Random Commanders Thoughts

[McD5]

You give up the cell phone because of all of these and many other reasons but you don't for only one...it will implicate you further.

There are a lot of other reasons to not give up your phone.

Adult pics or videos of Gisele? Like he's just going to send his phone to the league offices and take that risk? He'll just trust that no one will leak them? Not in a million years. No way would he do that.

 

[Boone]

CT - I think that's a stretch. No one in the U.S. absolutely gives up their privacy to an employer, not even the military. Who the hell does the NFL think it is, demanding access to a private phone? It's outrageous. The desire to prove Brady did what they think he did doesn't give them the right to his phone. I am surprised any grown man would give in to that kind of request. The 'if you have nothing to hide' argument is entirely beside the point, at least it would be for me. NFL players don't sign their rights away because they signed a contract to play NFL football - sorry, but that's inaccurate.

 

[MikeSr619]

There are a lot of other reasons to not give up your phone.

Adult pics or videos of Gisele? Like he's just going to send his phone to the league offices and take that risk? He'll just trust that no one will leak them? Not in a million years. No way would he do that.

Why do you assume that the nfl is going to dig through all of that and then upload videos of his wife? I've been with my girl for almost 4 years and I can tell you the days of that being sent are long gone so i doubt he even has anything like that.. Plus, why wouldn't he be there when they went through it or at least have his lawyer present when it happened?

Or you could just Google his wife's name and "naked" to find your own pictures lol

 

[MikeSr619]

Between Robert kraft and Tom's agent acting like smug pricks there really is no sympathy for them. They're cheaters, they've been cheaters for over a decade, and now that the chickens have come home to roost they're acting insulted. Well, tough shit. You got away with it for too long and pushed the boundaries to where you are today.

In all honesty they should have the super bowl against the iggles stripped (pains me to say that) as well as the one that just happened. Cheaters should not be rewarded.

 

[Jimbo]

I think this whole thing was handled wrong and what appears to be stiff penalties are nothing more than surface wounds that the Pats will easily overcome. Instead of making scapegoats of Brady and Belicheat, cut the culture of the organization deep. Forget the stupid suspension and fine. Seeing as a precedent has already been set for trying to create an unfair competitive advantage, I'd prefer to penalize the entire organization and take away 20 mil in cap space per year over the next two years IN ADDITION to losing their first round draft picks over those two years.

I HATE Tom Brady and I don't believe for a second the equipment dudes threw him under the bus with false accusations. I'm 100% certain Brady told them to do it whether there's legal proof or not. I'm glad he's getting suspended and I wish it were for the entire season or maybe his career. That's how much I hate the guy. The problem is, it's not deserved. I agree with Boone about not giving up the cell phone. Since it's not a criminal investigation, why should he? I hate that he's giving the finger to the league but he has the right. Especially when Fuhrer Goodell and his Gestapo decide to make stuff up as they go along.

Yes, Brady may have made the league look bad but not to the extent he made himself and the team look bad. If the team isn't going to penalize Brady, and you already knew they wouldn't, then penalize the team and use an already established precedent instead of pulling such a polarizing punishment out of your arse. Just my two cents.

 

[Henry]

If you asked 32 teams if they would pay $1 million, a 1st round pick and 4 games from their QB in exchange for a SB trophy, 32 teams would say yes without even thinking about it.

The Patriots will whine about how unjust this is, the rest of us will talk about asterisks, but at the end of the day this punishment means nothing. It's about nothing. It signifies nothing. Goodell doesn't give a crap about deflated balls or anything else but the bottom line. The only reason any of this is anything is because it got leaked out and the press won't stop talking about it. Just like Rice knocking his fiancé out, or ex-players have brain damage-induced psychotic episodes, the league continues to prove it doesn't care, unless we seem to care, and then they over-react in a effort of pretending to care.

 

[Om]

It's only cheating if you get caught. They did.

Whether the punishment is "justified" is subjective. Ask 20 people you'll get 20 different answers.

