Well, well. The NFL finally got around to handing out the Deflategate punishments and I think the punishments are pretty decent for the “crimes” committed. As we discussed last week, the NFL’s independent investigation found that Tom Brady likely had knowledge of the deflated footballs, and there were certain equipment people at the Patriots organization with knowledge as well. Here’s how the punishments were allocated:
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2015 NFL season for conduct detrimental to the integrity of the NFL, the league announced Monday. The team will also lose its first-round draft pick in 2016 and its fourth-round draft pick in 2017.
Team employees James McNally and John Jastremski, at the suggestion of Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft, were both suspended indefinitely without pay effective May 6. If either McNally or Jastremski are reinstated by the team, which would require the approval of NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent, Jastremski will be prohibited from “having any role in the preparation, supervision, or handling of footballs to be used in NFL games during the 2015 season,” the announcement said.
Brady has three days to file his appeal.
The suspension means Brady will miss games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys. The first game on the Patriots’ 2015 schedule that Brady will be eligible to play in will be on Oct. 18 against the Colts.
The Patriots also have to pay a $1 million fine, which is just pocket money for the Pats, but it’s still one of the largest fines in NFL history. Many are saying stuff like “if only the hammer would come down this hard on football players committing violence against women.” Yeah but… apples and oranges. I wish the NFL – and every sports organization – would take violence against women more seriously, and I wish they would all have zero tolerance policies in place for violent offenders. But that has nothing to do with Tom Brady lying his ass off and the Patriots cheating their way through games.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
Wishing I could have been a fly on the wall at Schloss Brady when Giselle heard the news.
Wow! Things about to get sloppy in the NFL! Now, the Patriots and other teams will start reporting all the cheating that’s been known about and shrugged off as part of a competitive edge in sports. Atlanta piping in stadium noise… Also the Colts cheating, ironically, (as they’re the ones who complained about the balls) cheating by pumping in artificial noise so offense can’t hear. This is actually going to get interesting. Goodell just opened a can of worms by handing out a ridiculous suspension for a “likely” not proven offense.
Aaron Rogers admitted he likes to pump up his balls. The Patriots play the Packers in the pre-season. Expect them to challenge Rogers.
My sympathies are with the fired team employees who probably made minimum wage for prepping Brady’s balls. (Well, you know….)
They have been scapegoated and Brady should pay them well for services rendered.
Lilac
Everyone who cheats should be punished. If you cheated, and even if you would have won if you hadn’t cheated, but still chose to, you should be stripped of all you gained while cheating. No exceptions. No tolerance.
Is that fair?
Exactly. Now everyone is going to rat everyone else out in the NFL. Get ready for your team to get spanked on something, whoever you root for! Ridiculous.
I’m not a big NFL fan, but I just have a hard time understanding how an organization can allow the competing teams to handle and prepare their own equipment like that. Its one thing if it is something like pads, but the game balls? Really?
@Florc, I have repeatedly answered you that cheating should be punished so I do not understand why you keep pretending otherwise and repeatedly ask the same question. I also have never made the argument that it didn’t matter because it didn’t affect the outcome, so I don’t understand why you keep putting that to me either. The Carolina Panthers and the San Diego Chargers were found by the NFL to have tampered with balls – same offense. One team received a warning, the other received a $20,000 fine. No four game suspensions. Punishments for cheating should be consistent in order to be fair, right? At least that’s what I keep reading in labor relations cases
This was pretty harsh considering there was really no proof of anything happening. How about the Colts balls that were found to be short psi–they didn’t even check all the balls but 75% were below regulation. I hope that the Pats and Tom sue the NFL for damages and libel. The NFL is run by nothing but a bunch of incompetent clowns
sour grapes
Lilac
You’ve not imo answered in full though. You go on about other teams doing it, but it comes off as deflection from Brady. This is about Brady and specific details.
All should get punished who cheat. And while we should have started sooner we can still start now.
You comments read imo as a type of justification to not punish almost. That others got away with it or just a slap on the wrists doesn’t mean Brady shouldn’t be treated like all should be treated who cheat. It needs to start somewhere.
@Florc, you are seeing things that are just not there and failing to see what is. Whether you like it or not, this is about what is allowed under the NFL contract, both in terms of behavior AND in terms of punishment for that behavior. I have never justified or condoned cheating. Since day one, I have repeatedly said punishment should be as the contract dictates; how you can possibly see that as an argument for no punishment is a mystery. My references to others are for fairness in discipline, which is standard in labor contract disputes. You talk about fairness but not when it comes to discipline at all. And what is with this “we?” Do you work for Roger Goodall? IMO, your comments read as a justification to punish excessively, beyond what has been done for the same misconduct to others. No arbitrator or judge would accept this argument of this as a “start” when discipline for the same offense has been handed down to others in the past that is so disparate in severity.
Yeah. Wonder what she has to say about this! I know! It’s the receiver’s fault.
I don’t think the punishment was adequate. The fact that one of the two employees referred to himself as ‘The Deflator’ tells me they didn’t come up with that nickname for one game…this has been going on with them for a while. It didn’t affect the outcome of the Colts game because the Colts didn’t bother to show up, but how about the Ravens game? How about the other 16 games? How many were close but the Pats won because they had a slight edge nobody else knew about? Maybe they wouldn’t have even made the playoffs playing honestly. I’m just glad my Giants not only whupped their azzes fair and square in 2 superbowls, but they deprived Shady and Belicheat of the undefeated season in 2007. The two of them will never have that opportunity again and I’ll bet it still bothers them. Oh yeah…and Tom’s starting to remind me of Lance Armstrong.
But what does Giselle think?
You know Dr Gisele only gives her opinion where it isn’t wanted
Haha!
I’m sure it won’t be long before she opens her big mouth and lets us know. She has to set us peasants straight.
Well, he can`t prep and throw the ball, so it`s so not his fault !
That they are victims….of course.
Or: What does the fox say?
Too harsh, evidence lacking and this action would not IMO affect the outcome of the Super Bowl win. Rice got 2 games suspension for beating his wife and he gets 4? What’s the gauge in the NFL? Not saying punishment wasn’t warranted but still too harsh
Harsh would be taking away the SB win. In this case the punishment fit the crime. Members involved with the Saints bountygate were punished and that punishment fit the crime as well. Was this major cheating, no, but it was still cheating.
