There has been more Tom Brady news in the past few days than I would like to remember.
The Golden Boy of the NFL has showed signs of rust this week.
But it’s not because he was behind an elaborate scheme to take air out of game balls.
We are in a different age now. Thanks to folks like Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones, Barry Bonds, Ryan Braun and the 2007 Spygate Patriots, we are a much more cynical nation.
I don’t want to say that all of sports is dirty, but that almost has to be the expectation nowadays doesn’t it?
How can Adrian Peterson not only come back from an ACL tear — one of the worst injuries in all of sports — but electrify the league with his best season ever? How can the NBA not get a sniff of when its refs are trying to fix games? And how was Derek Jeter able to play one of the most pivotal positions in baseball as a 40-year-old?
Those aren’t just backroom hush-hush questions. Those are legitimate questions that unfortunately will never be answered.
I’m not surprised Brady was the maestro of his deflation minions. He not only wants to win, but he is addicted to it. He tasted an undefeated regular season in which that 2007 team outscored its opponents by nearly 20 points a game.
This is the pros. There are 32 NFL teams that are separated by the thinnest of margins. A simple bounce of an oblong ball could mean the difference between advancing to the playoffs, earning an incentive escalator or just winning a job.
How often do people cook the numbers on their taxes? I would guess that number is pretty high. The same mindset could be taken up with athletes. I say athletes because the college game hasn’t exactly been devoid of an ugly underbelly either.
Brady making sure that game balls were underinflated is bad. But it’s not nearly as bad as lying about it. The 10-time Pro Bowler just made people think twice about his career.
And I’m not saying that Brady or Bill Belichick should be stripped of their first ballot Hall of Fame eligibility. That’s what 2012 Hall of Fame inductee Chris Doleman said, and he sounded about as naïve as Keith Olbermann, who said that Brady should be suspended for a year.
None of those things are going to happen. But the NFL is in a precarious situation. They obviously don’t want to sit the starting quarterback of the defending Super Bowl champs on a nationally televised season-opening Thursday night game. Obviously, the main thing that will be on Al Michaels’ lips will be Deflategate and Brady. That’s not exactly how the NFL wants to start the year.
But Brady has to be suspended. There is the argument about the lack of evidence, but Brady just has to know better. The more you fight and are uncooperative in an investigation, you instantly become the problem and not the solution.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has to wonder what else is going on in New England. Belichick has the same affinity for winning that Brady does, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s trying to find another way to cut a corner.
Welcome to the 21st century of sports. Now it’s ball deflation, human growth hormone and using cameras to spy on an opponent. Soon it will be cloning and genetic mapping to construct the super athlete.
As long as we keep score, there’s going to be people that want to guarantee victory. That’s not hyperbole. That’s human nature.
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Cory Jennerjohn is from Wisconsin and has been in sports media for over 10 years. To contact Cory e-mail him at jeobs -at- yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter: Cory Jennerjohn
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I don’t know exactly what happened in New England, but after hearing this Ted Wells report, SOMETHING DID HAPPEN.
The cover-up is making this worse than the crime itself. The more Tom Brady, denies, denies, denies (a la Lance Armstrong), the worse it’s going to get when the truth comes out.
Players like Jerry Rice have admitted to putting Stickum on their gloves, linemen used to put cooking spray on their jerseys to be slippery, etc. It is true that competition taints ethical behavior. People make trade-offs, evaluate the risks, check their own morals (internal), see the ethics of their organization(external), then make a decision that benefits them.
Bottom line is this: People have been and will continue to cook up schemes to get a competitive edge in football and in life. The short-term benefits (i.e. winning football games and bonus money) may be large, but the long-term damage (tarnishing a legacy, losing trust) is permanent.
Once you go down that slippery slope and compromise your integrity, there’s no turning back. Tom Brady knew exactly what he did.
And that’s why we have punishments to deter such undesirable behavior. I am a Packer fan. Does that mean I’m OK with the Packers cheating to win a game? Of course not. Where is the fun in that? Count me with the Olbermanns of the world, I say ban Brady for one year. I doubt he will get more than 8 weeks, if that.
Brady has proven himself to be arrogant and w/o integrity. Is winning worth that price? If so, sports fans need to take a long hard look in the mirror. Sports is supposed to represent all that is good in life. Hard work, sacrifice etc. Ask Vince Lombardi if you don’t believe me. If Kraft and Belicheck threw Brady off the team for lying to them I’d have some respect for them.
Archie – I could not agree with you more. Well put.
Thanks Bearmeat.
Very well said! I can’t imagine the Packers being accused of something like this. I’d be ashamed to be a Patriots fan.
I agree with your post Cory – especially the part about addiction. I posted this on CHTV last week, and I didn’t get much reaction (and I’m curious what others think) so I’m reposting here. Hope that’s ok.
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1. As a die-hard Packer fan, I will go to my grave believing that GB was
the best team last year… but this is just a shame. This asterisk…
just makes the entire season (by everyone) for naught. The champs
cheated. No one wins there. But I’m not jealous. Not at all. On the contrary, I’m just sad and somewhat indignant. WHY did Lance Armstrong have to cheat? He was already better than everyone else. Why did Nixon have to dig up crap on McGovern? He would have won easily without the info gained by the break in. Why did Pete Rose have to gamble? He had plenty of money.
