2015-2016 NFL Thread

[Soxfest]

NFL upholds Tom Brady 4 game suspension...............I am sure he will sue now.

 

 

 

 

The league has upheld Tom Brady's four-game suspension.

 

After a summer of waffling, commissioner Roger Goodell has decided to hold firm on Brady's shockingly-severe punishment. It means the matter is now headed to federal court, where Brady will sue the league. Brady will reportedly "seek an injunction that will allow him to play while his case works its way through the courts." Buried in the league's statement was confirmation that Brady destroyed his cellphone. Reading the reports, "Deflategate" sometimes comes across as a matter of national security instead of the silly sports controversy that it is. As it stands right now, Jimmy Garoppolo will be starting against the Steelers, Bills, Jaguars and Cowboys.

 

 

Source: Mike Garafolo on Twitter

Edited July 28, 2015 by Soxfest

[StrangeSox]

ridiculous

[Soxfest]

Goodell said 4 days ago he was not aware of any appeal by Bell yet rules on it today what a liar.

 

 

 

The NFL has reduced Le'Veon Bell's suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy from three games to two.

 

That sound you hear is Bell racing back to the top of draft boards. Including the Steelers' bye, Bell is still ticketed to miss 23 percent of the fantasy regular season, but he's a dual-threat difference maker who provides a weekly edge in all formats of fantasy. That's especially true in PPR leagues, where Bell is a no-brainer at No. 1 overall. Bell is the goal-line back and primary checkdown target for an offense that wants to score 30 points per game this season. DeAngelo Williams will get the start in Weeks 1 and 2, where Pittsburgh is facing New England and San Francisco.

 

 

Source: Jarrett Bell on Twitter

Edited July 28, 2015 by Soxfest

[Jake]

Goodell said 4 days ago he was not aware of any appeal by Bell yet rules on it today what a liar.

 

 

 

The NFL has reduced Le'Veon Bell's suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy from three games to two.

 

That sound you hear is Bell racing back to the top of draft boards. Including the Steelers' bye, Bell is still ticketed to miss 23 percent of the fantasy regular season, but he's a dual-threat difference maker who provides a weekly edge in all formats of fantasy. That's especially true in PPR leagues, where Bell is a no-brainer at No. 1 overall. Bell is the goal-line back and primary checkdown target for an offense that wants to score 30 points per game this season. DeAngelo Williams will get the start in Weeks 1 and 2, where Pittsburgh is facing New England and San Francisco.

 

 

Source: Jarrett Bell on Twitter

 

Why the hell would you include that?

 

[knightni]

There was speculation that they would have reduced it to one game, but he wanted the record sealed of him purposely destroying his cell phone, contrary to what NFL investigators told him to do.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

Eric Berry has been cleared to resume practicing after completion of treatments for Hodgkin's Lymphoma

[Jenksismyhero]

I'm both simultaneously shocked that Brady is getting hit with 4 games for a pretty minor offense, and at the same time shocked that people don't seem to think there is enough evidence to suspend him for it.

[dasox24]

Eric Berry has been cleared to resume practicing after completion of treatments for Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Just great news. I ran into him at the ATL airport a few weeks ago and chatted him up briefly. He said he had been cleared by his doctors that day as cancer-free and was hopping the 1st flight to Miami to start training for the season. He wasted zero time. That's dedication. I'm assuming yesterday's news was him being cleared by the doctors to resume playing actual football.

 

For a guy with cancer, he did a remarkable job of staying in shape. He may not have been 100% but he wasn't small at all.

[ChiSox_Sonix]

Just great news. I ran into him at the ATL airport a few weeks ago and chatted him up briefly. He said he had been cleared by his doctors that day as cancer-free and was hopping the 1st flight to Miami to start training for the season. He wasted zero time. That's dedication. I'm assuming yesterday's news was him being cleared by the doctors to resume playing actual football.

 

For a guy with cancer, he did a remarkable job of staying in shape. He may not have been 100% but he wasn't small at all.

 

Reid said he stayed in remarkable shape but that a further statement would be made this afternoon, including a presser from Berry. He's currently not taking part in full contact drills but was working out with the QBs, rookies and injured players this morning during workouts.