Look on the bright side, he’s still a great QB and will be in the Hall of Fame, though with a tarnished image.
V4REAL,
They can’t take away the SB win because those balls were checked. They didn’t take away the Colt’s game win because the Patriots won that game with 4 touchdowns in the 2nd half with the proper, checked balls. That’s the bright side in all of this for the Patriots, is that the ball issue was discovered at halftime rather than after the game.
Actually the bright side of all of this is that the Patriots thrive off sh*t like this. They love being hated. So yeah, I’m pretty pumped for the upcoming season. Doesn’t hurt that Jimmy Garropolo is super-cute.
Also, what Hudsongirl said.
I’m on board with Hudson Girl and Kitten. Shit is about to get REAL!
But really, IMO, this is all about the NFL putting the uppity Patriots in their place for Spygate, not cooperating with the NFL in deflate gate and for Bellichick’s overall arrogance. I think Brady is taking the hit mainly for Bellichick’s behavior. You cannot tell me that BB didn’t approve of the deflated balls – heck, he was the one ordering it. Absolutely NOTHING happens without BB’s signed off approval on ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING.
But the NFL better beware of the Pandora’s Box of which they have opened wide. Just as Hudson Girl wrote, every team is going to complain about everything that could be even minutely considered against the rules. Eeesh. Games could become longer than Red Sox – Yankees extra innings!
Oh well. Can’t for the Celtics to be back in action.
Well, now that things are fresh in the public mind hopefully a closer eye will go to the Pats. And all teams really.
I know it’s nothing new to all sports, but i’m tired of watching rich teams that already have the best of the best still feel they need/want to cheat and continue to get supported by fans for it. Personally, I apply this to my everyday life. I won’t support cheaters and think those who do have no moral soap box to stand on.
@Kitten, yes! Jimmy!
@Hudsongirl. I know they can’t take away the SB win, I was just giving my opinion of what harsh would be.
The Pats are probably hated just as much as my beloved Yanks. When it was revealed or speculated that ARod was juicing I could have easily said well folks just love to hate on the Yanks because they hold the best record in baseball. Truth is ARod gave an advantage to himself as well as the team and his punishment was justified. I’m a die hard Yankees fan and I will defend my team as well. But how do you defend cheating. Cheating is cheating, no matter how big or small. ARod was wrong. His situation was not about hating the Yanks, it was about hating a cheater. This is not about hating the Pats, it’s about hating a player who cheated. This is the same QB who was there for Spygate. Some people are now wondering how many other times has he or the organization cheated but didn’t get caught. And yes I know that other teams cheat but The Pats have been caught twice. And just because other teams cheat, that doesn’t make it right. Football and other sports have lost its integrity.
Like many said, Brady is a great QB, so why cheat in the first place. And the real bright side is that he’s appealing so this punishment might not hold up.
BTW it seems like they were listening to Skip Bayless of “First Take who said Brady should be suspended for 4 games and the Pats should lose a first round draft pick.
Remember Watergate? It was a petty crime. What made it so bad was the coverup. Some similarities here.
But also lets be real. Its the second time the Pats got busted for cheating. The last time it was for illegally taping the Jets’ signals. Same thing happened. First complete denial…..but….it ultimately cost them $750K and a first rounder.
Apparently cheating abounds in sports. Whining that everyone does it — geez, didn’t our Moms drill into our heads that is no freaking excuse?
Apparently there is inconsistent enforcement. That is a problem. Enforcement should exist consistently. Period.
But if it doesn’t–please don’t whine about others. It simply is immature and infantile. Fix the system. There is no excuse for cheating. None whatsoever.
@Kitten…..You can bet TB and BB are going to be on fire when the season starts….How can the NFL suspend Brady, when in their report they say “He probably knew, that something may have been going on” WTF!!!!! How can anyond be found guilty of anything by that standard?????? “It’s more likely than not, that Brady knew” WHAT!!!!!! WHAT KIND OF PROOF IS THAT?????? I hope Tom sues the NFL…I hope The Patriots sue the NFL….Hell, I MIGHT SUE THE NFL!!!!!!! What a joke!!!!!
How can he be found guilty on a probably? The same way Sean Peyton was found guilty about bountygate. He said he had nothing to do with bountygate nor did he know about it. Still the league punished him by saying there is no way he didn’t know about it, yet they had no proof that he did. Though Sean is a liar.
But don’t cry for Brady he will be fine. Weep for the poor suckers who lost their job. I don’t see not one Pat fan saying they feel bad for them or defending them. It’s all about Golden Boy Brady. A very good looking Golden Boy at that.
I do love that it’s May in the midst of the NBA playoff and football is the main focus as of late.
I think the logic is Rice beating his wife, while disgusting, awful and criminal, doesn’t impact the sport in the same way as one of its star player’s and most popular teams being repeat offenders in terms of giving themselves advantages via cheating. Moreover, neither the team nor the player cooperated with the investigation thoroughly. This was done to set an example. Finally, Godell admitted they done goofed with the Rice situation; can’t really undo that now.
It’s likely on appeal the punishment for Brady will be reduced so don’t worry. I was surprised about the first round pick though since the report said the Pats organization wasn’t involved. I don’t even get why the Pats act so shady in general though. They’re so phenomenonally talented and don’t need these minor advantages.
The loss of the draft pick is standard punishment and is what experts predicted all along. The four day suspension to a player who has not been the subject of discipline previously is not standard.
I’m not worried. At all. Not even worried if Brady misses four games.
Agree. Violence against women is a far greater offense than deflating some footballs, but the prevue of the NFL and the commissioner falls squarely on events which occur on the field, not those that occur in a player’s private life. Ray Rice, and any other wife beater deserves the book thrown at them by the legal system. The job of the NFL commission is to promote and maintain good sportsmanship; Brady cheated, and whether that cheating truly affected the game is irrelevant, as that was clearly his intention. Hope they turn down his appeal and make him sit out the 4 games.
