Patriots Weirdos

[twballgame9]

PS, if I ever have 5 million to spend on legal fees, remind me not to hire Paul Weiss.

[flyingelvii]

PS, if I ever have 5 million to spend on legal fees, remind me not to hire Paul Weiss.

I'll be sure to relay that information to my butler's chauffeur.

[StratEagle]

NFL to Sean Payton: "You didn't know about it, but that's not an excuse."

This is not correct.

It's not? Payton claimed ignorance the whole time. I was unaware they found evidence to refute that.

[twballgame9]

NFL to Sean Payton: "You didn't know about it, but that's not an excuse."

This is not correct.

It's not? Payton claimed ignorance the whole time. I was unaware they found evidence to refute that.

The league found that Payton not only knew about the scheme, but tried to cover it up during both league investigations. During the 2010 investigation, Payton told Williams and Vitt to "make sure our ducks are in a row" when the league interviewed them. Before the start of the 2011 season, Payton received an email from Ornstein detailing the broader lines of the scheme. In that same email, Ornstein offered $5,000 to anyone who knocked Rodgers out of the 2011 season opener. Payton initially denied knowing that this email existed, but subsequently admitted that in fact he had read it.[14][18][19][20]

When Benson was informed of the league's findings, he called in Payton and Loomis and ordered the program shut down immediately. However, they did not do so. Loomis had been interviewed during the 2010 investigation as well, and had stated that he knew of no such scheme and would stop it immediately if it was taking place. The league also found that Vitt, whom Payton had assigned to monitor Williams (the two reportedly didn't get along very well), also knew about the broader lines of the scheme and even witnessed Williams handing out payments to players. However, Vitt failed to tell anyone about it.

[StratEagle]

Fair enough. The irony is still there with the Pats.

[hansen]

Kraft will eat the picks and the cash. The NFLPA will make Brady appeal, even if he had no intent to do so.

I'm not sure what else the organization could have done to cooperate, as they have no control over Brady in a matter like this - he is a union employee. The minions turned over their phones and everyone above them except Brady was exonerated, including Belichick.

First round pick for the patriots is basically a second round pick. The 4th round picks seems excessive.
I don't doubt Brady and the Patriots manipulated the balls. But, then again, I'm pretty sure most organizations attempt to get an edge somehow. They just appear to not be as good as it as the Patriots.

I fully expect the penalty to be reduced on appeal to 2 games for Brady and 1st round pick from the patriots.

[twballgame9]

I doubt the team will challenge the picks or fines. Kraft is paying Paul Weiss' bill anyway

[Bunratty]

I'm not sure what else the organization could have done to cooperate, as they have no control over Brady in a matter like this - he is a union employee. The minions turned over their phones and everyone above them except Brady was exonerated, including Belichick.

The statement from the league says Wells made several requests for a second interview with McNally and the Patriots wouldn't make him available.

Fifth interview.

It was a request for a second interview with Wells' people after they became aware of the text messages. The other interviews were previous ones with NFL security. Wells' people even offered to go to Amherst, NH (where McNally lives and has another job) to make it convenient for McNally, and the Pats refused. Bad mistake. The NFL gets uber-pissed at "failure to fully comply."

[twballgame9]

I get the distinct impression that the Pats don't give a rats ass about what the NFL thinks these days. Nor should they. The inmates are out of control and will be brought to heel soon. Roger Goodell's 34 million dollar employment file is getting really thick.

[commavegarage]

well, its really only gonna be 2 games. million bucks doesn't matter to them.

and, lets be honest, its not like they were gonna use those picks for anything useful

[HJS]

Kraft will eat the picks and the cash. The NFLPA will make Brady appeal, even if he had no intent to do so.

I'm not sure what else the organization could have done to cooperate, as they have no control over Brady in a matter like this - he is a union employee. The minions turned over their phones and everyone above them except Brady was exonerated, including Belichick.

First round pick for the patriots is basically a second round pick. The 4th round picks seems excessive.
I don't doubt Brady and the Patriots manipulated the balls. But, then again, I'm pretty sure most organizations attempt to get an edge somehow. They just appear to not be as good as it as the Patriots.

I fully expect the penalty to be reduced on appeal to 2 games for Brady and 1st round pick from the patriots.

While I am enjoying the outrage over penalties from a long report that produced no hard PROOF, Pats fans have a major gripe over the draft pick penalties.