Me? As a fan of a team the colluding NFL treated like Ned Beatty and competitively set back several years, I can generate very little sympathy over whatever punishment gets meted out against the Patriots ... after the league destroyed evidence the last time they got caught to avoid just this kind of shitstorm, and who, by the way, just won the Super Bowl again.

I just wish we had them on our schedule w/o Tom Brady instead of the damn Cowboys.

 

[riggins44]

I see Goodell as being consistent at being inconsistent. It's like he uses a dart board to determine punishments.

How does Brady (not a fan of his) get 4 games for supposedly asking to air pressure reduced, when Rice only gets 2 (original decision) for knocking out his fiancé?

If Goodell is concerned about integrity of the game...does he penalize the 49ers? Jerry Rice admitted to using stick-um. This was cheating.

Plus it bothers me Goodell didn't announce the decision, but rather let Troy Vincent. He should have announced the punishments if he is really concerned about the NFL shield.

I am curious to see how this impacts his relationship with Kraft, who by all accounts is part of his inner circle and a big supporter.

 

[Boone]

Why didn't Roger Goodell surrender up his phone and give open access to all of his email accounts during the Ray Rice uproar, because, you know, if he had nothing to hide...

 

[MikeSr619]

Did ray rice play another down after he was originally suspended? Is he even on a roster?

 

[Boone]

How is that relevant Mike - he knocked a women unconscious - hardly an equivalent offense? The point is that, no matter what the supposed violation or controversy, employees still have privacy rights at all levels.

I have zero issue with Brady and the Pats being held accountable for a rule they clearly violated. What I have issue with is Goodell and company assigning arbitrary and excessive penalties that have no basis in NFL regs or rules and their mistaken belief that they should somehow wield the same powers as the FBI or Dept of Justice as well as the idea that the reason the Pats won last year's Super Bowl is because of 'cheating'.

 

[MikeSr619]

Because the nfl did end up getting it right. Equivalence doesn't matter when you look at the fact that ray rice has yet to even be signed to a team after the incident happened and was not paid at all last year. His punishment was way more severe than what Brady got.

Also, ray committed a crime against the state of wherever he was. Brady committed a crime against the nfl. Two different cases, two different judgments.

 

[Ax]

Serial cheaters, now twice convicted.

They deserve the punishment they got this time. Should have been 10 times worse punishment for the years of video taping opponents practices. The NFL, guilty accomplices, again, colluded on the coverup by destroying the evidence the first time around, are now trying to play hard ass.

I'm not surprised the cheaters got caught, again. I think it's perfectly justified to believe they've done worse. No punishment could be too hard.
I'm not surprised the NFL is once again proving to be an inconsistent band of nincompoops. They also deserve any criticism thrown their way.

The New England Asterisks brought every bit of skepticism about their methods of achievements on themselves. They are 100% responsible, and deserve every ounce of dismissal of their "accomplishments" that anyone wants to level at them. They earned it.

 

[Goaldeje]

How is that relevant Mike - he knocked a women unconscious - hardly an equivalent offense? The point is that, no matter what the supposed violation or controversy, employees still have privacy rights at all levels.

I have zero issue with Brady and the Pats being held accountable for a rule they clearly violated. What I have issue with is Goodell and company assigning arbitrary and excessive penalties that have no basis in NFL regs or rules and their mistaken belief that they should somehow wield the same powers as the FBI or Dept of Justice as well as the idea that the reason the Pats won last year's Super Bowl is because of 'cheating'.

I agree with this entire post. Almost. As a quick aside, if you think the only thing the Pats cheated on last year were deflating gameballs, I've got some beautiful oceanfront property near Jimbo to sell you. Deflating balls didn't help them very much, imo; but the Pats have a culture of cheating - even if nothing else comes to light, I'm personally firmly convinced they cheat consistently. May not be rational, but personally, I think they've lost the benefit of the doubt.