Kitten
Right. 4 games is a joke. And they won’t be make or break games. Just throw away games.
Epiphany
Yup! It’s not great, but that is how it goes for the NFL. Outside of the team their private lives don’t always cross over into that domain. It’s up to law.
Nothing you can do on a football field is worse than domestic abuse. If the logic of Ray Rice comparisons is taken to its natural conclusion, no punishment for cheating could get more than one week.
It brings me joy to see Pats fans readjusting from their impression that their team is morally superior than any other. Now they’re fighting the impression that they’re worse than any other team.
I thought the same thing until the NFL came out and said they factored in Spygate when they made this decision and then it made a little more sense. That was what, only 8 years ago? Not a good luck for the Pats, at all. Like others have said, I have a hard time believing that Tom Brady, even as integral as he is to that organization, knew about this and Belichick didn’t. I think both Brady and Belichick were still hurting over the SuperBowl loss in 2012, especially with Brady likely retiring in 2017, and they got a little desperate and more than a little greedy.
Not harsh since this comes at the heels of Spygate. This is the second offense. The punishment fits. It’s too bad the employees were fired because of Tommy’s request. Full disclosure, I’m from Tom’s hometown and I don’t condone this.
Harsh would have been taking back the Super Bowl win. How come no one cares about the
two guys who are suspended indefinitely? With no pay? It’s all about Golden Boy, Brady. He’ll survive. He’s cheated before, and will again. I think he is a world class cheat and jerk.
Sure, what’s a few deflated balls amongst …. people who are making each other rich? Lol
Some perspective on NFL punishment. Ben Roethlisberger also served a four game suspension for repeated charges of sexual assault. Ray Lewis was fined $250,000 for an obstruction of justice conviction in a double homicide (for which nobody has been convicted and Lewis himself is the prime suspect). So, Goodell equates using underinflated footballs with being a serial rapist and murder is a lesser offense.
Appeals will be filed and arbitrators will decide the actual outcome.
Some perspective: If people think the game itself is tainted, they won’t watch. If people think terrible humans play the game, they’ll still watch. This is about the integrity of the game, not the fact that some bad humans play the game. You can’t compare the two. I’m surprised about the 1st round pick. I’m not surprised about the rest of it. Repeat offender. Failure to cooperate. Tried to throw the guys making $50K a year under the bus. Let’s all move on.
I’m not surprised about the first round pick, that’s standard. The Jets just lost a pick for player tampering. People know the game is tainted and have known for a very long time.
But the Jets losing a pick is meaningless. Giving them a good pick at the draft is a waste of everybody’s time.
This is my big problem too. Teflon Tom will be fine. The Patriots will be fine. And the integrity of the game will be fine, just as it was after Spygate and after the Bounties. But it says an awful lot about Goodell that he values the game more than he does human life.
Psssssshhhhhhhh….
And that is the sound of Tom Brady’s balls deflating with this ruling.
Ha!
They will re-inflate after he undeservedly wins the appeal.
I still have to ask why they did it. They are clearly a talented team so why?
exactly.
i and fellow bostonians would like to know, too.
it doesn’t make sense, which makes me wonder what really went down.
the punishment is ridiculous…ridiculous!
we are behind tom brady no matter what.
don’t condone cheating, but we support him…the end.
well now, yeah, you do condone cheating if you support him.
just own it.
I’m from Boston and a Pats fan. I’m not behind Tom Brady. Pats fans need to stop treating Tom like some unpunishable God. Let’s be real, if he was on another team, we’d think this outcome was justified. And IT IS justified. It’s four flippin’ games. It could have been worse. He was a total ass and didn’t cooperate. Tom needs to just man up and set a good example. He f-cked up.
can’t own it.
i don’t condone it.
i will support my home team though.
that’s it.
The flaw in the logic.
What exactly are you supporting Tom for if you don’t condone cheating? Not only did he cheat, but he didn’t cooperate and lied. It’s hard to stand behind an athlete/person like that.
Just admit that Tom can do no wrong. Tom Brady could kick a puppy and all of Boston would be like “Well, he did what he had to do.”
My loyalty in the Pats (my home team) has diminished. Nobody condones cheating. But, by saying you support the team, makes it seem as though you support their decision to cheat.
I am disappointed in Tom Brady, not in the decision to punish him.
Supporting home teams comes down to a few things that have little to do with the team at all. Pride in location, area of residence. Probably raised there and grew up in a family that supported that team. Or getting in on the excitement of a team said to cover your area.
Cheating when you don’t need to demonstrates something imo. Lack of respect for your fans. It’s all about you and your ring, your money, your career, your legacy. Not if chhheating might cast a shadow or shame your fans. It’s not about your fans. It’s about you. Brady and all other cheaters in all sports are giving their fans the finger while smiling and collecting.
we don’t KNOW exactly what went down.
the nfl’s ruling will be appealed.
if my team/TB cheated, i wish it didn’t happen.
i don’t know why he or the team would cheat given the pats are the best team.
i support my team and TB…i don’t support cheating.
again, i don’t know exactly what happened…
i will say that it seems he told the ball guys to get the balls where he likes them.
what does that mean?
light?
ok…but does it mean he cheated?
did he say inflate them under regulation?
i’m listening to a report right now…
the report does NOT definitively say or proove what TB did…
lots of conjecture.
so, yeah, i will say it again.
i support TB and my team.
i do not support cheating.
Bella
They were caught and found to have cheated in the past. And tried to deny deny until they couldn’t anymore. They gave a Renner Sorry, Not sorry. Right there supporting the team that did that from then on out is in truth supporting cheating and cheaters. You can’t seperate the 2. And down the road should this be accepted as a time they cheated it will reflect a time when many acted like the left hand didn’t knowwhat the right hand was doing to justify not supporting cheaters, but still supporting the team of past known cheaters.
Though, as a former fan I understand nothing can come between a love and support for a team and the fan. Facts, reports, admissions. They are your team and you will cheer them on. It is what it is.
@ Bella-Did you read this?
http://nesn.com/2015/05/five-biggest-issues-with-evidence-against-patriots-in-wells-report/
@Kitten
no, i had not read it!
THANK YOU!
everyone should read it.
