thing, but everything he said was right on the money.

He was more or less stuck with Fitzpatrick because of HC Gailey, but Gailey is gone now and Nix knows he has no QB on his roster that can make a positive difference for that team.

Being 73 doesn't mean he's senile or simple-minded. There are plenty of 73 year olds who can out-think most of us.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Of course it was Buddy Nix. That's what happens when you have a 73 year old in charge.

As a Bills fan though, the one thing I love is that Nix says Fitzpatrick will be fighting for a backup job. I honestly thought they wouldn't mind bringing him back as a starter. IMO, I think if they don't see him as the starter they should just cut him anyway. Too many potential locker room issues with keeping a former starter around like that.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Oh, and the guys that recorded this are going to be in a LOT of trouble. Seems that they are almost certainly in violation of FL and NY wiretapping laws and possibly federal wiretapping laws as well. These guys could be looking at huge fines or even prison time. Some huge legal bills if nothing else.

 

[coachbobbyfinstock]

Then Buddy Nix called them back. And he kept calling back. Into Thursday evening, resuming again on Friday morning, Nix's personal number kept lighting up their cell phone. They ignored it, until they came up with a plan.

He never realized that the voicemail greeting was some other person?

He's like a lovable confused grandpa.This is how I picture it.

agreed. I wouldnt be very confident if I were a bills fan.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

Then Buddy Nix called them back. And he kept calling back. Into Thursday evening, resuming again on Friday morning, Nix's personal number kept lighting up their cell phone. They ignored it, until they came up with a plan.

He never realized that the voicemail greeting was some other person?

He's like a lovable confused grandpa.This is how I picture it.

agreed. I wouldnt be very confident if I were a bills fan.

because of nix's age......right......

 

[Bracie Smathers]

This is disturbing on multiple fronts.

Its illegal, immoral, distasteful.

I hope like hell Dead Spin or whichever site that decided to post this personal phone call gets sued or prosecuted and the quote-unquote 'pranksters' who are not pranksters but criminals are sentenced to the maximum that the law allows.

 

[moderated]

doesn't this pretty much end Fitzpatrick's ride in Buffalo. He obviously knows the GM doesn't want him now and has no respect for his game.

Gotta be uncomfortable if they keep the lame duck Fitz now.

 

[saintfool]

doesn't this pretty much end Fitzpatrick's ride in Buffalo. He obviously knows the GM doesn't want him now and has no respect for his game.Gotta be uncomfortable if they keep the lame duck Fitz now.

this.fitz to fitz has a nice ring to it, i think.

 

[GroveDiesel]

doesn't this pretty much end Fitzpatrick's ride in Buffalo. He obviously knows the GM doesn't want him now and has no respect for his game.Gotta be uncomfortable if they keep the lame duck Fitz now.

I would think that in asking Fitzpatrick to take a pay cut or restructure they already pretty much have made it clear that they seem him as a backup moving forward.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

well, I believe fitz has a 3m roster bonus due, so if they really feel this way they should probably move on, although I think it's a bit of a scapegoating.

he might not be a top tier franchise qb, but it could be a lot worse, I think.

 

[Bamac]

This is disturbing on multiple fronts.Its illegal, immoral, distasteful.I hope like hell Dead Spin or whichever site that decided to post this personal phone call gets sued or prosecuted and the quote-unquote 'pranksters' who are not pranksters but criminals are sentenced to the maximum that the law allows.

Illegal? Yes. Immoral? I don't think so, but could be persuaded. NFL is entertainment, and NFL insiders are public figures. If they're talking about personal lives, that's a different story.Edit to fix typo.

 

[Ridgelake]

This is disturbing on multiple fronts.Its illegal, immoral, distasteful.I hope like hell Dead Spin or whichever site that decided to post this personal phone call gets sued or prosecuted and the quote-unquote 'pranksters' who are not pranksters but criminals are sentenced to the maximum that the law allows.

I'm no lawyer, but I'm not sure this is illegal. Both GMs called this guy, all he did was patch them trough to one another.....Now as for immoral, distateful, ethically-challenged........

 

[GroveDiesel]

This is disturbing on multiple fronts.Its illegal, immoral, distasteful.I hope like hell Dead Spin or whichever site that decided to post this personal phone call gets sued or prosecuted and the quote-unquote 'pranksters' who are not pranksters but criminals are sentenced to the maximum that the law allows.

I'm no lawyer, but I'm not sure this is illegal. Both GMs called this guy, all he did was patch them trough to one another.....Now as for immoral, distateful, ethically-challenged........

In FL, all parties on a call must know they're being recorded or else it's wiretapping. In NY, all parties must not only know, but give their consent to being recorded.So, yeah, what they did was wiretapping and was illegal.

