The state of deflategate

[Barbershopman]

I was watching the Sports Reporters this morning and, as another NFL season is rapidly approaching, they were discussing Deflategate, what have we learned and whose to blame?

As much as I can't stand anyone in the Patriots organization, save Robert Kraft, I'd say the person with the most egg on his face in this entire scenario is Roger Goodell.

When Spygate happened, Goodell handed down a punishment that some saw as a slap on the wrist. Then there was the criticism for his handling of the Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson incidents. Not to mention the fact that when games were played at Foxboro, Goodell was seen smiling and conversing with Kraft IN KRAFT'S LUXURY BOX, as if the two were lifelong buddies!

I think when Deflategate happened, Goodell was thinking "I need to save face. I need to show everyone that I'm the commissioner and that I am judge, jury and executioner. I need to show everyone that I'm not a puppet of the owners, and I need to make an example of the Patriots for pushing the boundries of the rules and destroying the "intergrity of the game". But I think when he tried to flex his commissioner muscles, he overstepped his bounds and went overboard.

So whose to blame for this mess? In my opinion: the Patriots (some), Goodell (for the most part), the owners (some), but I think it is the current CBA that the owners drew up, the players association approved and is now the law of the land until it expires. It states that the commissioner has the right to wield his power in any way he sees fit. So who's to blame, I say it falls on the entire league, good or bad, it's what we have to live with.

Barbershopman

 

[maniactickler]

Go Brady!

 

[Hemmen]

I just read that a judge overturned Brady's suspension, so he's good to go for Week 1 pending further legal action. It's about time somebody put a smackdown on Goodell.

 

[Sodahead]

The irony of the situation is the ruling might not have been overturned if the NFL hadn't taken Tom Brady to court. The only reason this was decided by the judge was because the NFL thought it would be icing on the cake to have a judge, who they handpicked by the way, to confirm their ruling. Instead, he overruled it and lambasted Roger Goodell in the process.

Sweet justice!

 

[maniactickler]

Woohoo! Justice is served! now the Pats can kick some ass!

 

[Laffy Daffy]

To me it's all on Roger Goodell. When I played football, it was an unspoken truth that both teams were always trying to gain am edge by any means necessary. That's how the Patriots operate. They walk right up to the line between fair play and cheating and see how far they can push the line before someone stops them. I don't think their philosophy is any different from the other 31 teams, I just think they're more imaginative about how they go about things, and more successful at toeing that line.

But to play the blame game, Goodell has consistently displayed a desire to be above reproach where punishment is concerned, yet hasn't gotten one of these situations right on the first try yet. Adrian Peterson and Ray Rice were great examples last summer, and now Brady and the Pats actually managed to get him scolded in a courtroom for his overreaches. I have no problem with a commissioner trying to address the problems within his sport, but it seems like a little more research and consulting in needed in the Goodell camp.

 

[Iggy pop]

The irony of the situation is the ruling might not have been overturned if the NFL hadn't taken Tom Brady to court. The only reason this was decided by the judge was because the NFL thought it would be icing on the cake to have a judge, who they handpicked by the way, to confirm their ruling. Instead, he overruled it and lambasted Roger Goodell in the process.

Sweet justice!

What? This is not what happened. The NFL suspended Brady after the Well report. Brady then appealed to the NFL. The NFL in a process presided over by Roger Goodell upheld the suspension. NFPLA on the behalf of Brady, then attempted to appeal in Minnesota, mainly because they thought Minnesota would be more favorable. The NFL had already filed in New York to confirm the Brady Decision. They were aware that Brady would appeal, and they wanted to case heard in New York. The case was moved to Southern District of New York, where the judge later threw out the suspension, citing a lack of due process.