@FLORC
will say it again…
i do not support cheating or cheaters.
i support the pats and tom brady.
@ i agree with Haley! I think it could be a lot worse than 4 games considering that he didnt cooperate with authorities.
@kitten: Jimmy G. is super cute!
So because I love the Yankees, I should have supported A-Rod? NO WAY!! Get that cheater out of NY. Any wins are now tainted, as is your latest Super Bowl win. You do condone cheating if you support him. It’s like the cops always sporting each other – the thin Blue line. I would never! Some integrity from NE please!
What does make me happy is that Brady will always be known as Asterick Brady.
Bella
I got your point. You claim to support the patriots and not cheating. That’s like supporting Armstrong, but condemning cheating in the form of doping.
Supporting those who have been found to have cheated and act like they’re teflon even though in the past things haven’t proven him innocent is supporting a cheater(team) and in turn cheating. Someone who does not play by the rules cheats. To support them with positive reinforcement from questionable aspects is a type of blind faith or willful ignorance imo.
We likely won’t see eye to eye on this though.
He’ll appeal and probably one be suspended a game or two.
He’d be an idiot to appeal. It would just keep the story front and center. And the NFL would be idiotic to respond to any appeal with a lighter punishment.
Not appealing might look like acceptance/admission of guilt. He has to.
But if he does appeal, he’ll have to make a case to justify it, which means that the NFL can ask for the texts he refuses to turn over once more.
Appealing will open a can of worms all right. He will have to turn over all communications during that period – something he refused to do. In the real world, he would be charged with obstruction of justice and subpoenaed to turn over everything. He’s lucky this is NFL law not the law of the land. Integrity Tommy- that’s the whole issue.
I am more disappointed with the obstruction if justicr than i am with the cheating itself.
Violence against women vs deflated balls.
Glad the NFL has its priorities right.
i agree with Kaiser.
it’s apples and oranges.
truth is there is no comparison – violence against women is disgusting and criminal.
this is about cheating at a game with very high stakes/money.
cheating to win is an entirely different issue and punishment can’t be equated.
abuse against women should be addressed in the courts.
and what a team does to speak out against and punish a member for dispicable behavior is a different playing field…
How is it “cheating to win” though? That’s what I don’t understand. We’ve all heard QBs weigh in on liking the balls more on the inflated/underinflated side. This is personal preference. Aaron Rodgers said ‘I like to push the limit to how much air we can put in the football, even go over what they allow you to do and see if the officials take air out of it.’
Nobody batted an eyelash.
So Brady and the Pats beat the Colts by 38 using supposedly “undefinflated” footballs for the first half of the game, even thought they dominated during the second half when the balls were switched out, and still went on to win the SB with regulated deflation-level footballs.
Where’s the advantage?
Not surprisingly, there are QBs from other teams like Colin Kaepernick coming out and supporting Brady, saying that deflation level doesn’t make the difference between success or failure.
I guess that’s what my issue with this whole thing is. Even if they proved that Brady 100% had his hands in deflating those balls, they should still have to prove that deflating the balls provides some sort of measurable, clear advantage to the degree that it could be the reason for winning a game. That’s never going to happen, because games aren’t won on the inflation level of a football. Anybody who knows football understands the complexities of the sport and isn’t stupid enough to think that ball inflation is a deciding factor in games won.
yeah, it get what you’re saying.
but why do anything – if we call it cheating or otherwise – to tip the scales?
wasn’t it done in attempt to help to win?
the balls aren’t underinflated which is what he prefers to make it more difficult.
they’re like he likes them because it’s preferable for him that way to play.
isn’t that trying to get an advantage?
no matter which way it’s spinned…something was done to the balls to make them more comfortable for the QB…
i don’t care what it was…especially given that every team does something to their advantage from what the hardcore sports authorities say.
when you’re the best why do anything?
or perhaps getting the balls to where he prefers isn’t seen in his eyes as tipping the scales to his advantage?
again, i just don’t know.
i still support TB and my team…
just wish there wasn’t any room to disparage his/their talent.
But every quarterback does something to the footballs to make it more to their liking. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. So then should every QB including Aaron Rodgers be considered a cheater because they’re gaining a “competitive advantage” by having the balls feel the way they want them to? BALLS.
I just hope they start checking the inflation level of other team’s footballs going forward, not just the Patriots, although that’s doubtful because nobody cares much about the teams that don’t win.
@kitten: do u really not get it? It’s a psychological edge that this kind of cheating provides, more than anything else. Which is why I find it so pathetic on his part, the supposed GOAT, who needs a confidence boost!
A “psychological edge”? First time I’ve heard that one trotted out. So it’s no longer about the feel of the football or it being “easier to grip” or in Rodgers case, more comfortable in big hands?
Now it’s that it makes the players feel good about themselves. Ok.
Kitten
Actually fairly common term. It’s like when a mother kisses a “boo-boo”. It makes you feel better. Brady would have had a placebo effect of greater confidence or relaxed nerves that there was a factor he could control in a sea of the unknown.
And yea. All players want that edge. Did that edge drift apart from the rules? If it was something they had to cover up then there should be penalties and admissions. For all. No exceptions.
What Kitten said times 1,000. Every quarterback likes their balls a certain way and no one is calling every single quarterback a “cheater.” Plus it doesn’t matter anyway because there is no competitive edge anywhere that the witch hunt folks/NFL have been able to show. People just love to hate Tom Brady and Gisele, and I think it says a lot about how miserable some people are instead of being happy for others success.
Reminds me of a “makeover” I got at the mall at the Chanel counter. Gisele was the spokeswoman and her commercial was playing on TV above the makeup chairs. I commented on how much I liked Gisele, her little family, and how adoring she seems of them on social media. I also said she was beautiful. The makeup artist said to me, “you are the first woman in three days to say she liked Gisele.” The others said “oh, I am prettier than her” and other such disparaging remarks. He said to me that he thought jealously was such an ugly thing. And it is.
@FLORC-Except there is ZERO evidence that Brady wanted the PSI to be under 12.5 PSI.
