(09-03-2015, 01:46 PM)Bmoreblitz Wrote: Some people are getting too caught up in the notion of trying to determine guilt vs innocence, which is NOT what this proceeding was about or likely what any future proceedings will be about.

If this was a civil case, which it has to be, you only need a preponderance of evidence. Some would assume they had that. I think the point of criticism about the arbitrary nature of the suspensions is valid, I just don't like the outcome of 0 games.

(09-03-2015, 01:42 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: That wasn't an option. That's why he had them get together several times and try to come to a resolution. He was only ever going to rule 0 games or 4 games.

Well it was said he'd take shorter for interfering with the investigation...not for "cheating".

But why interfere if you didn't "cheat"?

(09-03-2015, 01:58 PM)GMDino Wrote: Well it was said he'd take shorter for interfering with the investigation...not for "cheating".

But why interfere if you didn't "cheat"?

Don't know what could have been going on in Brady's head that would lead them to say that.

Strictly speaking on the judge, it would only be a yes or no, regarding the suspension.

First time offender goes before the Judge on a charge of petty theft. Judge says, "Conduct detrimental to society. Two years in prison". That Judge's name...Roger Goodell.


This story is a work of fiction.



Mostly.

(09-03-2015, 01:22 PM)MrRager Wrote: Apparently, he turned down a one game suspension for admitting guilt. 

We don't really know what was offered by both sides. We can assume that Tom wants to protect his legacy by not admitting guilt, and I don't see anything wrong with that. The Wells Report never produced any direct evidence linking Tom to the deflating, it just said he was generally aware, which put his integrity into question. Like if you knew a team mate was using steroids but didnt say anything. Is that a punishable offense, because its never been before this.  Handing out a 4 game suspension for saying that we knew about something but didnt do anything is really freaking weak.

If you thought that an NFL funded "impartial" investigation was going to clear Brady of this, then youre pretty misguided. Any investigation that didn't result in the blame being placed on Tom or the Patriots was one the NFL isn't interested in. They had Tom pegged from the get go, and needed him to go down to save face after the beatings they took last year with all of the domestic abuse crap. They wanted it to be quick, and thats exactly what they didn't get. If you guys weren't aware this is a HUGE blow to the league.... I mean HUGE.

How they respond to this will be interesting, do they appeal request a stay of the suspension and try to drag it out, potentially resulting in a bigger black mark on the leagues credibility, or just take loss tuck their tails and ride this out for a little while? Goodell seems like a power hungry egotistical prick, and hes a direct representation of the majority of owners, so my guess is that they'll fight this at another level. To get back to the original point I don't fault Tom for sticking to his guns, it worked out for him. People can say all day that hes a cheater, but theres not proof out there that exists, so maybe thats enough for Tom to hang his laurels on. You can scream it all day that Brady cheated, but all he has to say is prove it to shut you up.

We all know he had to have something to do with it... I mean a guy who handles a football for a living should know what a regulation weight is and isn't.

Nice! Steelers go 0-1. As a Bengals fan, I like it. As a football fan.....he deserves some sort of punishment.

(09-03-2015, 02:27 PM)Gamma Ray Tan Wrote: Nice! Steelers go 0-1. As a Bengals fan, I like it. As a football fan.....he deserves some sort of punishment.

Well, the Patriots still lose their 1st rounder next year, and a 4th the next year.

If I were a Pats fan I'd still be pissed about this.

(09-03-2015, 02:36 PM)Stormborn Wrote: Well, the Patriots still lose their 1st rounder next year, and a 4th the next year.

If I were a Pats fan I'd still be pissed about this.

Pretty steep if you ask me, but then again this isn't the first time the Patriots organization has been called into question. Punishing the franchise as a whole was the right thing to do, but Brady not so much. Hitting the Pats like that should have been where it ended. We wouldn't have wasted tax payer dollars paying a federal judge to settle a private matter.

Reading up on this, the ruling makes sense. It's not about Brady's involvement but rather the practice of these investigations and suspensions.

It's similar to Richard Sherman's piss test appeal. He wasn't found not guilty, they just said the procedures were wrong and nullified the punishment.

(09-03-2015, 11:29 AM)CKwi88 Wrote: Breaking news on NFL.com (and I imagine just about every other major sports network)


Not surprised. The NFL really screwed themselves over on this one.

Do you seriously think this is the end?

NFL will appeal.
NFL will likely win the appeal.

Then Brady will appeal and we will be discussing this again in 2016

(09-03-2015, 02:59 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: Do you seriously think this is the end?

NFL will appeal.
NFL will likely win the appeal.

Then Brady will appeal and we will be discussing this again in 2016

Actually NFL will likely lose the appeal. The ruling today is quite detailed and demonstrates issue after issue with how this was handled. Plus this was the NFL's hand picked judge and he spanked them.

