Brady/Goodell Round 1

[ctchamps]

This is the part that never made sense to me. Why would the NFL go after and try to assassinate the character of Tom Brady of all people, and go to such lengths and create such fabrications to do so?

The NFL has had a PR problem this past year over issues of spousal abuse, concussions and putting players back on the field with injuries. They needed to demonstrate some modicum of oversight. Brady is small potatoes relative to the multibillion dollar business. When the refs chose to measure the footballs and found discrepancies with the measurements I don't believe it is a stretch to consider they chose to run with this questionable evidence to give an impression they have turned a leaf and are scrutinizing players more diligently.

It's a variation of the NCAA and the creation of the APR. The APR was and is a bogus standard because there is nothing set up to determine whether athletes are even taking classes. It actually punished schools that insisted on standards with it's athletes. An added bonus with the NFL going after Brady is they have created a media and fan circus around the Patriots that will be a monetary bonanza. Fans will show up to boo the Patriots. Same way there is an obsession in this forum by many fans about Kentucky and Duke who will turn on sets hoping to see those teams lose.

The NFL hierarchy is not incompetent by any stretch of the imagination. They just underestimated the fall out they would receive over the issues I listed above. They will be mindful of potential issues in the future but it will be token in the same way the NCAA decided on the ten year rule which conveniently let Syracuse keep it's one championship.

As far as the phone destruction by Brady it is just as likely he had evidence of an extramarital affair on it as there was evidence of involvement of football deflation. Not that there is proof one way or the other.

 

[CallMeBruce]

The NFL has had a PR problem this past year over issues of spousal abuse, concussions and putting players back on the field with injuries. They needed to demonstrate some modicum of oversight. Brady is small potatoes relative to the multibillion dollar business. When the refs chose to measure the footballs and found discrepancies with the measurements I don't believe it is a stretch to consider they chose to run with this questionable evidence to give an impression they have turned a leaf and are scrutinizing players more diligently.

It's a variation of the NCAA and the creation of the APR. The APR was and is a bogus standard because there is nothing set up to determine whether athletes are even taking classes. It actually punished schools that insisted on standards with it's athletes. An added bonus with the NFL going after Brady is they have created a media and fan circus around the Patriots that will be a monetary bonanza. Fans will show up to boo the Patriots. Same way there is an obsession in this forum by many fans about Kentucky and Duke who will turn on sets hoping to see those teams lose.

The NFL hierarchy is not incompetent by any stretch of the imagination. They just underestimated the fall out they would receive over the issues I listed above. They will be mindful of potential issues in the future but it will be token in the same way the NCAA decided on the ten year rule which conveniently let Syracuse keep it's one championship.

As far as the phone destruction by Brady it is just as likely he had evidence of an extramarital affair on it as there was evidence of involvement of football deflation. Not that there is proof one way or the other.

You think that the NFL said 'since people are mad that we've allowed players to beat their wives and children, we should suspend one of the league's most marketable players for a minor offense?' I think they absolutely blew it out of proportion, but the league went after Brady because they genuinely believe they cheated.

 

[ctchamps]

You think that the NFL said 'since people are mad that we've allowed players to beat their wives and children, we should suspend one of the league's most marketable players for a minor offense?' I think they absolutely blew it out of proportion, but the league went after Brady because they genuinely believe they cheated.

I know you do!

Like so many things we discuss in these forums there is no proof one way or the other and we're left guessing what really took place. In the end we all believe what we want to believe. I'm proposing an alternative hypothesis to yours in answer to at @Rocktheworld. You could be correct. But neither you or I can know for sure. So postulating a different emphasis on the same talking points isn't baseless particularly when there are many instances in which powerful organizations employ deceit and manipulation.

 

[mauconnfan]

Again the answer by the Pats guys will be "what do you have" and my answer is absolutely zero. But remind them they are the only one's on earth who still believe he didn't do anything.

But who can blame him if it were Eli I'd be wishing the same thing.

 

[ctchamps]

Again the answer by the Pats guys will be "what do you have" and my answer is absolutely zero. But remind them they are the only one's on earth who still believe he didn't do anything.

But who can blame him if it were Eli I'd be wishing the same thing.

You're going to hate me more but I'm an Eagles fan!

 

[mauconnfan]

You're going to hate me more but I'm an Eagles fan!

You're dead to me!

 

[Husky25]

Again the answer by the Pats guys will be "what do you have" and my answer is absolutely zero. But remind them they are the only one's on earth who still believe he didn't do anything.

But who can blame him if it were Eli I'd be wishing the same thing.

So the Earth is flat and the planets are imbedded in huge spheres in the cosmos in your world?

Popular thought does not equal truth.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

This is the part that never made sense to me. Why would the NFL go after and try to assassinate the character of Tom Brady of all people, and go to such lengths and create such fabrications to do so?