“Jastremski: Talked to him last night. He actually brought you up and said you must have a lot of stress trying to get them done…
Jastremski: I told him it was. He was right though…
Jastremski: I checked some of the balls this morn… The refs (expletive) us…a few of then were at almost 16
Jastremski: They didn’t recheck then after they put air in them”
So if McNally’s job as The Deflator was to give Tom a “psychological advantage” then he was failing at that pretty badly, no?
“Jastremski: Ugh…Tom was right.
Jastremski: I just measured some of the balls. They supposed to be 13 lbs… They were like 16. Felt like bricks.”
This is the only time in the Wells Report where it’s indicated that Tom wanted the balls to be at a specific PSI and it was 13, not under regulation. Balls have to be between 12.5 and 13.5 PSI.
Kitten
He should be more forthcoming. He’s not been. And there’s been a lot of blocking in the investigation. That he’s been linked closely with cheating the the past when he denied up and down he didn’t is a fool me once fool me twice move.
why would NFL care about personal life of the players? If they commit violence in their private life, let the police deal with that.
Because there are clauses in the CBA that address off-field behavior that reflects negatively on the NFL
“why would NFL care about personal life of the players?”
Because players get endorsement deals based on their personal image, not just their athletic abilities?
Because quarterbacks are the “face” of a football team and as such should probably not be violent, abusive individuals?
Look, when Mike Williams was a Bucs WR, GM Jason Licht said that he “has to prove that he shouldn’t make headlines off the field” after a newspaper article detailed the stripper pole in his living room and incessant house parties. We’re talking about house parties here, not cold-cocking one’s fiancée. Later, Williams was stabbed in the leg during an assault at his house, then he was traded to the Bills. Now he’s a free agent. Point is that the personal lives of these players ABSOLUTELY affect their career in the NFL. They are intertwined.
Do you guys watch football at all? Coaches, owners and general managers do not want any of their players getting press for bad behavior because it’s a distraction to the team and it upsets fans. The fans are why the NFL exists. Why would players be punished or released from contracts for off-the-field behavior if the NFL wasn’t concerned with that kind of thing? They face punishment for a reason, y’all. The question is why do they get a minimal punishment for violent behavior and a more severe punishment for taking a bit of air out of a football or piping in sound in a stadium.
And yeah, for all my blind fandom when it comes to the Pats, I do think that the piping in of crowd noise is stupid sh*t to be fining teams for and taking away a draft pick and if that story was ever covered here I’d be the first to say so. But of course that story was barely a blip on anyone’s radar because it’s the Falcons and nobody cares.
@kitten, I admit im not much into football, Just trying to get to the logics of it. So from your description, NFL should care about their players “general character”, since it upsets fanbase. Ok. Still, it makes sense that if u’r real fan of the game, u will be more concerned with the game cheating, than with personal moral issues of the players.
“Still, it makes sense that if u’r real fan of the game, u will be more concerned with the game cheating, than with personal moral issues of the players.”
@ Lana-True, which is why Ray Rice is still playing football and why there is more outrage towards Brady reducing air pressure in a football that Rice punching a woman in the face and knocking her unconscious.
Also, football and sports in general are political, kind of like celeb gossip. You defend your favorite team, you defend your favorite celeb. It’s how it is. Also, how we judge people and the level of scrutiny we apply to individuals is wholly subjective. To me, taking 2 PSI levels out of a ball cannot compare to domestic violence. Yeah, I defend the Pats, but if any player including Tom abused a woman, I’d be done.
Your average football fan might disagree with me on that, which supports your point that many fans care more about the game, but mostly people defend their hometown teams.
Very good point. Apparently, it’s okay to be violent with your significant other, but not deflating a ball. Yes, agreed their priorities are definitely in order. NOT!!
The NFL seems to have no idea how to punish off the field infractions like domestic violence, DUIs, or street drug (ie NOT performance enhancing) offenses. The punishments are all over the place. This was directly related to the game, so has a much more cut and dry punishment. I think Tom is an arrogant a-hole, so yeah this makes me happy. I live in Eagles country, I don’t spend my time “hating on” the Pats, but I do think they have an arrogant coach, quarterback, and as I am seeing now, obnoxiously defensive fans (we still have the worst fans in Philly- don’t even come for that title).
Everyone who is upset about this keeps comparing it to previous punishments, but the NFL is now in the business of pretending to care about its image. I guess the real test will be for any future offenses from other players and teams.
Since Goodell works for the owners, I would think this is mostly about other owners sending a message to the Pats organization, which is interesting since Goodell and Kraft are supposedly such good friends…
Arbitrators will compare it to previous punishments for similar acts.
Brady and the rest of the players agreed to this review/punishment process via the CBA. Brady did not cooperate in the investigation. If any one of us had done that to our employer, we would be fired. Goodell is on far better footing with this punishment versus the ad hoc punishments he made on the domestic violence issues. Brady and the Pats need to suck it up and move on.
Actually, no, not necessarily fired. Not if a contract has progressive discipline in place, which most CBAs do, or the standard procedures have been progressive discipline.
@cryforyesterday, they are most decidedly not friends anymore.
I think this has a lot to do with this punishment. One, their new better image and two, prove to the other owners he doesn’t have a pet or favorite.
I’m sure Kraft is done being friends with Goodell. That’s a shame because they are both shady as hell.
No more waterslides for you, Tommy.
That picture never fails to make me laugh.
WHEEEEEEEE!
It will be filled with his own tears now.
Grown ass men paid billions for throwing a ball around. Ridiculous.
cosign
Yup. The sport became a monster and this is the nonsense that follows. Cheating, turning a blind eye, and desperately doing anything to get an extra point.
From the interviews I hear, His wife rules the roost. Guess that explains his deflated balls.
LMAO!!!
It’s a good start, but I believe harsher punishment is required. When you cheat you need to face consequences
No way will they get harsher punishment. It wouldn’t surprise me if this punishment doesn’t even stick.
I actually thought he would get a longer suspension. Weather it affected the game or not, cheating is cheating, and there is no other word for what he did. Watching him duck questions from Jim Gray the other night was pretty pathetic too. He knew what was going on, lied about it, and then tried to stonewall the NFL’s investigation. Have a nice vacation cheater, your career is now tainted
“Weather it affected the game or not, cheating is cheating, and there is no other word for what he did.”
