The Official *NFL* thread

[murd0c]

I'm aware, they said what the public wants to hear. If they said they find the Pats didn't do a think the public would be saying the NFL is trying to still cover it up. That being said that shit doesn't matter any more. The Superbowl was one of the best ever and in the future they will be more aware of the balls being used in the game.

[SkinnyPupp]

Kraft and Bellichick were found to likely not have known anything

Did you read any of the report or are you just blabbing nonsense

[iEatClams]

Brady will most likely win his appeal if he were to get suspended.

As mentioned early in this thread, they won by a huge margin, colts wouldn't have won anyways.

Lastly, IN THE SUPERBOWL, the balls were not altered in any way, and the PATRIOTS BEAT THE SEAHAWKS.

[SkinnyPupp]

The results are irrelevant people

[punkwax]

Patriots are guilty (again) and I'd bet money Belichick knew as well but was cleared because there was no solid evidence to the contrary.. in professional sports if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying, right?

IMO, really, the NFL should not let teams use their own balls to begin with. I imagine the rules will change because of this happening.. game balls will be controlled by the league and handed out by officials to ensure a level playing field.

Mitch Berger was on 1040 earlier this morning openly admitting to paying equipment guys $500 to get the ball on the bench early to work/alter them to his liking. He pretty much said every team cheats and really (unfortunately) micromanagement by the league is the only way to slow it down. NFL certainly makes enough money to employ/dedicate people to enforce such things!

[iEatClams]

should jerry rice have his titles stripped because he admitted to using stickum?

everyone is trying to cheat in some way. not saying it's okay cause everyone did it. But I just feel too many people are just hating on the patriots. haters going to hate i guess.

and im a seahawks fan. Give credit to the pats, they won the game. not going to be a sore loser about it.

I'm still pissed about the seahawks - steelers superbowl game a few years back. . now that I have my hate on. No credit to steelers at all. damn refs!!

[Hot Karl]

it's about perception. you can't have 1 of your biggest stars getting caught.

just like spygate. everyone does this. but if you get caught holding the bag nfl will use you as an example.

sean payton was suspended for a year because of ignorance of the bountygate scandal. so it'll be bullshit if belichik escapes a suspension on those grounds alone.

i don't know anyone who's talking about the patriots superbowl win as tainted. besides the fact that it was against the colts who they dismantled so completely it's a non issue.

irsay has a history of being a little bitch. the colts cry every time they get dismantled by the patriots and make rule changes. irsay is also on the rules committee.

disclaimer: seahawks fan.

[SkinnyPupp]

Twitter

Not bad... Was hoping for a full season suspension but this is better than the slap on the wrist you might expect.

[quasi]

I honestly thought it would be 1 maybe 2 games at most. The only problem I have with it is it's double what Ray Rice got for beating his wife. I guess the biggest lesson here is the NFL frowns upon you beating your spouse but it REALLY doesn't want you to have any knowledge about someone deflating balls.

[SkinnyPupp]

Can't really compare the two, as they fall under different categories. One is under their morality rules "don't make us look bad" and one is literally cheating which ruins the game itself.

This is more like a PED suspension, which 4 games is comparable.

[Z3guy]

I think people are missing the point. Did the deflated balls play a role in the afc title game against the colts? Heck no! I have no problem with the deflated balls, the issue for me is that he did not own up to it and obstructed the investigation. If he just took responsibility for it this would have gone away a long time ago. Now, no matter how small the infraction was, he will be labelled a cheater and people will always question what else did he cheat on? The fact he is mentioned in the same sentence as Barry bonds and lance Armstrong is the true tragedy. Our society luvs to see a superstar fall from their pedestal.

[Mike Oxbig]

They should strip Patriots superbowl win

[pastarocket]

Originally Posted by Z3guy

I think people are missing the point. Did the deflated balls play a role in the afc title game against the colts? Heck no! I have no problem with the deflated balls, the issue for me is that he did not own up to it and obstructed the investigation. If he just took responsibility for it this would have gone away a long time ago. Now, no matter how small the infraction was, he will be labelled a cheater and people will always question what else did he cheat on? The fact he is mentioned in the same sentence as Barry bonds and lance Armstrong is the true tragedy. Our society luvs to see a superstar fall from their pedestal.

As a Patriots fan, I don't condone what happened during Deflategate. What is worse is that Belicheat has done far worse things like spying on teams with a camera. Remember spygate?

The four game suspension for Brady is fair. Somebody on the team definitely knew about the deflation. However, the Pats are still Superbowl champions. You cannot take the Lombardi trophy away from this organization!
Ball pressure was checked during the Superbowl. No cheating in the championship game.

Just serve the suspension and move on.

