The Patriot Way

The integrity of the game is everything

 

It impacts the sponsors, networks and Billions and Billions of revenue at stake

Otherwise the NFL is perceived as just the latest version of WWF

 

Not sure why this is such a difficult concept for some of you to grasp.

The NFL is all about image and money- this negatively impacts both

You think these owners are going to let Tommy Boy bring down their future Billions ?

 

Been saying for years that De Smith was and is a disaster. Goodell's boys really put one over on the union. Another reason why the owners stick by him.

My beef is less with how the system is set up and more about the man enforcing it. He's either a giant pussy who bows down to the owners or he gets short man syndrome and tries to show how "in charge" he is when it comes to the players. I understand it's a fine line to walk, especially for a billion dollar industry, and it's probably not the easiest job, but you would think he would make an effort to show some sense of consistency or competence. The substance abuse policy seems fairly consistent, but how he deals with violent crime seems wildly incompetent. It's not an easy thing to deal with, but he has a lot of resources at his disposal to learn the truth of the matter and do the right thing. How he determined Ray Rice only deserved 2 games or that Ray McDonald should still be allowed to play is something I'd love to hear explained? Taking the evidence/history of those men, how did he look at the Brady evidence and determine Brady's crime to be more heinous or more detrimental to the league than what those gentleman did? Is a sneaky QB worse for the league than two woman beaters?

In the world of things deflated (and inflated), I find it hard to believe that over the years, Brady's head hasn't inflated somewhat.

Which head?

To me, I think the answer is simple. 2 misdemeanor or 1 felony arrest/conviction(s) = lifetime ban. That'll take care of 99% of the trash in the league. 

Same applies to NCAA players; if they have the 2/1 during college, they're ineligible. 

Of course, getting the NFLPA to agree to anything close to that is a whole 'nother matter. 

 

All that leaves are situations like Brady/Patriots. I think punishment guidelines for these type of infractions should follow what the penalties are for betting on games, or similar 'integrity-related' transgressions.

Grave Digger:

What Brady did cuts to the integrity of the game.

Sure, what Ray Rice did is worse in the real world.  But there was no cheating at football.

Interesting. @judybattista says the sides were moving close to a 1-game suspension settlement. But Brady wanted records sealed. NFL wouldn’t

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 28, 2015

Exactly, Fedya.  Alex Karras and Paul Hornung lost an entire season due to gambling, surely a far less egregious offense than Ray Rice belting his fiance.

Here's the thing I can't get past.

 

How do you destroy a cell phone every 4 months and continue to get a 2 year contract?

Cheat.

There's a Steven Wright joke in there somewhere.

They can read the records from the phone company. Your bill every month tells you who the text is from & how many. They just can't read the actual text message, which Brady deleted/destroyed

Denial. It ain't just a river is it..

 

 

@RapSheet 2h2 hours ago

#Patriots: “It is incomprehensible why the league is attempting to destroy the reputation of one of its greatest players & representative.”

 

 

 

I was hoping that Roger would reduce the suspension to three weeks.

That way Brady could practice with the Patriots during the week four 'bye', and play against Dallas in week five.

Insightful and ultimately persuasive article.

 

http://www.indystar.com/story/...269b69c8178282793ca5

Thanks for making me hate Braun again.

I remember watching Barry Bonds get an intentional walk with the bases loaded in the 9th inning of an 8-6 game. I remember Buck Showalter after the game saying it wasnt smart but it was our best option. 

 

To this day I think Buck gave Barry the middle finger. I'll lose this game to a clean player if I have to but I'm not losing to a ****ing cheater. 

 

So you go on ahead and file suit Tom. Starcaps. You keep playing. In the end it won't matter. 

       
       


It is cheating which does damage the integrity of the game. Maybe it's just me, but I think allowing violent criminals like Ray Rice and Ray McDonald to play in the league damages the integrity of the game more than Brady cheating. Those two potentially have the opportunity to once again make millions of dollars and continue their cycle of violence toward women. Adrian Peterson learned no lessons other than if you have enough money you can hire a really good lawyer to get you off the hook...he beat his kid and got paid 12 million to sit around.  Brady should be punished because it's obvious he's guilty, but does he deserve to be punished as much or equal to those guys? Violent offenders, guilty in criminal court or not (and the NFL has the resources to determine guilt or innocence) should be banned and Goodell and/or De Smith don't agree apparently. Those guys should be promoting a culture where that's not tolerated. If Ray Rice's 2 game suspension, which I believe Goodell would have stuck with were in not for the public pressure, was the measure of how non-substance abuse related punishments should be doled out then Brady deserves only a modest fine. Rice, McDonald, Hardy, probably Peterson, etc should have all gotten lifetime bans. Brady should have been given a 2 game suspension and a hefty fine that went to charity. Just my opinion though, I think Goodell has failed the integrity of the league in the past and is doing so again.