This, exactly. all these fans saying “but it didn’t affect the win!”…to them I say, true, but THAT DOES NOT MATTER. The rule is in place for a reason; there is a standard for inflation and the NFL believes that a deviation from the standard can be an advantage. It doesn’t matter if the game is won or lost on ball inflation…it’s an existing rule in the NFL and if it doesn’t affect the game to the point of winning or losing, then the players/owners should lobby to have that rule tossed out. But as for now, it exists and should be enforced.
And again, if a kid brought a crib-sheet into an exam, and didn’t use any of it, or used part of it to get a better score even though he would have passed without using it at all, the defense of “well, I would have passed the test (“won”) anyway, so it doesn’t matter if I cheated” would NOT hold up. nor would the “but everyone cheats” reasoning that I keep reading. if your kid did it, would you tell him “well, the teacher shouldn’t have punished you because the cheating didn’t affect your score, and other kids were cheating, too” or would you tell the kid “this is NOT OK. cheating is wrong. It doesn’t matter if EVERYONE in the class was cheating…it’s still wrong.”?…
it doesn’t matter what kind of advantage the Pats had or didn’t have, their intent was TO HAVE AN ADVANTAGE over the other team. turns out that they did, without the cheating, but that doesn’t matter. no, don’t take away the wins, but a suspension and fine is absolutely fair.
there is a great piece I saw on MSN about this whole situation that sums it up perfectly. “No One is Above the Rules, Not Even Brady”. Brady not only cheated, but he lied and obstructed the investigation. that was a big part of it. to add, Brady himself has made fun of other teams for not knowing the rule book (Ravens game where the Pats faked out the Ravens brilliantly) and is a stickler for it. so, Tommy Boy, you reap what you sow.
Ok but the problem with the so-called standard for ball inflation (BALLS!) is that up until now, it’s never been strictly enforced by the NFL, which is why this was allowed to happen in the first place. This means that a lot of players (like Rodgers) have been likely f*cking with the PSI for a long time. But yeah, Brady was the one who got “caught”. He’s getting punished. What more do people want?
This. All of this…adults are spinning themselves in circles trying to make this okay.
kitten, as I said, it’s currently a rule and should be enforced. ALL rules should be enforced. I agree that selective enforcement sucks and is unfair, and if the NFL hasn’t been doing so, for any rule, they SHOULD be and should have been doing so. that they’re just starting to do so NOW is (IMO) due to the stunning lack of enforcement that the fans have seen in the past. so, now, they’re coming down hard on the first offender. happened to be the Pats. and it was harsh. however, the punishment also had to do with the lying/obstructing and past transgressions, not JUST this rule infraction. and if Rodgers is also caught messing with the PSI, he should also be punished. MORE harshly, IMO, because of the punishment that’s already been handed down and the clear statement that the NFL won’t tolerate it.
I think what people want is for people to just stop with any/all excuses that are being used to dismiss it. Brady cheated. then lied about it. then obstructed the investigation. he did those things, and whether or not others did them or that it didn’t affect the outcome of the game is irrelevant.
I’m not trying to sound like an asshole but did anyone here actually read The Wells Report? Because I don’t see how anyone can read it and come away with any definitive proof that Brady cheated by specifically instructing the players to deflate the ball under 12.5 PSI. I guess your point is that it’s irrelevant because Goodell has made his official decry, but am I not allowed to disagree with it? It wouldn’t be the first time that I disagreed with one of his rulings.
I’m a Pats fan but I also think of myself as a critical thinker. I saw no concrete evidence which is why I’m comfortable in defending him. That could change, I admit, but so far that’s how I feel.
Look, I like football, but not enough to waste my day arguing with people who’s minds I won’t change. No shade. All is fair in sports. Not trying to be a hypocrite as no one will change my mind–at least not at this stage.
If it seems like defense or excuses, I apologize because I think of myself as a fair person. Anyway, I’m going to leave this thread now because I’m getting sucked in and arguing about this is becoming an exercise in futility.
Oh, and BALLS (because that’s always fun to say)
😀
not sure you’ll even see this, but Goodell’s decry isn’t what makes it irrelevant (for me). in this case, the NFL didn’t need direct evidence or “definitive proof”. like a civil trial, the standards of proof are lowered.
saying that there isn’t direct evidence that Brady ordered the deflation is, IMO, kind of a cop-out of an excuse, sorry. there is NO WAY those equipment guys would do anything to those balls without Brady’s OK. he’s an elite QB and is treated with kid gloves by that team. surely the equipment guys knew from past games and past instructions how he liked the footballs. Brady didn’t have to go to them in the hours before this game and say “hey guys, this is how I like the footballs to feel”. if they’ve been working for the Pats for a while, they already know. I know people want there to be a “plausible deniability” for Brady but it’s just NOT plausible that he had nothing to do with it or had no knowledge of it. it’s also not plausible that, all of a sudden, for THIS game, they decide to change the inflation level for a QB who’s been in the league for so long and liked his footballs a certain way.
and of course you can disagree with the ruling…it’s just that the large majority of the people disagreeing seem to be Pats fans, so there’s a perceived bias there. no harm, no shade.
balls.
Well look at it this way. OJ Simpson was found not guilty of murder, with no concrete evidence that he committed the crime. Yet he was still ordered to pay millions in a civil suit, which by the way he still hasn’t paid. Folks were saying they found him not guilty, why does he have to pay the family.
I think Brady knew. But I still like Brady and think he’s a great QB. He didn’t need to cheat or have intentions to cheat to get an edge. But he will be fine. I think they will win on the appeal. They most likely will use an independent arbitrator. BTW I don’t hate the Pats, I hate the Red Sox..LOL. I did cheer for the Giants both times they met the Pats in the SB. I’m a CB’S fan but that was a NY thing.
My husband has a great, sterling character, and trusting my hubby to tell the truth even when detrimental makes me respect and love him so much. Great looks, supermodel wife, 3 adorable kids, great paycheck? My entire image of Tom Brady went right down the tubes, and all I see is a guy so insecure he has to cheat. Ugh: loser. I can only see a loser.
