Go on Record: Predict the Punishment for Deflategate

[Buehler445]

So we've all talked about what we think the punishment will be for Deflategate. What do you think WILL be the punishment? Will the Kraft/Goodell relationship come to fruition? Will the be pounded as multiple offenders? Will they get the Saints treatment?

My official prediction: Brady gets a $500,000 fine. Belichick gets $250,000. Loss of a fifth round draft pick for the organization.

[Unsmooth-Moment]

2-4 games for Brady.

[BucEyedPea]

So here, if someone wants to compare.

The league has had definitive proof in recent disciplinary cases. In 2012, New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams admitted his role as a ringleader in the team’s bounty system, and Goodell came down hard on Williams and the Saints. More recently, the Falcons admitted piping in fake crowd noise at 2014 home games; the team was fined $350,000 and a marketing employee lost his job. Cleveland GM Ray Farmer admitting sending illegal text messages to coaches during games; Goodell suspended him four games. Jets owner Woody Johnson was publicly covetous of cornerback Darrelle Revis while still a Patriot; it cost Johnson a $100,000 league fine.

Now the question is: Will the league, which is expected to hand down discipline in the case in the coming days, find enough sins in the consistently equivocating Wells report to come down hard on Brady and sanction the world champions for the second time in eight years?

I counted 23 examples of equivocating in the Wells document. Phrases like it is “more probable than not that Tom Brady was at least generally aware” of Patriot staffers John Jastremski and Jim McNally plotting to take air out of game balls. The report uses “reasonable to infer,” “most plausible,” “most likely,” “more probable,” “we think is likely,” “unlikely,” and other phrases that fall short of “certain” to describe multiple events and people’s actions in the report. According to The MMQB legal mind Andrew Brandt, this language is common to trial lawyers in civil litigation (Wells’ background), but let’s not miss the overriding point here. The NFL has a momentous decision on its hands. Is the league willing to hand Brady the kind of suspension or significant fine to mar his career and legacy, based on the weight of the circumstantial evidence in the report?

Think of it: With no smoking gun, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will have to rule on one of the NFL’s all-time golden boys.

http://mmqb.si.com/2015/05/07/ted-we...-patriots-nfl/

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Cochise

at people who think Brady wins because his footballs are down a PSI

Winning and/or the score has not part in the discussion. Did they cheat, yes or no. Yes? Punishment is needed.

[Beef Supreme]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

So here, if someone wants to compare.






http://mmqb.si.com/2015/05/07/ted-we...-patriots-nfl/

They didn't have any evidence of Sean Payton knowing about the bounties at all, yet he was suspended for a year.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

More positively for the Patriots, the Wells Report cleared Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and other Patriots employees of wrongdoing. To the extent critics of Belichick hoped to link him to Deflategate, the Wells Report does not facilitate that connection.

http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/05/06/nfl...legal-analysis

Gostkowski was also cleared. Yeah, it's the whole team—NOT!

You do understand that part of management is being responsible for what those under your management do, right?

And if you read the report and thought Brady came out looking like he did nothing wrong, we have to consider you somewhat illiterate and borderline reeruned.

My prediction:

This is a second offense of deliberately circumventing the rules to gain a competitive advantage. The last time they cheated, they lost a first rounder and BB got a huge fine and the owner got a huge fine of his own.

That obviously wasn't enough to prevent them from cheating again so I expect the league to come down harder than most expect. It has to be harsher than the first penalty.

My guess is

loss of all picks in rounds 1-3 for the 2016 draft
Brady suspended 4-6 games
1m fine to Brady

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

So here, if someone wants to compare.






http://mmqb.si.com/2015/05/07/ted-we...-patriots-nfl/

The phrasing he used was consistent with how the NFL determines guilt; that's why he used those phrases. It's actually perfectly clear within the NFL's vernacular that Brady and the equipment managers cheated.

And libel - BEP, we get along just fine, but that's ridiculous. Brady instructed those men to deflate the balls. And even without the report, the fact he wouldn't turn his cell or email over to the investigators is extremely damning.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

So here, if someone wants to compare.






http://mmqb.si.com/2015/05/07/ted-we...-patriots-nfl/

Godell isn't going to rule on this.