 

[GroveDiesel]

well, I believe fitz has a 3m roster bonus due, so if they really feel this way they should probably move on, although I think it's a bit of a scapegoating.he might not be a top tier franchise qb, but it could be a lot worse, I think.

Yes and no. Things could probably be worse, but he's never going to improve and it's clear they won't ever contend for a Super Bowl with him. He is one of the worst QBs historically in crunch time. His confidence in throwing downfield has decreased to the point where his average attempt by the end of the season last year was something pathetic like 6 yards. The Bills know they have to find a QB that can actually win games. It's an absolute requirement in today's NFL to consistently win games. There is no way they're paying that $3M bonus today. His cap number this year us around $10M whether he is cut or not unless he reatructures. But cutting him this year saves $7M in actual money paid and $10M off of next year's cap.A restructure or paycut is even better obviously.Buffalo's defense was awful for most of last year so obviously Fitzpatrick wasn't the only problem. But he left way too much on the field to continue with him as the starter. I read several times last year experts say that Stevie Johnson is open on virtually every play. And there were 2-3 plays a game with WRs wide open downfield for long TDs that Fitz simply couldn't hit.

 

[Bracie Smathers]

This is disturbing on multiple fronts.

Its illegal, immoral, distasteful.

I hope like hell Dead Spin or whichever site that decided to post this personal phone call gets sued or prosecuted and the quote-unquote 'pranksters' who are not pranksters but criminals are sentenced to the maximum that the law allows.

I'm no lawyer, but I'm not sure this is illegal. Both GMs called this guy, all he did was patch them trough to one another.....Now as for immoral, distateful, ethically-challenged........

In FL, all parties on a call must know they're being recorded or else it's wiretapping. In NY, all parties must not only know, but give their consent to being recorded.So, yeah, what they did was wiretapping and was illegal.

It is illegal, look for the NFL to act and file charges and when billionaires decide to press charges expect prosecutors to prosecute.My link

Bills, Bucs refer matter of intercepted phone call to NFL Security

Posted by Mike Florio on March 12, 2013, 1:27 PM EDT

Every time we say we’ve seen everything, we manage to see something else that makes us say, “Now we’ve seen everything.”

Pending future events, now we’ve seen everything.

A pair of 20-year-olds somehow managed to record a telephone conversation between Bills G.M. Buddy Nix and Buccaneers G.M. Mark Dominik.

Dubbed by Deadspin (which has published the audio) as “pranksters,” there’s a chance that the state or federal authorities will apply a stronger term.

“We are aware of the report on Deadspin involving a phone conversation with Bills G.M. Buddy Nix,” the Bills told PFT in a statement. “We have made the league aware of the report and are reviewing it with legal counsel.”

The Buccaneers declined comment. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Buccaneers likewise have referred the matter to NFL Security.

Setting aside the specific circumstances, the law generally frowns on secretly recording audio. In many states and at the federal level, at least one party to the conversation must consent to the fact that the discussion is being taped. Some states make it illegal even if one party to the conversation knows that the audio is being recorded.

The kids involved had no malicious intent; it was by all appearances a prank. But if they intended to record the call (and they clearly did) and if Nix and Dominik had no idea that the call was being recorded (and they clearly didn’t), this thing could get interesting for reasons far beyond the things Nix and Dominik said to each other.

UPDATE 1:41 p.m. ET: We won’t be discussing any of the content of the call, for now. Because I don’t have the time to research the law and because I fear that there could be a provision extending criminal or civil liability to anyone who knowingly publishes the content of an illegally-recorded conversation, we’re being careful on this one. For a change. (The wireless connection inside a prison may not be very reliable. Especially with all the barbed wire screwing up the waves.)

 

[B-Deep]

uh oh

content has been discussed in this thread

you bastards, you just doomed joe bryant to jail!

when he's doing time in a pound-you-in-the-### prison we'll all know which posters are to blame!!!!!

 

[Nucker101]

Fitzpatrick released....

 

[GregR]

This is disturbing on multiple fronts.Its illegal, immoral, distasteful.I hope like hell Dead Spin or whichever site that decided to post this personal phone call gets sued or prosecuted and the quote-unquote 'pranksters' who are not pranksters but criminals are sentenced to the maximum that the law allows.

The authorities should, and I assume will, investigate the matter.But it seems a little over the top to call for maximum penalties. In the scope of wiretapping crimes, intent and maliciousness, this seems like it is at the very low end. Compare it to someone tapping to gain blackmail info, for corporate espionage or to commit other crimes (burglary, murder, etc).Max sentences would seem too much to me.

 

[12punch]

Fitzpatrick released....

