Four game suspension for Tom Brady
- Thread starter UKErik
- Start date
We have multiple issues here at play.
-deflating some balls really isn't a huge infraction but it is against the rules. This violation alone isn't worthy of this sentence.
-the larger violation was how the Patriots and Brady handled the situation. First, they lied to the NFL by saying that nothing happened. Then they interfered with the investigation. The Patriots organization didn't allow the investigator access to some of the equipment personnel and some of the video records. Brady didn't give his cell phone and email records. This was the infraction that really got them in trouble.
Had the Patriots and Brady came out and admitted early on the penalty would be far, far less.
-deflating some balls really isn't a huge infraction but it is against the rules. This violation alone isn't worthy of this sentence.
-the larger violation was how the Patriots and Brady handled the situation. First, they lied to the NFL by saying that nothing happened. Then they interfered with the investigation. The Patriots organization didn't allow the investigator access to some of the equipment personnel and some of the video records. Brady didn't give his cell phone and email records. This was the infraction that really got them in trouble.
Had the Patriots and Brady came out and admitted early on the penalty would be far, far less.
Now as to the acts of the NFL....man, they didn't handle the situation well either. I would've caught them and not allowed any football to have been played on non-regulation balls.
As far as the severity of the sentence.....Goodell has been getting better lately with being more consistent. However, he has a lengthy history of inconsistent penalties. So, really with no consistent precedents in the past it's hard to judge if this sentence is just or not.
As far as the severity of the sentence.....Goodell has been getting better lately with being more consistent. However, he has a lengthy history of inconsistent penalties. So, really with no consistent precedents in the past it's hard to judge if this sentence is just or not.
I am not a huge fan of the NFL, seldom watch it. But with that being said, the Patriots were involved in cheating and covering up that cheating by playing the "didnt know" card, which turned out to not be true. The bigger issue I see here is an organization have been caught cheating multiple times and the league had to send a message. A million dollars is not much to an NFL team, but Brady being suspended for a forth of the season and not only the number 1 pick, but another draft pick too, is a pretty stern statement. About the only thing they could have added was limiting the ability to sign free agents, they can overcome losing draft picks by going that route. I think it would have been enough if the first offense, but they are habitual cheaters, should have crippled them for a few years, but that would have took away from what really matters, cash flow.
I think Brady's suspension will be reduced to 2 games after an appeal. I think the Pats still lose their $ and multiple draft picks.
Being that this is a systemic cheating issue regarding the Pats (in playoffs no less) - they got off light. Money isn't a penalty, $1M is like 3 seconds of TV air.
Brady should be suspended for half the year, especially because he didn't cooperate with investigators. F him.
I just don't see what the big deal is. The outcry against the Patriots and Brady has more to do with hatred of them then of this overblown injustice against humanity. People are acting like Brady was boiling kittens in a vat of oil in the locker room instead of what was actually done. I just wish people cared more about things that actually mattered instead of 2 psi in a freaking football.
You have a kid, one who rarely gets in trouble. She messes up, does something stupid but relatively harmless. You find out, and when you ask her about it she comes clean. The punishment is light.
You have another child, one who has been pushing boundaries and in trouble since she was a toddler. She does the exact same thing as the other kid, but when you ask this one, she lies about it. The offense is still relatively harmless, but you're tired of the act. This punishment is not so light.....
IOW, not surprising.....
You have another child, one who has been pushing boundaries and in trouble since she was a toddler. She does the exact same thing as the other kid, but when you ask this one, she lies about it. The offense is still relatively harmless, but you're tired of the act. This punishment is not so light.....
IOW, not surprising.....
Am I the only one who thinks it's ridiculous that the NFL doesn't provide the game balls for each game? It's pretty stupid to me that each team can use their own and that they have a PSI range.
The NFL should provide each game with game balls that are aired to a single PSI. No PSI range, no use the ones you brought from your place, no use the ones at your home stadium.
God forbid the NFL have to provide the one thing that the game revolves around for each game, and police the footballs themselves.
The NFL should provide each game with game balls that are aired to a single PSI. No PSI range, no use the ones you brought from your place, no use the ones at your home stadium.
God forbid the NFL have to provide the one thing that the game revolves around for each game, and police the footballs themselves.
They do police them. The officials check the pressure before the game and gives the balls back to the ball boy. That's when the "deflate" was done. I agree with punishment. Brady wouldn't cooperate and the NFL hierarchy would have been roasted by the other owners if nothing had been done.
Who the hell cares about the bs...deflated footballs and it is national news...Really...what the hell is this country coming to and half these people couldn't tell you who the vice president is or their congressman for that matter...
I understand that the NFL polices the footballs, but that is not my point. The NFL should provide one set of game balls to be used by BOTH teams each game. One unified set of balls would deter this kind of stuff from happening as the opposing team would also be getting the same advantage by using the SAME SET OF FOOTBALLS.
Maybe it still happens, its never going to be perfect as long as each team has their own ball boys, but like I said it would help deter it. One unified set of footballs, if nothing else has two teams playing with a set of deflated footballs, not one.
This is a sports board. It's national sports news. If you want to discuss world politics then there is an arena for that.
Somebody explain to me about the accusations that the Patriots have hacked into the opponents wireless head sets and was listening to the play calling. That was on national radio the other day.
I'm still just baffled by the dumbest play call in the history of sports when Carroll wanted to pass instead of punch it in for the victory
I'm still just baffled by the dumbest play call in the history of sports when Carroll wanted to pass instead of punch it in for the victory
I'm no fan of the NEP's from, owner to coach to QB... All three are unscrupulous... They will do what they can get away with and rationalize it as "it's business".
