Deflategate: Brady suspended, Pats lose draft picks & fined

[fiestavike]

Brady apparently had his cell phone destroyed on the day he was to be interviewed by the Wells commission:
https://twitter.com/BenVolin/status/626098940207833088
--Sure, Tom.

Goodell doesn't exactly have a whole lot of room to gripe on this point! He's destroyed his share of evidence over the years too!

[dead_poet]

“The decision handed down by the league is unfathomable to me” - Bob Kraft

#Patriots owner Robert Kraft calls #NFL decision to uphold Brady suspension "unfathomable". Says "league still has no hard evidence".

Robert Kraft: "I continue to believe and unequivocally support Tom Brady."

#Patriots Robert Kraft rips #NFL for not correcting initial ESPN report that had incorrect inflation numbers.

Robert Kraft calls NFL decision "unfathomable," and apologizes to fans for backing down from the fight in May.

Kraft apologizes to fans, says that he believed stepping aside in May would help exonerate Brady. "I was wrong."

#Patriots Robert Kraft says "this was never about what was fair or just". Kraft says he regrets accepting #NFL punishment of Patriots.

@TomPelissero "I was wrong to put my faith in the league." Tell us how you really feel, Bob.

*Working on a short list of NFL commissioner candidates.

#Patriots Robert Kraft just straight up torched the #NFL. This was arguably stronger than the statements he made at the Super Bowl.

@CharlesRobinson #Patriots Robert Kraft made it clear he stood down against #NFL in hopes it would help Tom Brady appeal. He's very upset that didn't happen.

@CharlesRobinson Funniest Belichick line to a pressing question about Brady: "It's already been addressed. Maybe you should check your notes." #Patriots #NFL

[dead_poet]

Once again, it's on. This is civil war.

An enraged Robert Kraft reopened the door Wednesday morning to every NFL Armageddon scenario imaginable, right up to the eventual ouster of commissioner Roger Goodell. (See his full statement here.) Kraft's renewed disgust with the league's handling of Deflategate, and most recently its decision to uphold Tom Brady's four-game suspension, should put the entire industry on notice.

Consider: The New England Patriots are the NFL's second-most valuable team, worth an estimated $2.6 billion, according to Forbes magazine. Kraft is the chairman of the NFL's broadcast committee, arguably the most important in the sport, and he was among the most responsible for Goodell's ascension to commissioner in 2006. Now, here we are with Kraft using words such as "unfathomable" to describe the league's actions. He is openly accusing the league of trying to capture headlines while obscuring its lack of hard evidence.

To be clear, Kraft's reaction is unprecedented in modern NFL history.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/ ... y-to-fight

[dead_poet]

Brady's agent: NFL shifted focus to phone because its 'science is junk'

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/jas ... ce-is-junk

[808vikingsfan]

One can agree with Brady's suspension, and not agree with Hardy's though, no?

In any case, Hardy served a de facto 15 (14?) game suspension last year, right? Similar the the one Adrian served for his crime.

But that's beside the point I guess. Point is, agreeing with Brady's suspension (which is equatable to a PED suspension, trying to gain an advantage illegally), doesn't mean you support domestic violence or anything to do with Hardy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Don't agree with the graphic. Brady knew about it? He was the one behind it.

And when you think about it, which action hurts the NFL more in the long run? I think in 10 years, we'll all remember a tainted SB win more than Hardy

[Jordysghost]

Lmao with every word uttered by Kraft and the Patriots they dig themselves deeper and deeper into a whole, this is becoming quite hilarious.

[jackal]

I don't care what happens in the courts...everyone associated with that team and those four wins
is going to questioned, as they should ....Cheaters and liars

When you discipline a child and they throw a tantrum .. do you let them off ?? Nope

[Funkytown]

Ian Rapoport ✔@RapSheet
RT @dkaplanSBJ: Minnesota judge has ordered this morning the NFLPA lawsuit over Brady b transferred to Manhattan, where the NFL first filed

Mike Garafolo ✔@MikeGarafolo
Judge Kyle dropping the hammer on the NFLPA's claim for venue here

[Pseudo Everything]

Still think the league would have been better off to have deferred assessing any penalties until after they conducted their testing program this year. What happens if they find out that footballs psi naturally declines a little during games, especially those played in cold weather?

Got a feeling the league office will only be transparent with the results of that testing program if it supports the league's actions.

The NFLPA is also going to make a big deal out of the fact that a few years back the league disciplined a Jets equipment guy for messing with the K Balls but they didn't do anything for the kicker that it may have benefited.

The league's discipline needs to at least have the appearance of proportionality. Right now it's anything but that.

Jabari Price gets a two game suspension for his DUI (which he actually pled to a lesser charge of careless driving). That penalty is appropriate since it's part of the new drunk driving policy that went into effect this year. Levon Bell also gets the same two game suspension for his DUI but his was the result of marijuana (a banned substance) and he was in possession of marijuana when he was arrested. He pled guilty to both counts under a diversion program. How can those offenses both have the same penalty when Bell was in possession of a banned substance when he was arrested?

[jackal]

Yeah I agree the fines and suspensions need to be the same .. and any exceptions should go to a third party
with a set of standard exceptions listed for all players and teams.

[Mothman]

Deflategate, the gift that keeps on giving:

Mortensen to address initial #DeflateGate report on WEEI

Ah, but then...

Mortensen pulls plug on WEEI appearance

Mortensen was scheduled to appear on the Dennis & Callahan show at 7:45 a.m. ET, but he has canceled.

“You guys made a mistake by drumming up business for the show and how I would address my reporting for the first time,” Mortensen informed WEEI. “I will not allow WEEI, [Patriots owner Robert] Kraft or anybody to make me the centerpiece of a story that has been misreported far beyond anything I did in the first 48 hours. Maybe when the lawsuit is settled, in Brady’s favor, I hope, we can revisit. Don’t call.”

They tried to call him anyway. No answer.

I like and respect Mort. As Adam Schefter of ESPN said on WEEI on Thursday, Mortensen is a pioneer in this business. But his false report should be the centerpiece of the story. Because without that false report there is no story. More specifically, without that false report, there is no finding of cheating.

[GoldenBear91]

Right on. Side by side visual aide makes it clear. Total nonsense to punish both players with same punishment. Period.

[fiestavike]

Right on. Side by side visual aide makes it clear. Total nonsense to punish both players with same punishment. Period.

I think its obvious that the integrity of the game is and should be of greater concern to the NFL than the off the field conduct of the players. Whether deflate gate constituted cheating or not is a separate issue. This side by side of Hardy and Brady is just a goofy non sequitur. Pure rubbish.

[Jordysghost]

Yea, I agree Fiesta, i mean, how many times does a team need to be caught cheating before it is an issue.

[fiestavike]

Yea, I agree Fiesta, i mean, how many times does a team need to be caught cheating before it is an issue.

Frankly, that's not what I'm saying. I am too prejudiced against Brady and the Patriots to be fully objective and I've tried to refrain from taking much of a position on this particular scandal. I don't know if its a legitimate scandal or not, but the point I was making is that accusations of cheating are logically of greater importance to the legitimacy of the NFL than off field actions. I'm not saying the NFL should have zero reaction to criminal activity among its players, but its obviously less inherently critical to the integrity of the game than cheating.