WhoopThere it is.

 

[12punch]

This is disturbing on multiple fronts.Its illegal, immoral, distasteful.I hope like hell Dead Spin or whichever site that decided to post this personal phone call gets sued or prosecuted and the quote-unquote 'pranksters' who are not pranksters but criminals are sentenced to the maximum that the law allows.

some angry internet nerds out there.So, this is basically worse than every other offense of this nature?

 

[cobalt_27]

This is disturbing on multiple fronts.

Its illegal, immoral, distasteful.

I hope like hell Dead Spin or whichever site that decided to post this personal phone call gets sued or prosecuted and the quote-unquote 'pranksters' who are not pranksters but criminals are sentenced to the maximum that the law allows.

I'm no lawyer, but I'm not sure this is illegal. Both GMs called this guy, all he did was patch them trough to one another.....Now as for immoral, distateful, ethically-challenged........

In FL, all parties on a call must know they're being recorded or else it's wiretapping. In NY, all parties must not only know, but give their consent to being recorded.So, yeah, what they did was wiretapping and was illegal.

It is illegal, look for the NFL to act and file charges and when billionaires decide to press charges expect prosecutors to prosecute.My link

Bills, Bucs refer matter of intercepted phone call to NFL Security

Posted by Mike Florio on March 12, 2013, 1:27 PM EDT

Every time we say we’ve seen everything, we manage to see something else that makes us say, “Now we’ve seen everything.”

Pending future events, now we’ve seen everything.

A pair of 20-year-olds somehow managed to record a telephone conversation between Bills G.M. Buddy Nix and Buccaneers G.M. Mark Dominik.

Dubbed by Deadspin (which has published the audio) as “pranksters,” there’s a chance that the state or federal authorities will apply a stronger term.

“We are aware of the report on Deadspin involving a phone conversation with Bills G.M. Buddy Nix,” the Bills told PFT in a statement. “We have made the league aware of the report and are reviewing it with legal counsel.”

The Buccaneers declined comment. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Buccaneers likewise have referred the matter to NFL Security.

Setting aside the specific circumstances, the law generally frowns on secretly recording audio. In many states and at the federal level, at least one party to the conversation must consent to the fact that the discussion is being taped. Some states make it illegal even if one party to the conversation knows that the audio is being recorded.

The kids involved had no malicious intent; it was by all appearances a prank. But if they intended to record the call (and they clearly did) and if Nix and Dominik had no idea that the call was being recorded (and they clearly didn’t), this thing could get interesting for reasons far beyond the things Nix and Dominik said to each other.

UPDATE 1:41 p.m. ET: We won’t be discussing any of the content of the call, for now. Because I don’t have the time to research the law and because I fear that there could be a provision extending criminal or civil liability to anyone who knowingly publishes the content of an illegally-recorded conversation, we’re being careful on this one. For a change. (The wireless connection inside a prison may not be very reliable. Especially with all the barbed wire screwing up the waves.)

Fair to assume these kids are ####ed? And while deadspin certainly has legal consult before splashing some of its content on the innerweb, I wonder if they're screwed here too. This looks bad on everybody. Not saying I can't appreciate it because, damn...I found the whole thing so intriguing from a voyeuristic standpoint. Was like being witness to football pr0n.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I guess it's easy to make fun of Nix because of his accent and age if you're into that sort of thing, but everything he said was right on the money.He was more or less stuck with Fitzpatrick because of HC Gailey,

Wait, what? Did Gailey hire Nix, or was it the other way around? Did Gailey negotiate Fitzpatrick's extension? Or was that Nix?

 

[The Comedian]

Very funny to listen to, I hope these kids have gentle cellmates.

 

[Grahamburn]

Not sure why these kids would end up in jail? Sounds like all they did was make a couple prank calls. It's not their fault these GM's continued to call them back, and then had a conversation while they were still on the line.

Pretty sure it isn't against the law to record a conversation of someone who called your phone.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Not sure why these kids would end up in jail? Sounds like all they did was make a couple prank calls. It's not their fault these GM's continued to call them back, and then had a conversation while they were still on the line.

Pretty sure it isn't against the law to record a conversation of someone who called your phone.

Pretty sure you're not at all familiar with the law.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Pretty sure it isn't against the law to record a conversation of someone who called your phone.

In many states it certainly is without the other parties knowledge and/or consent.

 

[Grahamburn]

Not sure why these kids would end up in jail? Sounds like all they did was make a couple prank calls. It's not their fault these GM's continued to call them back, and then had a conversation while they were still on the line.

Pretty sure it isn't against the law to record a conversation of someone who called your phone.

Pretty sure you're not at all familiar with the law.

That's entirely possible.

