Ruling on Deflategate...

[Jim Robeson]

Did Tom Brady and the Pats get what they deserved or did the NFL go too far?? Me, I thought the penalty may have been a little harsh but I'm sure the NFL was trying to send a message here. It is funny though of the wording used in the findings ..."more probable than not"... to me that's like saying I think you did it but I'm not 100% sure. Anyway, I've heard that he will appeal but in order for Brady to get a lesser suspension he may have to give up his cell phone records...which he will not do.

 

[scokill]

Didn't go far enough. Suspension should have been for half season for both Bellechick and Brady and asterisk for the Super Bowl .

 

[GTBRMC]

The biggest repercussion to all this is the damage to Brady's reputation. That sticks and is done.
Did the NFL leave enough room in their wording so this can be overturned on appeal? Quite possibly.

I still can't believe that the NFL has the teams involved in handling the game balls. MLB would never do that. Same with NHL, etc. Sloppy.

 

[Jim Robeson]

Yep, it is funny that the officials don't have more control over the game balls. But my question is this, why does it matter what the balls are inflated to?? I mean, if both teams like a ball to be at a certain psi, then which team really has the advantage?? If both teams are playing with what they like then there shouldn't be any discussion on a team cheating.

 

[Ronnie]

I recall seeing Brady on a late night talk show where they gave him about 10 balls inflated to various pressures, he guessed the psi in each ball accurately just by holding them individually. Based on that tv appearance More likely than not seems like a good way to characterize his knowledge on the field. Kind of sucks in that he graduated high school from around here in ncal, this tarnishes his local hero reputation a bit.

 

[DonWon]

I don't think that the penalty was harsh enough. You guys have to watch this for a good laugh.

 

[scokill]

Yep, it is funny that the officials don't have more control over the game balls. But my question is this, why does it matter what the balls are inflated to?? I mean, if both teams like a ball to be at a certain psi, then which team really has the advantage?? If both teams are playing with what they like then there shouldn't be any discussion on a team cheating.

Let teams select their own baseballs, golfers use balls that don't conform, slightly smaller basketballs, etc. etc. Maybe goal posts a little wider, kicking balls a little smaller...cheating is cheating. If one team follows the rules and one doesn't it's cheating. If they all want the balls with less psi, let the league change the rules but there has to be consistency. How about secretly filming the other team's practices?? To me the Patriots cheat all the time and they've gotten caught twice. It's not really about the psi of the balls any more, it's about them making conscious decision to cheat with little consequence.

 

[subysti]

They went too far, it will be lowered to 2 games after the appeal. More than half of the teams do this and nobody cares but they win the superbowl and its a problem. A few teams did it this year but they didn't win so no one cares.

 

[Helipilot11]

If some of you believe the punishment was not enough then I believe any team that has a player caught using PEDs should lose a first round pick, a fourth, and a million dollars. Plus any player known to interact or text the player using PEDs should be suspended 4 games. Is this a huge story because it is the Patriots and ESPN could talk about it for 6 months? What about the Seahawks a few years ago http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9364711/richard-sherman-seems-seattle-seahawks-ped-problem
No one seemed to care about that? Could that have contributed to their Super Bowl win? I believe this is a huge story only because it is the patriots and people love to call them cheaters. Aaron Rogers openly admits he likes to over inflate the footballs but no one cares about that. Our country was built on innocent until proven guilty, not guilty until proven innocent. The United States is too quick to label people before creditable evidence is proven.

 

[Glassman]

It's all bullshit. I'm not a Patriot fan, but they are clearly being singled out for something that has been going on for as long as there have been footballs. If the NFL wants to make sure the air pressure isn't tampered with they should seal the balls - period, end of story. This is clearly a case of the NFL over reacting to nothing. Brady actually performed better after the discovery that the balls might have been a bit low. There was no effect on the outcome of the game in which the air pressure was detected.