[Chisoxfn]

I'm both simultaneously shocked that Brady is getting hit with 4 games for a pretty minor offense, and at the same time shocked that people don't seem to think there is enough evidence to suspend him for it.

In cases where their is hard evidence against players, suspensions get reduced (e.g., police records, etc). In this case, well at this point, I think the whole thing is insane. League vs. power owner, star player, etc. Just makes no sense and Kraft has put them on blast and it seems like the NFL is spinning everything they can at this point to be anti-brady (but I don't understand any motive they'd have to do so).

 

That said, in this case, it is all circumstantial. They say the phone was destroyed...Brady refers to it as broke (big difference). Also, apparently, Brady asked Wells if they were going to need anything (this is from Brady's side so who knows if it was true) and they said no. This isn't like he destroyed it before the investigation, I believe it was destroyed before the appeals process (but again, I might be wrong, have heard way too many different stories over the radio).

[bmags]

I just think the main issue is the NFL continues to seem like it makes up the rules as it goes along.

[StrangeSox]

I just think the main issue is the NFL continues to seem like it makes up the rules as it goes along.

Right. There's a punishment spelled out in the rules/CBA for tampering with the balls, and it's a fine. The suspension on top of that is pretty ridiculous but it's along the same lines as the rest of Goddell's arbitrary decisions.

[Jenksismyhero]

In cases where their is hard evidence against players, suspensions get reduced (e.g., police records, etc). In this case, well at this point, I think the whole thing is insane. League vs. power owner, star player, etc. Just makes no sense and Kraft has put them on blast and it seems like the NFL is spinning everything they can at this point to be anti-brady (but I don't understand any motive they'd have to do so).

 

That said, in this case, it is all circumstantial. They say the phone was destroyed...Brady refers to it as broke (big difference). Also, apparently, Brady asked Wells if they were going to need anything (this is from Brady's side so who knows if it was true) and they said no. This isn't like he destroyed it before the investigation, I believe it was destroyed before the appeals process (but again, I might be wrong, have heard way too many different stories over the radio).

 

Sounded to me like Brady admitted he destroyed the phone, as it was his common practice to do so when he gets a new phone, and that he ordered that his assistant destroy the phone the day or day before he was meeting with Wells. I mean this is like in any criminal case: you can choose to believe it's all 100% coincidental, or, given that common sense dictates that Wells would be interested in looking at his phone, and Brady knew that, Brady purposefully destroyed the phone to hide incriminating evidence. I think that is plenty of evidence in a "more probably true than not" situation for the NFL to suspend him.

 

edit: yeah i mean it says it right in the findings: on the day he was going to be interviewed by Wells, and knowing the Wells wanted to see the phone and its contents (for months prior), he ordered the phone to be destroyed. How is there any innocent way to read that? He clearly wanted to destroy that phone and its contents.

 

There's plenty of smoke here. Hell, there's direct evidence in the text messages between the ball boys. The fact that Kraft originally didn't fight it is also telling. Now of course Kraft is trying to protect his player, but he probably didn't think it would ever get this far.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Jenksismybitch

[Jenksismyhero]

Right. There's a punishment spelled out in the rules/CBA for tampering with the balls, and it's a fine. The suspension on top of that is pretty ridiculous but it's along the same lines as the rest of Goddell's arbitrary decisions.

 

The suspension is Brady's response to the rules violation though, not the violation itself. When you give a commissioner carte blanche authority to hand out penalties for undefined "good of the game" type infractions, you get inconsistent rulings.

[Jake]

I think the best argument Brady has is that the NFL's past and the way the investigation was carried out led him to have no trust that things would be carried out fairly. He was uncooperative because he didn't believe they would be looking for the truth when they used his evidence, only for anything that could be used against him.

 

Of course, he probably did try to get those balls deflated, but they've done a fairly poor job of showing it.

[Jenksismyhero]

Has everyone read the finding? I mean, it's very thorough and well written.