And who can’t/won’t own up to it, but quick to throw somebody else/anybody else under the bus. You’re right. Good looking family, glamorous life means nothing when dude is a sneaky douche. Lack of character is a killer.
You just know the employees who were fired won’t be getting any calls from him. Nope, they’re on their own and he’ll polish up his image some more with more family posing and good guy grinning.
Good for the NFL. Brady is a great player and the Patriots are a great team but there is no way in hell Brady didn’t know what was going on.
He knew and deserves to be punished for it just like everybody else. This isn’t the first time the Patriots have been known to cheat. Unfortunately Tom comes off as a liar and very sketchy because he refused to actually cooperate with the investigation.
Not harsh enough. Even my 9-year old said, “Mommy, he lied and cheated. He shouldn’t play anymore & his team needs to return their trophy.” Don’t feel sorry for Brady. He now gets a time-out to play in his mansion with his supermodel wife.
That is what really bothers me about this whole cheating aspect–the image it shows to kids. Tommy is supposed to be a role model for youngsters and yet he jeopardizes that with the whole cheating and “do anything to win” attitude. He’s no better than A-Rod. Both cheaters. And tell your kids to NOT do the cheating route.
Also feel sorry for the two guys who were totally thrown under the bus. Can they afford to lose their paychecks? Tommy has enough money and has his pretty little backup if he starts to run low. Maybe G should not have retired from the runway.
I agree with you 100%, briargal.
“Maybe G should not have retired from the runway.” What? Why? She DOESN’T NEED it. She is the highest paid model in the world.
As I have stated earlier…
“…. I am looking forward to next team that gets tossed under the bus. (for cheating) Because it is coming. And it will be spectacular glitter covered sh*t bomb……”
I now sit and await for that glitter to explode all over the NFL. If Brady actually does sit out the first 4 games of the upcoming season. I fully expect this entire NFL season, to be a glitter packed year of ugly.
And I suspect Jerry Jones will be calling in anonymous tips… daily to the NFL hot line. Sending anonymous tapes of wrong doing to the NFL offices… with a dang Dallas post mark. LOL!
Does Dallas play the Packers this season?
oh FFS, for those claiming “more likely than not” is not “proof” and it’s BS to punish Brady/Pats when everyone else is doing it: this is not CSI, they don’t need a smoking gun, it’s obvious from what’s in the report Brady was involved, he should totally be punished as should the team, and you can’t punish the guys/teams who weren’t CAUGHT doing it, even if they were doing it. save your “but it’s not faaaaaiiirr” for something that doesn’t involve grown-ass adults getting paid zillions of dollars to play a game being expected to follow some simple damn rules.
the whining from Team Brady is more annoying than the actual cheating!
I actually have found it amusing to watch *some* of the Pats fans falling over themselves trying to justify his actions.
I do wonder what they have to say about Lance Armstrong though? Or ARod? I mean, I think it’s pretty likely that a lot of atheletes were doping. “Everybody was doing it”. So, they should totally give Lance all his titles back and let him start racing again, right??
You’re comparing taking performance enhancing drugs to the level of air in a ball?
I don’t see the parallel but I will say this: I could take all the HGH in the world and I could never hit a baseball as well as A Rod on his worst, drug-free day. Hell, A Rod drunk off his ass could probably hit a baseball better and faster than I could on HGH. Lance Armstrong? Yeah he cheated and lied and he’s not a good person (for reasons that are far worse than taking PEDs) but I could never finish the Tour De France, much less win it. Regardless of how you feel about their actions within the sport, the talent is still there.
You asked and I guess I took the bait.
No, not comparing deflating balls and taking PEDS. Just the defense of it by fans. I’ve seen so so many Pats fans say “every team in the league cheats” as though that is actually a reasonable defense?!? As I recall that was Lance Armstrong and A. Rod’s defense, but that didn’t work out too well for them. Those guys are so gifted athletically and there was no reason for them to break the rules. Tom Brady is also talented, yet he chose to break a rule to give himself an advantage.
The fact is, Tom Brady knowingly broke a rule, then lied about it and is being punished accordingly. If it isn’t a big deal, it shouldn’t be a rule.
It seems people are trying to apply the law of the land to the NFL laws. Like I said above, if this was a real case, Tommy would be compelled to testify and his records will be subpoenaed. Since this is an internal investigation – he opted not to cooperate. The fact that he did not cooperate says a lot. IF you had nothing to hide, you would turn over all your records.
They have been caught cheating how many times now? Having someone record the practice of the other team to reading lips of the coaches, as much as I like Brady, his talent is undeniable, the organization has been caught one too many times. Enough.
NFL cheating, murder, child abuse, wife beaters, overpaid overgrown spoiled sob’s.
Feel bad for the players who are actually worthy.
It is a privilege to play in NFL not a right. Earn it!!!
Hypocrisy that the staff who deflated are fired but media stuck on Brady, he’ll be fine they won’t
Every team cheats, here is a great website that breaks down what teams are currently being investigated for and their past cheats.
http://yourteamcheats.com/
Kendra thank you for posting that. For all the football moral police out there, all teams “cheat.” Every single one. Here are the biggest “cheats” meaning the most scandals and rule breaking:
1. Denver Broncos
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. New York Jets
4. Indianapolis Colts
5. Washington Redskins
6. Baltimore Ravens
7. New York Giants
8. San Francisco 49’ers
9. Philadelphia Eagles
10. Atlanta Falcons
11. Detriot Lions
12. Miami Dolphins
13. Oakland Raiders
14. Green Bay PackERS
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
16. Seattle Seahawks
WTH? Nobody on here said my team doesn’t cheat or no other team cheated. They are all saying that cheating is wrong, period. Of this list were any of the teams punished? If yes, then what’s your argument? If they cheated and suffered consequences they got what they deserved. You guys seems as if you’re trying to justify Brady’s cheating. What, are we five years old? It’s like a mother going to the principal to justify her 12 year old for cheating on an exam by saying look, here’s a list of all the other kids that cheated. So everybody cheats, so it’s ok, it’s acceptable.