Prime example, note the date:

Deflategate (2002) Modified: 05/07/2015">

TEAM: The Baltimore Ravens
SEVERITY:

SUMMARY: Ex-Ravens and retired Pro Bowl quarterback Jeff Blake confessed in an interview that removing air from footballs was common when he played in the NFL from 1992-2005.
"I'm just going to let the cat of the bag, every team does it, every game, it has been since I played," the ex-Ravens QB said Wednesday in a radio interview on the "Midday 180" show on Nashville's 104.5 The Zone. "Cause when you take the balls out of the bag, they are rock hard. And you can't feel the ball as well. It's too hard.
"Everybody puts the pin in and takes just enough air out of the ball that you can feel it a little better. But it's not the point to where it's flat. So I don't know what the big deal is. It's not something that's not been done for 20 years."
Blake says that he'd order ball boys to let air out of his footballs just before the start of games during his entire NFL career, which included time with the Baltimore Ravens in 2002.
VICTIM: The entire league
PUNISHED? No but ... it's more probable than not that this was cheating
PUNISHMENT: Their quarterback admitted that he cheated.


Source: http://yourteamcheats.com/

 

[subysti]

 

[GTBRMC]

I don't think that the penalty was harsh enough. You guys have to watch this for a good laugh.

Brilliant! I was a bit disappointed at the video's end, however. I was really hoping they would have Gisele singing "They're perfect" or similar.

 

[octavio3311]

View attachment 21816

I completely agree. Ray Lewis gets suspended for 2 games for beating the shit out of his wife - yet Brady gets suspended for 4 games. WTF????

 

[Jim Robeson]

I think it's pretty safe to assume that the NFL will drop the hammer on anything after all of scrutiny it has be under. Doesn't make it easier, just don't f-up if you don't want the time.

 

[MikeyL]

What's so interesting is that when you sit back and read EACH of the replies above, despite the fact that they range from 1 extreme to the other, EVERY SINGLE one makes Valid and Important points.

Well done, and well said, guys, IMHO.
Best Wishes, Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

 

[Ronnie]

I don't buy into the everyone else does it so it's ok if i do it mentality.

By analogy, I have never received a speeding ticket that I did not deserve but I also feel like everyone around me deserved or should have received a speeding ticket as well. The reality is you can't bust everyone.

Here if all the nfl teams deflate their footballs they should all know they are doing so I'm violation of their leagues rules/policies but they are just hoping that they won't be the subject of selective enforcement.

I digress the question is does the punishment fit the crime? It seems overly aggressive compared to the punishment doled out to others for more Serious offenses but maybe its just part of the maturation process the nfl is going through. i would rather see them reconcile their penalties now than later or not at all.

 

[PaulyB]

If he didn't lie about it, there would be no issue... He got suspended for covering it up and making the league conduct an investigation.... I think the penalty could have been a little harsher.... Just for the fact that they won the super bowl... They won the big game even though they were caught cheating to make it there.... If Brady was suspended for 10 games, I think it would have been justified.... Then the team would have had to come together and work hard to make it to the playoffs again, but it wouldn't have totally removed them from playoff contention, then Brady could truly show his worth.... When I was raised, I was always taught cheaters never win..... Not the case anymore.....

 

[spaz1868]

I just saw this and thought I would share. Disclaimer: I don't care about any of these punishments...NFL suspensions are a joke. No rhyme or reason to it.

With that said:

 

[MikeyL]

I don't buy into the everyone else does it so it's ok if i do it mentality.
By analogy, I have never received a speeding ticket that I did not deserve but I also feel like everyone around me deserved or should have received a speeding ticket as well. The reality is you can't bust everyone.
Here if all the nfl teams deflate their footballs they should all know they are doing so I'm violation of their leagues rules/policies but they are just hoping that they won't be the subject of selective enforcement.
I digress the question is does the punishment fit the crime? It seems overly aggressive compared to the punishment doled out to others for more Serious offenses but maybe its just part of the maturation process the nfl is going through. i would rather see them reconcile their penalties now than later or not at all.

This summarizes my feelings, totally. Well said, @Ronnie.

 

[billyb]

Not enough if you ask me. They cheated, they were caught doing it, why they were allowed to play in the Super Bowl is beyond me (yeah, that's a bit harsh and would NEVER happen but it's the truth).

If it's NO BIG DEAL to let some air out of balls, then why is the rule in place? Brady has all the talent in the world and yet he is trying to gain another edge. Well, he got caught CHEATING and because of that, I don't think the punishment went far enough.

Some of you act as if this is the first time the pats GOT CAUGHT CHEATING. It's at least the third documented time as I recall.