[quasi]

Adrian Peterson returns to Minnesota Vikings

Looks like Peterson has finally agreed to report. I'm a huge Vikes fan, obviously was a huge Peterson fan but I'm so over his bullshit as of late. He was leaving the team in limbo as a money play because after this year his money isn't guaranteed. So let me get this straight, you sign a contract, take all the bonuses and upfront money as well as the guaranteed money and then threaten to sit out or demand a trade because the rest of your contact that you agreed to in good faith isn't guaranteed?

The Vikes are better with him then without him but the guy is a tremendous asshole and a selfish prick.

[pastarocket]

A couple of big contracts for some wide receivers today. The contracts for Thomas and Bryant are similar:

Dez signs a 5 year 70 million dollar contract, 20 million signing bonus, 23 million guaranteed money: Dez Bryant, Cowboys agree to five-year contract - NFL.com

-not close to MegaTron's contract but still a huge pay raise


http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...as-for-5-years

The Broncos and WR Demaryius Thomas have agreed to a five year, $70 million dollar deal, per NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport.

Denver had used the franchise tag on Thomas, a one-year tender which would have paid him $12.823 million. Thomas sought a long term deal, however, and the sides had until Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET to get one done, or else Thomas would have only been able to play under the one-year tag.

[quasi]

Looks like Brady's Suspension is getting upheld for now.

Roger Goodell upholds Tom Brady suspension - NFL.com

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has upheld Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on integrity of the game, the league announced Tuesday.

The full final decision from Goodell can be read here, although it doesn't necessarily end this saga. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that Brady will sue. Brady's camp will seek an injunction on this suspension to try to keep Brady on the field.

"The NFLPA will appeal this outrageous decision on behalf of Tom Brady," the player's association said in a statement. The suit will be filed Wednesday in Minnesota, per Rapoport.

Goodell indicated that Brady's destruction of evidence was a factor in upholding the suspension.

"The most significant new information that emerged in connection with the appeal was evidence that on or about March 6, 2015 -- the very day that he was interviewed by Mr. (Ted) Wells and his investigated team -- Mr. Brady instructed his assistant to destroy the cellphone that he had been using since early 2014, a period that included that AFC Championship Game and the initial weeks of the subsequent investigation," Goodell wrote in the final decision on the appeal.

"During the four months that the cell phone was in use, Brady had exchanged nearly 10,000 text messages, none of which can now be retrieved from that device. The destruction of the cell phone was not disclosed until June 18, almost four months after the investigators had first sought electronic information from Brady."

The Patriots released a statement Tuesday saying they are "extremely disappointed" in Goodell's decision.

"Most would agree that the penalties levied originally were excessive and unprecedented, especially in light of the fact that the league has no hard evidence of wrongdoing," the Patriots' statement continues. "We continue to unequivocally believe in and support Tom Brady.

"We also believe that the laws of science continue to underscore the folly of this entire ordeal. Given all of this, it is incomprehensible as to why the league is attempting to destroy the reputation of one of its greatest players and representatives."

NFL Media's Judy Battista reported that the NFL and Brady's side had some discussions about reducing his suspension to one game with multiple game checks as a fine. But sources involved in the negotiations say that conversation was a non-starter because Brady's side wanted records sealed.

The four-time Super Bowl winner is eligible to play Week 6 in Indianapolis against the Colts. Jimmy Garoppolo, who played sparingly as Brady's backup last year, is expected to start the team's first four games of the season. Brady remains eligible for training camp and the preseason.

Rapoport reported earlier Tuesday that the NFL and NFLPA exchanged offers for a potential settlement for Brady's suspension. However, Brady was not willing to accept any offer that included him sitting out games, and the league almost certainly wanted an acknowledgement of contrition from Brady.

Brady was suspended on May 11 after a report by Ted Wells, an investigator contracted by the league, asserted Brady's connection to the deflation of footballs used in the AFC Championship Game, which the Patriots won, 45-7. Wells did not allege that Brady himself improperly handled the footballs, but the investigator wrote that he believed Brady was "at least generally aware" of the alleged involvement of Patriots staff in deflating the footballs. Wells also noted that Brady did not fully cooperate with his requests during the investigation.

The Patriots franchise was also handed down discipline stemming from the incident, but owner Robert Kraft ultimately chose not to fight those sanctions, which included a $1 million fine and the loss of a 2016 first-round pick and 2017 fourth-round selection.

[Z3guy]

^ If Brady wasn't such a douche and just owned up to it, deflategate would have been nothing. Instead he put Goodell in a corner in which Goodell came out swinging and informed the public about Brady's evidence tampering (destroyed his phone the day before he met with Wells). Haha, now Brady's sponsorships and legacy is down the toilet....eventhough he is probably the best qb ever with 4 Superbowls, he will always be remembered as a cheater!

[SkinnyPupp]

Fuck Tom Brady and the Patriots. Glad the suspension is being upheld. Even more info came out too, showing that he actually had his phone destroyed after they requested to see the text messages on it. What a fucking douche

[murd0c]

Goodell is going to lose his job because of this and Brady prob won't even get a game now since it's going to the courts.