Troy Vincent is.

[BoneKrusher]

Originally Posted by BossChief

My prediction:

This is a second offense of deliberately circumventing the rules to gain a competitive advantage. The last time they cheated, they lost a first rounder and BB got a huge fine and the owner got a huge fine of his own.



loss of picks in rounds 1-3
Brady suspended 4-6 games
1m fine to Brady

That would be Awesome if it happens.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by BossChief

My prediction:



This is a second offense of deliberately circumventing the rules to gain a competitive advantage. The last time they cheated, they lost a first rounder and BB got a huge fine and the owner got a huge fine of his own.



That obviously wasn't enough to prevent them from cheating again so I expect the league to come down harder than most expect. It has to be harsher than the first penalty.

I agree. The Patriots have a culture of "win at all costs, even if a little cheating is needed". The NFL needs to stamp this out, and it being a second offense in the last decade needs to be considered. I also think the punishment for cheating needs to escalate with each offense, up to vacating wins, stripping entire season's worth of draft picks, and multiple season or outright bans.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

The phrasing he used was consistent with how the NFL determines guilt; that's why he used those phrases. It's actually perfectly clear within the NFL's vernacular that Brady and the equipment managers cheated.

And libel - BEP, we get along just fine, but that's ridiculous. Brady instructed those men to deflate the balls. And even without the report, the fact he wouldn't turn his cell or email over to the investigators is extremely damning.

Ah, no it's libel because the press is claiming Brady, via innuendo and incomplete info, called for deflating the balls under the allowed PSI when they only report these Patriots were "manipulating the balls." Or even that Brady knew those staffers were doing it in a way the violated the rules.

It says right in my link that's how a lawyer of his kind writes things. Lawyers are good at using words that way. You're not telling me anything I don't already know. Lawyers can trap with careful use of words that others will read differently. The thing is this lawyer can only state "generally knew" and that does not mean Brady knew how these dudes would do it. It's still not hard evidence of cheating ( wanting the balls under the PSI) and it's not evidence Brady instructed the staffers to deflate under the allowed PSI. The only evidence is that the staffers violated the rules by getting their hands on the balls after inspection.

Generally means generally—just that he wanted his balls on the lower side of the PSI. It doesn't mean much more. It's vague.

[BossChief]

If this penalty turns out to be less than what they got for spygate, the league will send a message that it's a huge joke and they do to care at all if teams cheat.

Even in a game that the winner goes to the Super Bowl.

The league should feel disrespected and embarrassed and the Patriots should by all means get penalized accordingly.

[Mr. Laz]

the more all these patriot fans cry the harsher i hope the penalty is


It's turn into debate class 101 where they are arguing some stupid shit

spin,spin,spin

they don't give a shit about reality

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

Ah, no it's libel because the press is claiming Brady, via innuendo and incomplete info, called for deflating the balls under the allowed PSI when they only report these Patriots were manipulating the balls. Or even that they were doing it in a way the violated the rules.

I know it says right in my link that's how a lawyer of his kind writes things. Lawyers are good at using words that way. The thing is this lawyer can only state "generally knew" and that does not mean Brady knew how these dudes would do it. It's still not hard evidence of cheating ( wanting the balls under the PSI) and it's not evidence Brady instructed the staffers to deflate under the allowed PSI. The only evidence is that the staffers violated the rules by getting their hands on the balls after inspection.

Generally means generally—just that he wanted his balls on the lower side of the PSI. It doesn't mean much more. It's vague.

You can't really be this stupid.

Can you?

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by BossChief

You can't really be this stupid.

Can you?

she does this same shit all the time in D.C.


so yea, she can

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

I agree. The Patriots have a culture of "win at all costs, even if a little cheating is needed". The NFL needs to stamp this out, and it being a second offense in the last decade needs to be considered. I also think the punishment for cheating needs to escalate with each offense, up to vacating wins, stripping entire season's worth of draft picks, and multiple season or outright bans.

LOL at stamping out all cheating in the NFL. That's not the moral code in that league. That means all holding will be stamped out.