Another Patriot Scandal??

[sharpe1027]

The question they have to be asking themselves in New England is whether a handful of Super Bowl wins are worth a few draft picks, a million dollars, and a few games without your starting QB? Really tough call there.

While one could argue that they would have won their SBs regardless, the cheaters must have thought it was going to help them, or else why bother?

How about no playoff eligibility for a couple years as a punishment?

[red]

The question they have to be asking themselves in New England is whether a handful of Super Bowl wins are worth a few draft picks, a million dollars, and a few games without your starting QB? Really tough call there.

While one could argue that they would have won their SBs regardless, the cheaters must have thought it was going to help them, or else why bother?

How about no playoff eligibility for a couple years as a punishment?

everyone knows about the broncos and their super bowls, hardly anyone knows or even cares that they cheated to win, and got busted

fining a team a million bucks and taking away a pick or two isn't gonna stop anyone. you got to hit them harder like you said, maybe even take away wins and super bowls

[Rastak]

Man, keep it in perspective people. The Colts footballs were also down a similar amount of air. The NFL was, as usual, a bunch of witch hunting morons making a mountain out of a molehill.

They are just as at fault that it even came to this given the lax security and lack of league control around footballs.


Anyway, just another reason why Goodell the knucklehead should probably be booted. I am no Pats fan but after giving way to much thought than it deserves, the NFL screwed the pooch here.

[mraynrand]

Man, keep it in perspective people. The Colts footballs were also down a similar amount of air. The NFL was, as usual, a bunch of witch hunting morons making a mountain out of a molehill.

They are just as at fault that it even came to this given the lax security and lack of league control around footballs.


Anyway, just another reason why Goodell the knucklehead should probably be booted. I am no Pats fan but after giving way to much thought than it deserves, the NFL screwed the pooch here.

The issue is whether Brady and the Patriots intentionally cheated. The issues of scale and pressure levels are categorically different. If you don't care that they cheated, so be it, but I think it's a huge deal, especially since they have shown a repeated willingness to cheat.

[Rastak]

The issue is whether Brady and the Patriots intentionally cheated. The issues of scale and pressure levels are categorically different. If you don't care that they cheated, so be it, but I think it's a huge deal, especially since they have shown a repeated willingness to cheat.

I could probably fill 1000 pages with examples, but I don't have the time.

Not the same sport I know but I wasn't filled with outrage.....I don't watch baseball anymore, ever since 1994 but when the ole corked bat gets discovered I do not lose my mind.

[mraynrand]

^^ I got it. You don't care about cheating. So be it. who knows, maybe the next time they get caught it'll eclipse your outrage threshold.

[Rastak]

^^ I got it. You don't care about cheating. So be it. who knows, maybe the next time they get caught it'll eclipse your outrage threshold.

I'm not for it. Should Jerry Rice be yanked from the hall of fame? He said he cheated.
There is indeed a threshold. Spygate was a big no-no. The Saints situation is sad because the NFL TOLD THEM to knock it off and it was ignored.


Panthers warmed up balls during an extremely cold game against the Vikings last year and both teams were warned as a reminder it was not cool so don't.

Should they have created a 4 month investigation against the Panthers for that?


Perspective people.

[sharpe1027]

I'm not for it. Should Jerry Rice be yanked from the hall of fame? He said he cheated.
There is indeed a threshold. Spygate was a big no-no. The Saints situation is sad because the NFL TOLD THEM to knock it off and it was ignored.


Panthers warmed up balls during an extremely cold game against the Vikings last year and both teams were warned as a reminder it was not cool so don't.

Should they have created a 4 month investigation against the Panthers for that?


Perspective people.

Why would they need an investigation? They didn't deny it on national TV. They didn't conduct their own field test and try to disprove it. After caught, they didn't setup a website continuing to deny it.

[Pugger]

It wasn't just the balls' psi that is the issue here. It is the lack of complete cooperation with the investigation that got Kraft and Brady in hot water over what seems to be a venial sin. I'll say this: if we ever hear of the Packers cheating with the balls' psi, a spygate-like situation or another Bountygate I'd have no problem with the league coming down hard on us like they did with NE.

[Cheesehead Craig]

NE doesn't care. They got their wins and SB trophy and the rest is just postering. The trophy won't be taken away, The good old boys club will change the public sentence and fans and talk shows will be outraged for a week. Then the ferret-on-cappucino like attention span of the collective public will focus on something else. Training camp comes around and suddenly fans just want to think about the coming season and "boy, they have a good shot this year don't they?". Then the usual talk about how useless and overpriced the exhibition games are, then the regular season comes and then the fans and media just focus on that and the Pats story comes up in week 1 but is then forgotten about by week 3 as everyone will just focus on the season itself, the injuries and latest stupidity of some player, and what coach is on the hotseat. This whole mess will just be a footnote in time.

[mraynrand]

There is indeed a threshold.

Deliberate. Obfuscation. Denial. Denial. Repeated Pattern. All these should be WAY beyond threshold, even if the infraction itself appears minor.

Yeah, and if Jerry Rice cheated to gain an advantage, repeatedly, throw his ass out of the HOF. Ask Pete Rose what he thinks.

[esoxx]

If they would have just conducted a dispersal draft following Spygate, as I had suggested, this whole mess would have been avoided.

[3irty1]

Its too late to vacate the superbowl win. They should have vacated the AFCC. Then we could have watched the Colts and Seahawks face off in the Freakishly Lucky bowl.

I think its worth differentiating Jerry Rice cheating from Belichick cheating if only because Rice didn't get caught. Its the difference between breaking a rule that wasn't enforced vs a rule that was. Hell, teams get away with cheating all the time on the field with cameras rolling if the officials blow a call. You've got to nail teams in the act to make others worry about the consequences. Dragging old timers like Rice out of Canton serves only to make an example out of opening your mouth after becoming a hall of fame cheater.

Even if its too late the give the Pats justice, the XLIX Lombardi Trophy should feature a flaccid ball on top.

[Pugger]

Its too late to vacate the superbowl win. They should have vacated the AFCC. Then we could have watched the Colts and Seahawks face off in the Freakishly Lucky bowl.

I think its worth differentiating Jerry Rice cheating from Belichick cheating if only because Rice didn't get caught. Its the difference between breaking a rule that wasn't enforced vs a rule that was. Hell, teams get away with cheating all the time on the field with cameras rolling if the officials blow a call. You've got to nail teams in the act to make others worry about the consequences. Dragging old timers like Rice out of Canton serves only to make an example out of opening your mouth after becoming a hall of fame cheater.

Even if its too late the give the Pats justice, the XLIX Lombardi Trophy should feature a flaccid ball on top.

If we removed all the players from the HOF who ever cheated the size of that hall would resemble an old fashioned phone booth.

[pbmax]

All right, now this is more like it.

Sports Illustrated @SInow 57m57 minutes ago
Roger Goodell says the NFL did NOT ask the Patriots to suspend Jim McNally and John Jastremski http://on.si.com/1K2gtsW

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