Good post, Digger. Just keep this in mind. Rog works for the owners. De for the players. Neither group is committed to getting that type of filth out of the game. Shame. Especially on the owners. They don't need criminals like Hardy on the the field, they will still make their billions.

And that's really the point. Before anyone talks about Brady destroying the integrity of the game with deflating footballs a little, keep in mind the what kind of people the NFL has representing their organizations. Brady is probably doing the least damage of any of the offenders when you look at the NFL as a whole. Just another reason to appreciate McCarthy and Thompson even more, they seem to put an emphasis on steering clear of these scumbags...the worst offenders they've had have all be potheads. Erik Walden had serious issues, but they moved on immediately.

The NFL is still very much a "boys-will-be-boys" entity that's owned and run by old-school white guys. They come from an age where beating a woman was not necessarily accepted in polite society, but you just looked the other way. Hence the Hardy, Rice, et al, suspensions being laughable. Brady fooled with the integrity of the game and to the suits at the top, that's something they can't/won't look away from. 

 

As long as the NFL is owned and operated by the guys it is today, women will remain second class. I'm skeptical of the hiring of Sarah T (the ref) because it comes so soon after all the bad pub on Hardy and Rice, making it seem like an appeasement. I'm more hopeful on Arians' hiring of Jen Welter because he doesn't do stuff like this unless he wants to, and the guys she's coached in the past say she was an excellent coach. Same with Becky Hammon's hiring by Greg Popovich (Hammon's team won the summer league).

 

And yes, I love that TT and MM don't keep those guys around. Beating on women doesn't really fly in GB. MM has three girls; woe be to the guy who mistreats them! 

It may not be over:

 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/a...amp;source=DDMorning

 

"when Brady and the NFLPA file the lawsuit they will likely eventually file in Minnesota, Roger Goodell might have to answer for why he initially suspended Ray Rice for two games after knocking out his wife, and gave Tom Brady four games for allegedly telling ball boys to let air out of footballs."

I really doubt they want to go the lawsuit route and really have everything come out.  

 

This is the equivalent of Albert Pujols threatening to sue someone over saying he took steroids.  The last thing anyone wants is all the truths coming out.

I think it's more about Goodell keeping the rest of the owners appeased because they already know how tight he and Kraft are.  At least this gives the appearance of him dishing out punishment to all teams.  Maybe a little make-up for sweeping the video tapes under the rug?

 

Plus, he gives the NFL it's villain again.  what a great story--Brady proves he's the best ever by demolishing the old school, small market, non-billionaire owned, refusing to sell Lambeau naming rights Green Bay Packers to prove once and for all the almighty power of the company and the NEW NFL?

Things I hope come out when this trainwreck goes to court. 

 

The last time Gisele let Tom touch her vagina. He has brought shame to the Gisele castle.  

 

Damages Samsung is seeking when Tom used this case as the opportunity to trash their brand and change to an iPhone 6.

 

Another Robert Kraft speech.  

A lawsuit could highlight the NFL's inconsistencies in punishment; it would also reveal Brady's texts and open his Pandora's box of a cell phone. 

 

Does either side really want those things to happen? The NFL comes out ahead in this case since it's already been skewered for the inconsistencies. Brady doesn't want the truth to come out. If they sue, Brady's lawyers will have in place a surefire way to suppress those texts.

Just watched Kraft's statement at lunch.  Good grief, it's just Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage in suits.

Outstanding post packerboi.  You said it exactly as the way I feel about the whole thing.  Brady tarnished the game, Ray rice and others tarnished the league.  There is a difference. 

How many Packer fans are going to walk away because of what Quarless did this offseason?  Probably not any.  Ultimately, it is the criminal justice system that needs to punish people (for actual crimes, like Ray Rice).  Employers run the risk of alienating their customers by keeping these guys around, but I really don't think the league itself needs to suspend guys for off field stuff.  Should they not be allowed to work at any job anywhere?

 

Having said that, I'm glad that the Packers usually chose to stay away from those guys.  It protects the brand.  Let the cowboys or Bengals deal with it.

Boom.

Big news, Minnesota judge has ordered this morning the NFLPA lawsuit over Brady b transferred to Manhattan, where the NFL first filed

— daniel kaplan (@dkaplanSBJ) July 30, 2015

Legal scholars, how does the transfer affect the case?

Judge Doty in Minnesota has handled most NFLPA v. NFL cases and has ruled for the players in an overwhelming number of cases. Commentators are viewing this venue choice as a setback for Brady.

Also, it wasn't Judge Doty who ordered this, from what I read, his docket is full, so it was another judge in MN, that I believe ordered this.  Either way, MN labor laws are very lenient towards employees, not the employer, that's why the NFLPA tries to file in MN. 

 

I'm not a legal scholar, did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but it's not looking good for the Golden Boy.