Not uncommon by any stretch... We all know the type... What sets them apart is that they're so good at what they do the stupid stuff of no consequence seems to come into play with them more than those who are doing the same thing with lesser results... So while I can't stand them, I don't see the tactics they use as being all that consequential towards winning games... It just shows who they are... Three asshats really good at what they do.
Not uncommon by any stretch... We all know the type... What sets them apart is that they're so good at what they do the stupid stuff of no consequence seems to come into play with them more than those who are doing the same thing with lesser results... So while I can't stand them, I don't see the tactics they use as being all that consequential towards winning games... It just shows who they are... Three asshats really good at what they do.
I don't know of any level that uses the same set of game balls, in HS lots of teams use different brands. I understand the NFL all teams use the same brand of ball, and they are suppose to be the same, but they just aren't. A qb can have 10 balls of the same brand and will like how one of them "feels" better than the other 9 and a different qb will like how a different one in that set of 10 feels. So I understand why teams want to use their own set of balls. But what could be done is turn them over to officials and not return them to equiptment managers employed by the teams.
It will be appealed and reduced...to 2 games. The fine will stay, loss of picks (not a big deal to the Patriots IMO as they are so much smarter than everyone else at finding diamonds in the rough in the draft), etc. The Patriots legacy continues to be tainted but in the end no one will care, Brady is arguable the GOAT QB now and same with Yoda as HC.
You don't think Brady's legacy is tainted now? You think this is the first time Brady has had them deflate balls? He didn't find a competitive advantage within the rule book. He blatantly cheated.
Maybe I'm confused, did one team use a deflated ball and the other use an inflated ball?If it was such an advantage, and again I am no fan of the Patriots, why didn't the opposing QB complain or again why didn't the officials notice? Air, who knew it could cause so many problems. lol
IMHO this is worse than gambling on sports, which got Pete Rose a lifetime ban from MLB. Throw the book at Brady and the Patriots!!!
Disagree. Sure there are those who just don't like the patriots but I would venture to guess that the majority of those that are outspoken about this is the fact they did in fact Cheat. Any time a rule is broken it is cheating, whether minor or major. Sad part is they didn't even have to cheat to win. Using the deflated balls in the first half they led 17-7 at halftime and using regulated balls in the 2nd half they outscored the colts 28-0.
Any time you are caught cheating there should be major consequences and the fact that the patriots just had spy gate a few years back makes them a repeat offender which is flirting with the integrity of the game. These are just the times they have been caught, what else are they doing?
I think the penalty should have been more severe. I would have banned the Patriots from postseason play next year. There simply is no room in sports for cheating.
And that has to be one of the dumbest allowances in sport....
The point I've been trying to make.
You don't see basketball with ball boys on the end lines handing a respective team a different basketball every time they go to inbound because they don't like the way one feels. It sounds stupid, but it could very easily be done.
Every other sport has set a standard at each level of how the game ball is aired, weigh, etc. Yet the NFL says, "Bring your own, and and make sure they're between this PSI and this PSI."........
With the amount of money on the line in today's NFL to win games and championships it's stupid they don't unify the football situation, set a single psi for the football and tell QBs to learn to play with it.
Home team furnishes the ball for BB games, 2 relatively equal teams playing home team always seems to have the edge, in the NBA home team has huge edges. Rumor has it some schools snug the rims a little tighter cause the ball to come off the rim a little harder, would that just be a random thing or trying to creat an advantage? I agree there should be a better system in place, but I am not sure what it would be, new balls every game would be interesting because generally they are pretty slick, home team furnishing game balls, I would find the qb with the largest hands and inflate to the max every week. Get rid of team furnished ball boys and have an offical keep control of them, 2 if that's what it takes.
It's not as simple as that. In basketball, both teams touch the ball on a regular basis. In football, they don't. Also, as Grump alluded to, the home team chooses the ball anyway.
Also, the standards for footballs set by the NFL is quite extensive. It's not just the inflation rate, but there are only a few balls which actually meet the criteria every yr.
Now back to the main issue. It's not whether or not the inflation rule is just or not. It is a rule. It was violated. There was interference with the investigation. That's the issue here.
Wouldn't surprise me if they just suspend him for the 4 preseason games. Goodell can't have his golden boy miss a quarter of the season.
I think he got off light. It's the equivalent of corking your bat or doctoring the baseball. It's cheating and he knows it is. No telling how long he's been doing it. The Patriots have been caught cheating before and now again. It's what they do.
Evidently the old playground slogan "Cheaters Never Win" Just isn't so. I do not think the action taken is stiff enough. This is a team that has proven by its past action that it doesn't mind cheating to gain a competitive advantage. IMO they should not be allowed to compete in the play offs this season. The least I would have done would have been to take away their home field advantage for the entire play offs. I would have also put them on notice if they are caught cheating again "Three Times Losers" that their football program would be shut down for a year.
Grump this is probably the most logical way to make sure this doesn't happen again. The current system could still be used and the integrity of the balls would be safe in the hands of a neutral party throughout the game. Would the NFL drop the extra dollars to employee these league ball boys though? After this mess it seems it would be a no brainer.
My apologies for getting a little of topic from the thread, but I feel a little proactive thinking on the leagues behalf could have avoided this whole thing. I agree that the Patriots and Brady should be punished. You broke a rule, and there are consequences. The suspension will probably be reduced, but the team stuff will stand.
Why? It's pretty much the standard at every level. Should mlb provide the bats for every game?