 

The most damning things to me:

 

Brady was asked to produce the phone and text/email records beginning in Feb (and multiple times thereafter). His interview with Wells was March 6th. He destroyed the phone March 6th. He DID provide a cell phone used a year prior, and he offered to provide his new phone (starting on March 6) but the NFL said it wasn't necessary. He instead refused to give the phone during the most damning time period - from the AFC championship game to March 6, his interview with Wells. Clearly his concerns for his private records is a bulls*** argument when he had handed over or offered to hand over 2 other phones for inspection.

 

More importantly though, the NFL agreed to let Brady's attorney pick out the responsive communications and to keep the private ones private. Brady still refused to do that.

 

The whole thing is silly and dumb, but I really can't say I have any qualms with what the Commish did. 4 games seems like a lot for such a minor offense, but he reasoned that it's akin to a first violation for steroids. Both involve an attempt to gain a competitive advantage by skirting the rules (and it doesn't require you to prove a competitive advantage was obtained), and both come with a 4 game penalty. Add in that Brady basically destroyed evidence and refused to fully cooperate, and I think what probably should have been a 1-2 game suspension goes to 4. Still dumb in the grand scheme, but I can see the logic behind it.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Jenksismybitch

[Balta1701]

Has everyone read the finding? I mean, it's very thorough and well written.

 

The most damning things to me:

 

Brady was asked to produce the phone and text/email records beginning in Feb (and multiple times thereafter). His interview with Wells was March 6th. He destroyed the phone March 6th. He DID provide a cell phone used a year prior, and he offered to provide his new phone (starting on March 6) but the NFL said it wasn't necessary. He instead refused to give the phone during the most damning time period - from the AFC championship game to March 6, his interview with Wells. Clearly his concerns for his private records is a bulls*** argument when he had handed over or offered to hand over 2 other phones for inspection.

 

More importantly though, the NFL agreed to let Brady's attorney pick out the responsive communications and to keep the private ones private. Brady still refused to do that.

 

The whole thing is silly and dumb, but I really can't say I have any qualms with what the Commish did. 4 games seems like a lot for such a minor offense, but he reasoned that it's akin to a first violation for steroids. Both involve an attempt to gain a competitive advantage by skirting the rules (and it doesn't require you to prove a competitive advantage was obtained), and both come with a 4 game penalty. Add in that Brady basically destroyed evidence and refused to fully cooperate, and I think what probably should have been a 1-2 game suspension goes to 4. Still dumb in the grand scheme, but I can see the logic behind it.

This general case has seemed persuasive to me throughout, well summarized.

 

I will be intrigued to see if they're able to present anything else solid in response when this case goes before an actual judge.

[Jenksismyhero]

This general case has seemed persuasive to me throughout, well summarized.

 

I will be intrigued to see if they're able to present anything else solid in response when this case goes before an actual judge.

 

It won't though, that's the thing. A judge is not going to retry the case on the merits. An arbitrator ruled, unless they skipped protocol or did something totally unjust, the judge won't change the decision.

[StrangeSox]

Wasn't the "arbitrator" Goddell himself?

[Jenksismyhero]

Wasn't the "arbitrator" Goddell himself?

 

Yeah, but i'm guessing that per the CBA, both parties (the NFL and NFLPA) agreed to that set up.

[StrangeSox]

Goddell reviewing his own decision seems ridiculous enough for the NFLPA to agree to it.

[Balta1701]

Goddell reviewing his own decision seems ridiculous enough for the NFLPA to agree to it.

They clearly have had issues with this setup for a while yet they did not find it to be a big enough deal to be willing to give up something to ownership during the last CBA/Lockout.

[Jake]

In general, this is a case where it doesn't make sense to compare Brady's punishment with people who have committed crimes. What Brady did can only be adjudicated by the NFL because it only concerns football games. Comparing to PED abuse makes sense.

[Soxfest]

Brady just take the 4 games and shut up.

[Chisoxfn]

Brady just take the 4 games and shut up.

Only thing is, if their is any truth to him potentially getting 1 game, and the evidence mounted so far against him, why would he be stupid enough not to accept the 1 game. I suppose he might just have an ego that he just presumed he could strong arm them to victory?