It's hard to imagine Adam Silver blowing millions of dollars smearing the reputation of Lebron James or Kevin Durant over a uniform violation.

 

[Waquoit]

It's hard to imagine Adam Silver blowing millions of dollars smearing the reputation of Lebron James or Kevin Durant over a uniform violation.

Yeah, the NFL now tops MLB as the league that wants to demonize their stars.

 

[mauconnfan]

So the Earth is flat and the planets are imbedded in huge spheres in the cosmos in your world?

Popular thought does not equal truth.

Better chance the earth is flat than Brady being innocent but hey there has to be a few who believe otherwise right?

 

[mauconnfan]

Yeah, the NFL now tops MLB as the league that wants to demonize their stars.

Good call on that one Waq - Brady = ARod

 

[Husky25]

Better chance the earth is flat than Brady being innocent but hey there has to be a few who believe otherwise right?

In the absence of proof, what do you use to prove Brady's guilt? It's near impossible to prove a negative, which is why a verdict is either Guilty or Not Guilty.

 

[mauconnfan]

In the absence of proof, what do you use to prove Brady's guilt? It's near impossible to prove a negative, which is why a verdict is either Guilty or Not Guilty.

And your proof of him being innocent is what? It's funny but does anyone actually think the NFL would have even done anything at all without something to go on?

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

And your proof of him being innocent is what?

Were you too busy ranting on a message board to review the "evidence" yourself, or do you count on guys like Chris Mortensen to keep you in the loop?

 

[mauconnfan]

Were you too busy ranting on a message board to review the "evidence" yourself, or do you count on guys like Chris Mortensen to keep you in the loop?

Ranting on what message board? Help me out on this one Cracky?

 

[Husky25]

And your proof of him being innocent is what? It's funny but does anyone actually think the NFL would have even done anything at all without something to go on?

There is almost no way to prove innocence. I just told you that. My proof that Brady is not guilty however, is the exact lack of proof that he is guilty.

There are reasonable explanations for every one of the NFL's charges as detailed in The Wells Report in Context and the unsealed testimony from the appeal hearing. It's continues to be a tough go of it in arguing with people who seemingly gets their sports news from Good Morning America.

 

[Husky25]

It's a funny world. All these people hating on the Patriots and Brady are supporting an individual who swallows a biased report that which a federal judge notes makes quantum leaps in logic. This is the same individual who couldn't reasonably deduce that Ray Rice was responsible for knocking out his fiancé in a closed elevator containing no one except Ray Rice and his fiancé.

 

[StoweD210]

Yeah, the NFL now tops MLB as the league that wants to demonize their stars.

I'd hate to see how Goodell would have handled a situation like the Cardinals hacking the Astros. He probably would have excommunicated them from MLB, laid siege to Busch Stadium and razed it to the ground.

 

[FartMan69]

Mort lied.

 

[donyell34]

Mau your out of your mind.

 

[mauconnfan]

Mau your out of your mind.

Yeah and I'm the only one! You guys are hilarious. Listen I don't even read reports and I have no proof of anything. No I didn't read the reports why the hell would I? It means little to me I read reports all day at work I am here for opinions and discussion along with the occasional debate - I know you need facts for a debate blah blah blah. I listen to sports on the radio often when driving and yeah some of it's New York, but they have guys on from the Globe, Herald etc etc - they also think there's something there but only assumption.. Do you guys listen at all? I'm not saying I'm right or you're wrong but my point is there is a much higher percentage of people who think he got away with "something" I promise. If you think it's because I hate the Pats or Brady guess again - well a little. He didn't deserve his penalty and it was lifted, good for him. Football is better of it and that's fine with me.

You guys are still worried about me and my opinion, I did good!

 

[8893]

Right, but the reason this doesn't hold up in this context is that every day, in every jurisdiction in America, courts sign off on arbitration awards that are incorrectly decided, based on virtually no evidence, etc. And the reason is because the law essentially compels them to. The craziest thing about this case is that it would have been incredibly easy for Goodell to avoid this result if he had been a little bit more careful in the conduct of the hearing. So, Ivy's general argument that Berman's ruling is a pretext might hold up when substantive issues of law are being tried to the court, but that's not what's at issue when you're confirming an arbitration award and, "frankly," nothing in his posts indicates to me that he understands that distinction, hence my conclusion that he's talking out of his ___.

Pretext is the wrong word, but the truism still holds, arbitration or not. Arbitration makes it much harder to overturn, but where there's a will, there's a way.

 

[Husky25]

Queue the Billy Madison test moderator scene.

"...I award you no point, and may God have mercy on your soul."

 

[Dove]

 

[mcs333]

Your forgot the 4th type. "A dishonest, bias arbitrator who is power hungry"
That person now has lost the respect of all the players and many fans. If he was a CEO of a business he would be long gone.