The so called moral police is saying all cheaters should be punished if caught, not just Brady. Brady got caught and he should suffer consequences just like ARod, Lance Armstrong, the members of the Saints organization and Milli Vanilli. Ok, the last example has nothing to do with sports.
+1 V4Real
Milli Vanilli…LMAO.
I guess we should be telliing Pats fans to “Blame it on the Rain”.
I have some huge issues with the Wells report. I don’t even like football, I watch 1 game a year for the commercials, and those are becoming a let down.
First the press is reporting that Tom Brady refused to cooperate. When you read the entire Wells report, not just the clips the news decided to release, you will see he sat and answered questions for 12 hours. What he refused to do was hand over his personal cell phone with the password to the investigators for an indefinite amount of time. Who here would honestly say yes here please take my phone, I am sure you will only look through my texts…I have no problem with him telling them to hit the bricks with that. Also if he did do that he has now set president within the players union that anytime the NFL or an agent working on behalf of the NFL demands person property you are are obliged to turn it over.
Also in the report you learn that referee Walt Anderson admitted that he did not record the PSI of the balls checked, his best recollection is that the colts balls were 13 and the Patriots balls were 12.5. Anderson also said he used the logo gauge before the game at at half time used the non logo gauge. The Wells report points out that the log gauge reads .35 PSI higher, than the non logo gauge. Meaning that balls that were within limits on one gauge are now out of limits on another.
Wells report also notes that the smoking gun text messages, which again the news is spinning. The text messages refer to the balls in the Jets game, after testing the balls were 3.5 PSI over inflated. And the text to the fiance state that Tom was right retested balls and they were 16lbs, no wonder he said they felt like bricks, they should have been at 13 pounds.
I have no doubt the Patriots bend the rules and push to the limit but every team does, what I think is the NFL and Goodall are trying to show strength and fairness, prove his (ex) good buddy Kraft is not getting any special treatment. The problem is the Wells report taken as a whole doesn’t really show anything.
Thank you. You should spend more time around here…
I agree, hang around here more, Kendra.
TB is the scapegoat for the NFL’s past screw-ups in handling far more serious acts. And I encourage fans of every other team blathering on here to visit that website, especially those saying “they’ve done this before!”
Also, to your point about his phone, Brady is a union rep and it’s been stated that the union didn’t want him turning over his phone to the organization that they are constantly in negotiations with.
Kendra thanks for helping the folks who did not read the report understand!
Thanks for this! Very well said. I can’t believe people are acting as if refusing to hand over his phone is the definitive smoking gun in all of this. I feel pretty confident personal information unrelated to this investigation would’ve leaked out somewhere.
I do think there was some cheating going on here, but anyone who thinks this punishment wasn’t partly influenced by the year the NFL has had and the criticism Goodell faced (rightfully so) after the Ray Rice disaster hasn’t been paying attention.
Well I’ll take a page from Brady’s book. I don’t need to read the Wells Report. I will just listen to the professional analyst and pro sport people who broke it down and understand it better than people on C/B. They said what that report boiled down to is that Brady was involved.
I think I only read a few post where people said he didn’t hand over his phone. Most people on here are saying he cheated, period. Not that he didn’t cooperate.
Two other teams were found to have tampered with footballs in recent years, including coating them with a sticky substance. They received small, by NFL standards, fines of less than $100k. Nobody was suspended for a minute, never mind for four games or indefinitely.
Thank you. Someone with a brain working who isn’t getting caught up in a witch hunt. Bottom line is there is no definitive proof, so people need to stop acting like there is. It’s all media b.s.
Im really getting tired of how much coverage you are giving this. Especially since you dont know what youre talking about. The NFL gave the extreme and over the top punishment that they gave exactly because of this sort of media coverage. Stick to dresses, babies and peoples wrinkles. You would be much better off.
Well you sound nice and not at all bitter that your team got caught cheating.
I’m just hoping that my Steelers can win the opener now against them lol
punishment and crime seem wildly out of whack…NFL can’t get anything right
Cheaters cheaters pumpkin eaters …oh wait I think I’m on the wrong thread..bye now!
The bottom line is people want to believe the worst about Tom Brady and would rejoice in his downfall even if he were innocent. People are jealous of him and excited about a scandal. That report looked bogus to me and full of holes. I didn’t see any proof that he had anything to do with it.
@Tara who said that I didn’t see any proof that he had anything to do with it.
That’s why people like you and me are not making any decisions or reviewing the case, the professionals trained to do this type of work are.
Why does it always have to be about jealousy? Why when it comes to a celebrity that someone doesn’t like and another person likes they say that person is just jealous. I’m sure there’s a celebrity that you don’t care much for. Is it fair to say you’re just jealous of that celeb? Another poster upthread said people are just jealous of Gisele, why because they dare to say they don’t like her or find her attractive. There are much better celebs to be jealous of than Tom and Gisele.
@kitten you are the voice of reason in this whole thread. I’m not a Pats fan but I agree with everything you’ve said. I think they just want to make an example of him for whatever reason. I can’t believe some people think he should have gotten a harsher punishment! How is he “probably” or “maybe” knew what was going on justify his punishment?
He should just retire. And by the way, he totally did it.
If the suspension holds the real punishment begins. Brady will be back to play the Indianapolis Colts. If he ducks that game it will be worse.
So Brady is a convicted cheat. Should Giselle be worried?
Only if she wants to continue not spending her own money as their arrangement goes 😉
I would bet others have deflated their balls. How can anyone feel good about cheating? Losers!!!
The equipment guys didn’t do this on their iwned. They were fired if they didn’t do it and suspended indefinitely when they did do it. No win situation but hope they find jobs!
They both have full time jobs elsewhere. Their work for the Patriots was part time. That is why one of them was not available for more questioning. He had already taken 12 hours off from his real job to meet with the investigator.
The deflated balls were only used in the first half of the colts game. The patriots scored more points in the second half than the first. This is nonsense.
Not to worry. The Pats are in good hands with Dom Grady:
https://twitter.com/thesportsjunky1/status/597953216421191680
The Cowboys might have a chance next year. Hell yes 😀
@Marrria: Hell yes indeed! Go Cowboys!