If you are going to levy them, it should have been for this year's draft. From an NFL perspective, it is one less player to help Brady (the most egregious bad actor). From the Pats perspective, they will not be picking lower in 2016 than they are 2015. Furthermore, this was a dogshit draft and was the perfect year to not have a pick. Finally, as Brady slinks off to Cali in a couple of years, the 2016 draft pick would have been an important piece to help transitioning to a new era. While Pats fans don't give a shit about the 4-game suspension (saves Brady wear and tear and gets Garopilo snaps to see if he is an answer), having the 2016 pick would have been a nice hedge if he sucks and they start 0-4.

[twballgame9]

Even if they start 0-4 that draft pick will be in the 20s. You are correct that the #1 is the only thing that hurts, but it isn't going to be a top pick.

[HJS]

Even if they start 0-4 that draft pick will be in the 20s. You are correct that the #1 is the only thing that hurts, but it isn't going to be a top pick.

Would you rather have the 32nd pick in a shitty draft or the 25th pick in a decent draft?

[StratEagle]

I'm very happy with Malcom Brown. I'd take him now over the #25 pick next year.

[eagle9903]

Teddy, please stop typing "Paul Weiss" so much.

Thanks

[eagle9903]

Now hearing it is more probable than not that Bellicheat stole the playcall in the Superbowl end zone Butler interception.

Paul Weiss should be providing more shortly.

[DomingoOrtiz]

Three other NFL "scandals" that come closest to what has been alleged in Deflategate: (1) 2014 Browns GM sending texts messages to the sideline in violation of league rules; (2) Falcons pumping artificial noise when the opposing team had the ball in violation of league rules; and (3) 2014 Vikings heating balls during cold weather games in violation of league rules.
Punishments:
(1) GM fined 4 games, team fined $250k;
(2) loss of 5th round pick; $350k fine;
(3) Warning.

[twballgame9]

Teddy, please stop typing "Paul Weiss" so much.

Thanks

Getting banner ads?

[eagle9903]

All non-Pats fans know this is much larger than deflated ballz. The following Superbowl outcomes have been directly effected by cheating (more probably than not):

2001 vs. Rams
2004 vs. Eagles
2014 vs. Seahawks

2003 remains in question, but I'm not ready to say it was more probable than not that it was directly effected by cheating although it probably was.

[eagle9903]

Teddy, please stop typing "Paul Weiss" so much.

Thanks

Getting banner ads?

No, it was making all the posts run together on my phone.

[HJS]

Three other NFL "scandals" that come closest to what has been alleged in Deflategate: (1) 2014 Browns GM sending texts messages to the sideline in violation of league rules; (2) Falcons pumping artificial noise when the opposing team had the ball in violation of league rules; and (3) 2014 Vikings heating balls during cold weather games in violation of league rules.
Punishments:
(1) GM fined 4 games, team fined $250k;
(2) loss of 5th round pick; $350k fine;
(3) Warning.

Considering none of those occurred in the AFC Championship Game, I actually don't think the penalty is as out of scope as I first thought.

[Dick Rosenthal]

Someone needs to take Kraft to the dog track and let someone else represent the franchise in front of the media. With every statement he makes he digs the hole deeper for the Patriots and makes it almost inconceivable that they get any sort of reduction on appeal. The fact is, and I have heard this directly from the members of families who own a few different NFL franchises, there has been a sense for the last several years that Goodell bent over backwards to protect the Patriots--and there was real and palpable rage over the way Spygate was handled--indeed, Goodell was almost ousted in that aftermath before it was determined that such an ouster would be bad for the product and profitability. But make no mistake, if Goodell had gone soft on this the Yonkers gang and some of their allies would have taken him out as commissioner (hell, they funded the political defenestration of his father from the Senate back in 1970, so he knows they'll do it if he crosses them).

The Pats shouldn't have been punished this severely for what amounts to the equivalent of scuffing a baseball. The problem is that they lied and dissembled about it and it is part and parcel of a pattern of similar (although more egregious) behavior that has marked the Kraft-Bellichik era.

[twballgame9]

Spygate remains an embarrassment to the NFL. This at least was cheating. Spygate was standing in the wrong spot.

Agreed that this is the functional equivalent of scuffing a baseball. Which is what makes the moral outrage oh so precious.

[TobaccoRoadEagle]

Agreed that this is the functional equivalent of scuffing a baseball. Which is what makes the moral outrage oh so precious.

i like this analogy better

if tom brady had reacted like that to the wells postulate, maybe his suspension and the fines wouldn't have been as severe

instead he reacted like this

and now here we are

[twballgame9]

Video just leaked of Ted Wells interviewing Walt Anderson about which gauge he used:

[eagle9903]

[twballgame9]

Picture of Eagle super bowl rings:

[flyingelvii]

[eagle9903]

[eagle9903]