NFL probing Patriots' possible use of deflated balls during AFC Championship

Oh, and the players that handled the ball on every play should be suspended, there's no way they didn't know about the balls. That would be Brady and his center.

 

See I think that's too harsh, I might have gone along with it if the refs had weighed the balls at halftime and found out the Pats were cheating (again) and had disqualified them, but it's too late now to go back and vacate the win IMO. Also, a permaban for Bellicheat is over the top, but he has to get at least 1 year this time.

 

It's hard for me to decide what I think is fair.

I don't want to materially impact the superbowl in such a way that I've tainted the outcome of that game, but I also don't want to be so light that the Patriots got their money's worth by cheating either.

I look at two people, Brady and Belicheck, and I say there is no way the two of them weren't involved.

Belicheck: He runs that entire organization. There's just no way I'm going to believe that some rogue assistant did this without either his order or his permission

Brady: He throws the damn ball. No way someone deflates the footballs without first asking him if he prefers it that way. And then there is no way that he is playing that game without noticing it. He and Edleman said the balls felt exactly the same, yet the defensive player for the Colts who touched the football ONE time knew instantly that they were off.

I don't think impacted the AFC title game, but how many games did they do this in? Is this cheating why there were there at all?

So, let's say you agree with the above so you suspend Belicheck and Brady. If you do it for the Superbowl that is like handing the Seahawks a superbowl trophy. If you do it after that is rewarding the Patriots.

Conundrum.

Reminds me of the scene in Road to Perdition when the head of the crime family realizes what his son has done and says "Curse the day you were born!"

 

What if BB didn't know about it?

What if Brady and the ball boy were the only two aware of it?

Should Josh McDaniels be suspended? He was caught illegally videotaping practices/games 3 years AFTER spygate and was fined $50,000.... he was the OC for the Pats during Spygate.... so this would be 3 times for him.

 

I'm not willing to suspend my disbelief and that's what it would take to buy that BB didn't know what was going on or have anything to do with it. I get that you might be a Pats fan and want to go to bat for your guys, but there's just no defending them.

 

I agree with you.

There is cheating..... and then there is CHEATING. They deserve a punishment but it isn't as if they paid off the other team or used performance enhancing drugs.

Having worked for a baseball team, I don't agree. I think it is very possible that Brady and his center knew but never said anything to BB. I am sure Brady is bright enough to know that BB wouldn't want to know. Having said that, I don't know that BB would have said anything about it to Brady if he over heard someone discussing it.

Wouldn't have to be a rogue assistant. All it takes is Brady and the ball boy, with the center shutting his mouth.

No doubt Brady knew. In fact Brady has said in the past he prefers a flatter ball. He said that Gronk even tries to squeeze air out for him.

Supposedly the refs changed the balls at halftime and Brady's completion percentage increased to 80%. I think it was a matter of comfort for Brady and I suspect Brady has thrown an underinflated ball for a long time. The question is why didn't any former Pats say anything? Because that is the culture.

Not going to happen and shouldn't happen.

The last great role for Paul Newman.

 

And he said not only request, but even tried to get overinflated balls in to see if officials would require taking air out of them upon inspection? Not that I want him suspended either, just want to know if those most riled up today consider that equally egregious.

Idk guess they're not going to address it.

 

They broke a rule, but it's a really dumb rule... so I have a hard time wanting them punished... and I seriously hate the Patriots.

I think it makes sense to let the offense supply its own balls, inflated how it sees fit/prefers.

 

I agree. I also think baseball should adopt this rule. Pitchers get to pick how tightly wound the ball is that they pitch with.

 

I am not a Pats fan bobbo.

 

Agreed, and if they want to scuff up the ball or use Vaseline, it's up to them. Same goes for pine tar on bat.

In fact, why have rules at all? It's a lot more fun to just let people do whatever they want to do. I turn rules off on Madden all the time, and it's awesome.

 

I was really just referring to how the "but everyone does it" defense would stand up in a court of law.

 

I think they should be fined...ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!

Oh...wait...

ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!!

 

Basically agree with you.

It is one of those rules that if you catch them, you punish them.... but talk of suspending BB for the season or SB is absurd.

What needs to happen is have the officials get the balls direct from the NFL and inflate them prior to the game and have an NFL (not team related) attendent provide the balls as they are used in the game.

 

The "but everyone does it" defense does work in front of a jury that has discretion on degree of punishment. I would also point out that not all crimes are equal.

 

Post of the year

 

Unfortunately it does though. It might not effect our daily lives, but in most cases, the ends always justify the means.

 

Payton says he didn't know about BountyGate thenit would have been ok for him to not be suspended?

Rocket River

 

I don't see anything wrong with suspending Brady and Bellicheck for the Super Bowl. Why be fair to a team that doesn't play fair? Screw that. They should get every disadvantage they can. Freaking taints.

It's not the NFL's fault they cheated in the championship game. They should be suspended (if that's the penalty) starting in the next game. Their own fault that they were caught the week before the Super Bowl.

 

Are the circumstances the same? Are you comparing having air taken out of a football to a defensive coordinator openly, in front of all the assistant coaches and defensive players placing bounties on the other teams players, week after week?