But your comments on Gooddell couldn't be more correct. Henry's too. He is giving into the mob at this juncture, which is a dangerous thing to do. At this point, he is a politician, sticking his finger out the window before issuing any verdict. It's a shame, it's disgraceful, and it's nauseating. The NFL can't stay out of the news for all the wrong reasons. They need to be careful right now. The Rice thing angered a lot of people (my wife hasn't watched an NFL game since that story broke - she's a big reason why we didn't go to the BGO Tailgate last year, and this year is looking iffy), and he isn't making himself look any better right now.

 

[CounterTrey]

Let's be clear here, I never said Brady HAD to give up the phone. I stated why he would if he cared about his reputation etc. He absolutely has the right to privacy but refusing to cooperate and stick to that right within the context of NFL investigations has consequences. And Yes Boone they willingly give up privacy by signing on the dotted line the same way high security jobs do and any jon that forces you to pee for a test. That is the ultimate violation of privacy but people give it up all the time. Either give up the phone records that you supposedly have nothing to hide in or don't and suffer the consequences without whining about unfair treatment and false bravado about "full cooperation" when you did anything but.

 

[Boone]

Submitting to drug testing is not the same thing as giving your employer carte blanche access to your personal info.

 

[MikeSr619]

Bradys crime was against the nfl. They were investigating it how an organization like themselves sees fit to. It's not going to be the same as a us court of law or anyone else because it's a private company.

 

[McD5]

They need to be careful right now. The Rice thing angered a lot of people (my wife hasn't watched an NFL game since that story broke - she's a big reason why we didn't go to the BGO Tailgate last year, and this year is looking iffy), and he isn't making himself look any better right now.

Goal, what do they need to be careful about?

Sales are at an all-time high. Profits are at an all-time high. Attendance is at an all-time high. The league has never been more successful.

Losing 50,000 Mrs. Goaldejes, or 50,000 Mrs. McDs is totally insignificant. There are more than enough people to take their place.

In the big picture, honestly, we aren't that important.

There's not much to worry about--just the concussions mainly.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/20/news/companies/nfl-profits/

 

[Goaldeje]

Goal, what do they need to be careful about?

Sales are at an all-time high. Profits are at an all-time high. Attendance is at an all-time high. The league has never been more successful.

Losing 50,000 Mrs. Goaldejes, or 50,000 Mrs. McDs is totally insignificant. There are more than enough people to take their place.

In the big picture, honestly, we aren't that important.

There's not much to worry about.

I disagree. THe NBA was on top in the mid 90's with Jordan at his apex, and everyone figured that would last forever. 5 years later with the Nets/Lakers Finals, ratings plummeted during the "thug" era. Nothing lasts forever.

I understand the NFL might think it is invincible, and all available information would actually support that right now. But downfalls can sneak up on anyone. The NFL doesn't have to worry about you and me and just about everyone else on this site. But in order to maintain its momentum, the NFL needs to keep those casual fans engaged. The concussion issue isn't helping. Ray Rice really hurt a lot of casual fans. Goodell can't seem to help piling on and making things worse in a lot of people's eyes.

It may not happen tomorrow or next year, but everything is cyclical.

 

[Shi no Tenshi]

The sad thing with all this is that the penalties were seemingly more for them not cooperating with the investigation than for the messing with equipment. Hell, I can look at every text in that report and easily think of a situation that isn't nearly as blasphemous as the one that the Patriot haters are coming up with.

I think most teams do very questionable things, and haven't held any of them in that high of moral regard in some time. I like watching the sport, but there is always a part of me that knows it causes some bad things and encourages terrible behavior from the people in it, which is why there is all the ancillary issues we're having lately. Social media and the increase of so many cameras in the world now really show the ugly sides of society that have existed for a long time, and we can't just sweep it under the rug anymore.

Do I think they should make sure to punish the ones breaking the rules? Absolutely, the rules are pointless without doing so. But this case seems more about a power struggle than a rule break. Power struggles just hurt everybody else, they don't help integrity.