Here's Tom's response

I am very disappointed by the NFL’s decision to uphold the 4 game suspension against me. I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.

Despite submitting to hours of testimony over the past 6 months, it is disappointing that the Commissioner upheld my suspension based upon a standard that it was “probable” that I was “generally aware” of misconduct. The fact is that neither I, nor any equipment person, did anything of which we have been accused. He dismissed my hours of testimony and it is disappointing that he found it unreliable.


I also disagree with yesterdays narrative surrounding my cellphone. I replaced my broken Samsung phone with a new iPhone 6 AFTER my attorneys made it clear to the NFL that my actual phone device would not be subjected to investigation under ANY circumstances. As a member of a union, I was under no obligation to set a new precedent going forward, nor was I made aware at any time during Mr. Wells investigation, that failing to subject my cell phone to investigation would result in ANY discipline.

Most importantly, I have never written, texted, emailed to anybody at anytime, anything related to football air pressure before this issue was raised at the AFC Championship game in January. To suggest that I destroyed a phone to avoid giving the NFL information it requested is completely wrong.

To try and reconcile the record and fully cooperate with the investigation after I was disciplined in May, we turned over detailed pages of cell phone records and all of the emails that Mr. Wells requested. We even contacted the phone company to see if there was any possible way we could retrieve any/all of the actual text messages from my old phone. In short, we exhausted every possibility to give the NFL everything we could and offered to go thru the identity for every text and phone call during the relevant time. Regardless, the NFL knows that Mr. Wells already had ALL relevant communications with Patriots personnel that either Mr. Wells saw or that I was questioned about in my appeal hearing. There is no “smoking gun” and this controversy is manufactured to distract from the fact they have zero evidence of wrongdoing.

I authorized the NFLPA to make a settlement offer to the NFL so that we could avoid going to court and put this inconsequential issue behind us as we move forward into this season. The discipline was upheld without any counter offer. I respect the Commissioners authority, but he also has to respect the CBA and my rights as a private citizen. I will not allow my unfair discipline to become a precedent for other NFL players without a fight.

Lastly, I am overwhelmed and humbled by the support of family, friends and our fans who have supported me since the false accusations were made after the AFC Championship game. I look forward to the opportunity to resume playing with my teammates and winning more games for the New England Patriots.

[quasi]

Originally Posted by murd0c

Goodell is going to lose his job because of this and Brady prob won't even get a game now since it's going to the courts.

Here's Tom's response

Peterson went to the courts and was found to be in the right but he never got in front of a judge until after the season was over. I'd be surprised if Brady see's a judge in 2015, it will be long after his suspension is served unless they get some sort of injunction that lets him play in the meantime.

[Z3guy]

If Tom Brady takes this to federal court, he is putting himself at even greater personal risk. You are under oath. The equipment guys will obviously be subpoenaed and risk going to jail if they lie......either way Tom does not have many options......he's doubling down if he goes to Federal Court......

[pastarocket]

C'mon Brady, suck it up and accept the four game suspension.

[Shayan4440]

Am I the only one that thinks this whole thing is stupid? Regardless of what happened, this whole incident just reflects poorly on the league from an optics point-of-view. Even if Brady and the Patriots staff had a part in the deflating of those footballs, the Patriots still won by a margin of 38 points so why is it even a big issue? If it was a tight game, it would be understandable, but at this point, no one is a winner.

[quasi]

It's much deeper then just deflating the balls so many factors. All the shit that happened last year with Rice & Peterson, Brady lieing about knowing anything about the balls being deflated, conveniently "breaking" his phone when everyone knew he had damaging texts on it. I do agree the pressure of the ball didn't impact that game at all but I don't think anyone with half a brain believes that the Patriots were not deflating balls and circumventing the rules. Goodell wants to look like he takes punishment seriously and doesn't play favorites after dropping the ball on Ray Rice. The Patriots have been doing this for a while, the Colts complained before they even played the game and told the NFL to check the balls which is how the whole thing started.

[Z3guy]

Originally Posted by Shayan4440

Am I the only one that thinks this whole thing is stupid? Regardless of what happened, this whole incident just reflects poorly on the league from an optics point-of-view. Even if Brady and the Patriots staff had a part in the deflating of those footballs, the Patriots still won by a margin of 38 points so why is it even a big issue? If it was a tight game, it would be understandable, but at this point, no one is a winner.

maybe you should educate yourself on the topic before responding. This has nothing to do with deflating footballs now......it is now about evidence tampering and obstructing justice. Brady could have easily cleared his name if he just provided the texts from the balls boys and himself. Instead he decided to destroy his phone before his interview with the league. Brady claimed it is common practice for him to dstroy his phones every 4-5 months, but the he still has 2 other phones that were not destroyed.....it is Brady's arrogance that's got him in this mess......