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Ballgate - pats guilty


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Conventional wisdom is that the hammer is going to fall hardest on Brady, who appeared to be at the center of things. Vegas has already suspended betting on Pitt/NE in week one. Hard to think they will actually suspend the golden child. My guess is a big fine for Brady, smaller fines for BB and the team, and maybe the loss of a late round draft pick in 2016.

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This league is devolving into the WWE. The Saints don't get treated like the Pats. There is a star/favorite system in place, and the punishment handed down in this case will reflect that.

Tomlin interfering with a Ravens returner? Just Triple H with a folding chair, that's all that is.

Brady and the Pats are untouchable. Spygate, Hernandez, deflategate, it all will result in a big fat nothing. Can't do anything to punish the commissioner's favorite team, and Kraft, the guy who championed Goodell for the commissioner's job in the first place.

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Anything short of 4 games for Brady, a hefty fine for the team, plus draft sanctions would be a clear miss by Goodell, amiright?

No.

Everything in the document says "probably", "most likely", etc.

You don't drop the hammer for "probably".

A 1-game suspension may happen and that really sucks since they have the Steelers in week 1.

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All the hedging is pretty standard lawyer talk, from what I've read on the report. It really isn't meant to suggest any serious doubt, more that the evidence is circumstantial. There's no real question that Brady and a couple assistants were in cahoots to doctor the balls.

As to the appropriate punishment, I dunno. I'd be surprised if it were more than a one game suspension and a big fine, and frankly I don't even expect a suspension.

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Really? There was a conspiracy to break the rules of the game, something that more than likely had been going on over a period of time, confirmed with a lengthy investigation and you guys don't think there will be more than that? The Pats and Belechick got unprecedented fines over spygate, plus the loss of a 1st round pick. I expect to see similar sanctions here, if not more severe for the organization, since they're not first-time offenders now.

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I think it is a big deal, though not necessarily for the specifics of the case, but the fact it arose at all.

One of the things that Brady's agent is screeching about most loudly today is that this was a hit job. That the Colts complained to the league and the league said nothing to the Patriots, but just to the officials, who then caught the Patriots with deflated balls. Within league circles, doing something like that is apparently considered bad form. What's normally done after a complaint like the Colts' is that the other team would be informed about the league's concern over the issue and would be monitoring things going forward-- basically a strong hint to stop doing whatever they are doing -- and that's that.

But in this case, the league conducted what amounts to a sting operation against the Pats. And in the process publicly exposed a case of cheating that, according to the Colts, everyone in the league already knew about.

This raises two questions: one,if everyone knew about it, why didn't the league address it privately before? And two, why did they sting the Pats, versus warning them behind the scenes as per usual?

I suspect the answer to the first question is that every team cheats in some fashion. Whether it's playing with the psi in the balls, pumping in crowd noise, wearing cleats that are too long, using adhesive substances on gloves, stealing signals, etc., so they are generally reluctant to make a stink over the other team's actions lest their own come under scrutiny.

But why did the code of NFL omerta crumble in this case? I can only assume that New England finally pissed off one too many teams around the league with their antics. Whether it's Spygate or Deflategate or the commonly reported instances of opposing teams' radios cutting out in Foxboro, or even things like the substitution games BB played last season (which have now been ruled out), the Pats appear to finally have hit Peak Weasel. And the organization is now being told in no uncertain terms to cut it all out or be hung out to dry. That, IMO, is a big deal.

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Seriously, I don't see the point in fines and suspensions of players and coaches.

If you want to really penalize an organization, making them ultimately responsible for what happens, take draft picks AND the money associated from them.

The reduced ability to build through the draft, while losing the money in regards to those draft picks not taken would sting.

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Seriously, I don't see the point in fines and suspensions of players and coaches.

If you want to really penalize an organization, making them ultimately responsible for what happens, take draft picks AND the money associated from them.

The reduced ability to build through the draft, while losing the money in regards to those draft picks not taken would sting.

Look at what the suspensions did to the once powerful Saints, I still think a full year suspension to the HC and OC is called for along with at least four games for Tom Brady. That would affect the Pats in the present not the future.

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And the organization is now being told in no uncertain terms to cut it all out or be hung out to dry. That, IMO, is a big deal.

We'll see. My natural expectation is that it will all be swept under the rug, a minimum punishment like a couple games for Brady and a million dollar fine for Kraft. Which in the final analysis is nothing to the Pats. They'll continue to do whatever they want.

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We'll see. My natural expectation is that it will all be swept under the rug, a minimum punishment like a couple games for Brady and a million dollar fine for Kraft. Which in the final analysis is nothing to the Pats. They'll continue to do whatever they want.

Well, as you say, we'll see. But even if the punishment ends up being a slap on the wrist, I still think the fact that the league basically conspired to bust and embarrass the Pats has to point to a significant level of animosity toward the New England organization in league circles. God-el owes his job to Kraft, who was his biggest booster for the position. Yet he didn't so much as make a private phone call to him to give him a heads-up on the sting?

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If they change the rule after hanging the Pats out to dry, how exactly does that sound fair ??

Don't get me wrong, I know it's the rule as it stands now, but that just sounds like BS to me.

If they are in fact thinking of changing the rule, it only goes to show how little of a concern it really is.

None of that makes what happened right, I'm just saying.

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Brady and the Pats should just shut up and be glad they got off that easy. Saints HC gets a season and he didn't even have knowledge of the bounty system. In a weird way, Brady is a bit of a fall guy for Bellicheat and Kraft. Looking forward to the Pstriots fumble rate going back to normal next season, then let's see someone say it was a meaningless offense. Brady is a little pussy. I used to really like him, now I can't stand him. It really is blatant cheating.

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