 

[Bamac]

Not sure why these kids would end up in jail? Sounds like all they did was make a couple prank calls. It's not their fault these GM's continued to call them back, and then had a conversation while they were still on the line.

Pretty sure it isn't against the law to record a conversation of someone who called your phone.

Pretty sure you're not at all familiar with the law.

That's entirely possible.

If only all the irrelevant shark pool disputes ended this way.

 

[Grahamburn]

I'm pretty reasonable.

 

[GroveDiesel]

I'm pretty reasonable.

That alone puts you in my top 10 favorite posters.

 

[Joe Summer]

Not sure why these kids would end up in jail? Sounds like all they did was make a couple prank calls.

Prank calls = no big deal.Recording prank calls without permission = big deal.Recording prank calls without permission AND allowing the calls to be posted on the internet = HUGE deal.

Pretty sure it isn't against the law to record a conversation of someone who called your phone.

Pretty sure you are very, very, very wrong about that.

 

[Grahamburn]

Not sure why these kids would end up in jail? Sounds like all they did was make a couple prank calls.

Prank calls = no big deal.Recording prank calls without permission = big deal.Recording prank calls without permission AND allowing the calls to be posted on the internet = HUGE deal.

Pretty sure it isn't against the law to record a conversation of someone who called your phone.

Pretty sure you are very, very, very wrong about that.

Appreciate the input.

 

[Bamac]

Not sure why these kids would end up in jail? Sounds like all they did was make a couple prank calls.

Prank calls = no big deal.Recording prank calls without permission = big deal.Recording prank calls without permission AND allowing the calls to be posted on the internet = HUGE deal.

Pretty sure it isn't against the law to record a conversation of someone who called your phone.

Pretty sure you are very, very, very wrong about that.

Dude already said he was wrong. Being a jerk is worse.

 

[Faust]

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/eye-on-football/22322000/phone-prank-on-bills-and-buccaneers-gms-leads-to-federal-charges

Phone prank on Bills and Buccaneers GMs leads to federal charges

By John Breech | CBSSports.com

Two 20-year-old men from Massachusetts face federal charges related to a March phone prank played on two NFL general managers.

The Buffalo News reported that Joshua Barber and Nicholas Kaiser of Plymouth, Mass., have been ordered to appear Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder in Buffalo to answer charges of intentionally intercepting a wire communication and making a telephone call without disclosing their identity with the intent to annoy or harass the person at the called number.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $500,000 fine, the newspaper reported.

The Associated Press reported that in March, Barber and Kaiser prank-called Buffalo Bills general manager Buddy Nix and used a conference-call function to set up a call between Nix and Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik -- a call they are accused of recording.

The March 8 call, which lasted nearly six minutes, was posted March 12 on the website Deadspin. Federal prosecutors said Barber and Kaiser sold the unauthorized recording to Deadspin, which published a detailed story about the prank along with the audio.

From the Buffalo News:

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, who is handling the case, said Barber allegedly phoned Nix's office on March 8 claiming to be Mark Dominik, general manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Nix answered the phone, found no one on the line and had his office call back.

In the meantime, DiGiacomo said, Barber called Dominik's office claiming to be Nix.

When Nix's office hit the redial button and called back to Barber's phone, thinking it was Dominik's office, Barber connected him with Dominik and secretly recorded their six-minute conversation off the phone's speaker, using a second cellphone.

The NFL immediately began an investigation after the recording became public on Deadspin.

 

[FF Ninja]

Man. That is pretty crazy. What's even crazier is people in here saying they deserve the maximum. Give me a break.

I guess it's easy to make fun of Nix because of his accent and age if you're into that sort of thing, but everything he said was right on the money.

He was more or less stuck with Fitzpatrick because of HC Gailey, but Gailey is gone now and Nix knows he has no QB on his roster that can make a positive difference for that team.

Being 73 doesn't mean he's senile or simple-minded. There are plenty of 73 year olds who can out-think most of us.

I missed this post a couple months ago, and while I agree that there are plenty of sharp 73 year olds, Nix does not sound like one of them. He said something like (paraphrasing) once you get a quarterback everything is easy from there. You just take the top player on your board and don't worry about it.

How did that work out for AJ Smith? Sure, the QB is the most important and Buddy has been looking for a long time, but c'mon. This is pretty clearly an out of touch old feller.

Aside from that one oversimplification, he didn't really say anything that was more than common sense that could be perceived as "right on the money."

When you are young, everything is black and white. Then you hit adolescence and start to question things leading to a point where you can evaluate things properly, then as you get old things start to get black and white again to make things easier on your aging mind. I think it is pretty clear where Nix is at this point. It was time to Buffalo to move on. Good luck to them.