If they have common sense they will approach the NFLPA about a revised structure where there are clearly articulated policies, no attempts to "sting" people (especially when there was no policy in place to break), impartiality (the entire Wells report process was biased in favor of the league) and so forth.

(09-03-2015, 02:59 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: Do you seriously think this is the end?

NFL will appeal.
NFL will likely win the appeal.

Then Brady will appeal and we will be discussing this again in 2016

Unfortunately no, it is certainly not the end, Goodell is just digging his own grave deeper and deeper. He should have taken the one game for non-cooperation, and cut his losses. Every day/week/month that this saga goes on is just more and more embarrassment for the NFL. The NFL is now losing in the court of public opinion. The' opinions on Brady are pretty much established already. Any semblance of this being about the "integrity of the game" was over about four or five months ago, now it is just about Goodell's ego. 

(09-03-2015, 02:59 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: Do you seriously think this is the end?

NFL will appeal.
NFL will likely win the appeal.

Then Brady will appeal and we will be discussing this again in 2016

The NFL won't win the appeal.

They have to decide whether they want more egg on their attempted 'saved face' or if they want to put a wrap on this and revisit the CBA next time around (which they will and could end up in a lengthy lockout).

(09-03-2015, 03:09 PM)Joelist Wrote: Actually NFL will likely lose the appeal. The ruling today is quite detailed and demonstrates issue after issue with how this was handled. Plus this was the NFL's hand picked judge and he spanked them.

If they have common sense they will approach the NFLPA about a revised structure where there are clearly articulated policies, no attempts to "sting" people (especially when there was no policy in place to break), impartiality (the entire Wells report process was biased in favor of the league) and so forth.

The NFL seems to win every appeal because of the latitude given to Goodell in the CBA, the CBA that was agreed upon by all players.

I am not saying Goodell does not have too much power, but Smith and the players screwed up signing the CBA.

The judge laid out some great points, but the NFL will counter Brady destroyed his phone (sound familiar Hillary or any guilty person) and thus hurt the integrity of the game. They will argue the judge is 100% wrong according to the CBA, they have great lawyers so whether I agree or not, I bet they win.

At a minimum, they will appeal and keep Brady's integrity on display. Let's face it, innocent people don't destroy potential evidence. Innocent people cooperate as they know they are 100% innocent. I think anyone who knows how this played out common sense tells them he did something and is not innocent.

(09-03-2015, 03:23 PM)Luvnit2 Wrote: The NFL seems to win every appeal because of the latitude given to Goodell in the CBA, the CBA that was agreed upon by all players.

I am not saying Goodell does not have too much power, but Smith and the players screwed up signing the CBA.

The judge laid out some great points, but the NFL will counter Brady destroyed his phone (sound familiar Hillary or any guilty person) and thus hurt the integrity of the game. They will argue the judge is 100% wrong according to the CBA, they have great lawyers so whether I agree or not, I bet they win.

At a minimum, they will appeal and keep Brady's integrity on display. Let's face it, innocent people don't destroy potential evidence. Innocent people cooperate as they know they are 100% innocent. I think anyone who knows how this played out common sense tells them he did something and is not innocent.

You really need to cut the bullshit with the politics in Jungle Noise and Around the NFL. You throw in these little jabs just like you did on the old board at Democratic politicians and it adds absolutely nothing except for derailing a thread because someone, me in this case, finds it completely unnecessary and irrelevant to the conversation and the rest of your post. You could have easily just said "or any guilty person". Totally unnecessary to throw that stuff in like you've been known to do in the past.

We get it, you dislike certain politicians, but go take it to PnR and let those guys rip you a new asshole instead of adding that shit in here.

Ballboys wouldn't mess with the greatest quarterback of all time's footballs without his permission.  

How would they even know how he liked them?

Unbelievable that it was nullified, but typical.

(09-03-2015, 03:53 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: Ballboys wouldn't mess with the greatest quarterback of all time's footballs without his permission.  

How would they even know how he liked them?

Unbelievable that it was nullified, but typical.

It's really not unbelievable at all.

The NFL just had a bunch of circumstantial evidence and Goodell gave out a harsher punishment than the league's own rule book states they should for tampering with equipment. The NFL was damned as soon as the case went into a real court room.

(09-03-2015, 03:53 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: Ballboys wouldn't mess with the greatest quarterback of all time's footballs without his permission.  

How would they even know how he liked them?

Unbelievable that it was nullified, but typical.

This had nothing to do with any misconduct related to ball deflation. If you would have been following, it was about the validity of the punishment handed out. Did Tom Brady deserve to be punished because he was found "generally aware" of balls being tampered with and was the 4 game punishment fair?

A guys first offense for an unprecedented crime? Is 4 games really necessary. No it wasn't the judge was right.