2. This is WAY past football. I’m talking about addiction. It’s clear by
now that Belichick and Brady would do ANYTHING to win. ANYTHING to be
considered the GOAT. Including undermining the integrity of the game
they both love. It’s sad.They put the ingredients in the pot. Hopefully the NFL will do the right thing and they’ll have to cook in it. So unnecessary.
3. The Pats and Tom Brady have now lost all claims they may have had to be the Greatest-Team-Of-All-Time. It’s really too bad. They’ve been the most consistent NFL team in the past 20 years, and probably would have won at least 3 Lombardi’s regardless of external circumstances. But they’ve cheated. Again. And got caught. Again. Lance Armstrong, Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, and Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign come to mind here. Major draft picks forfeited, suspensions for QB and head coach, and possibly even
banishments coming. Just Dumb.
4. This under-inflating of balls favors anyone who touches the ball
on a routine basis with smaller hands – like Brady. (QB, C, RB, WR, – but especially QBs) This is a competitive balance issue that undermines the integrity of the game. It’s not as serious as gambling on games (Pete Rose, Alex Karras, Paul Hornung), but it is about equal to Alex Rodriguez making a
deal with pitchers to inflate his stats while with the Rangers in the
early 2000’s. Then you throw in the lack of hard evidence in the
Bountygate suspensions and the draft picks Atlanta was forced to forfeit
for pumping in electronic crowd noise in their home game…
5. Not that consistency in punishments has ever made “The Rog” lose
one minute of sleep at night, but IF the league wants to be fair and
consistent when compared to the punishments doled out to the parties
mentioned above, no less than a year ban for Tommy Terrific and a
forfeiture of at least the Pats 1st round pick next year is in order.
Hopefully we’ll see real justice done here. Color me skeptical.
I approve of your sentiments in general. I didn’t respond or post on this issue at CHTV because I didn’t read the entire 129 page report, nor am I willing to do so.
From what I can glean, Tom Brady lied to investigators about whether he knew the equipment guy, or how well. It also is clear that Brady made autographed paraphernalia available to the equipment guy (but I don’t know how much stuff or what is normal). My understanding is that the investigators cannot prove that Brady told the equipment guy to deflate the balls he used below the league mandated minimum, but there may have been a wink wink, since Brady would have had to indicate just how under inflated he wanted them. It would be worse if NE made sure it had correctly or over-inflated balls to use for its own punts, kick offs and long field goals.
The governing bodies of all sports must do their best to insure fair play, or risk losing interest in their sports. I lost interest in boxing for this reason and also in the NBA over my vague feeling that things were tilted, though not outright fixed. Lying to investigators ought to be punished by at least a 1 or 2 game suspension. Just IMHO.
Thanks Reynoldo.
Mind, if they can prove that Brady told the equipment guy to deflate them below the legal limit, a much longer suspension would be warranted. Not sure what the standard should be for the proof. I’d have to think about that, but it is not beyond a reasonable doubt. Maybe clear and convincing would suffice for me.
I think you hit the nail on the head regarding BB and TB’s addiction to winning. They’re like drug addicts willing to do whatever it takes to keep getting that high.
Look up cheating bastards in the dictionary and you will find a picture of the Patriots organization. They are out of control and know they can get by with it. I bet (I have no ballsack) Goodell will just fine them with no suspension. Brady has always been a whiner and it has worked well for him. My solution – have Adrian Peterson get a switch and whip Brady’s ballsack. Then have Ray Rice superman punch him in the ballsack. Maybe that would get his attention…
You heard it from Big T’s own mouth: “I have no ballsack.” I’m not sure how that parenthetical was really necessary information, but there you have it.
Edit: I am so torn!! I just posted about civility. Well, I feel impelled to chide you for your post. I suppose I ought to condemn it, but given the overall circumstances, chide will do.
When the NFL enacts a one strike rule no matter the offense then and still only perhaps will you be as close as possible to 100% true sportsmanship in sports.
Peterson beat a child with a tree branch,not a game time sportsmanship issue,yet the sports world has many that scream it didn’t effect the game because it didn’t take place on the field..bs.
It effects the moral compass of those who are to be idolized as well as the youth who aspire to be like those in sports regardless of their level of achievement.
Ray Rice punches his fiance’ and many screamed for his return and ignored the moral compass.The list goes on and on and the ‘second chance’ becomes ‘third chance’ and then the early childhood woes becomes the defense for such actions blah,blah,blah and now because of an amount of air so small,many of those same hypocrites want Brady tarred and feathered for lacking moral compass and label him a cheat forever more.
Some say they will only see a cheater in Brady when he plays, but will vehemently deny the child abuser,woman beater,drug user is playing in the game when a TD is scored,a sack made,a long run achieved,a great catch seen all in the name of winning.
I’m not condoning,denying or ignoring Brady’s knowledge or participation in the now world famous ‘Deflategate’ as many do with all the other illegal and moral infractions committed,but the punishment for ‘unsportsmanship’ cannot just be for on the field action but off field crime also and it must be a one strike and done to make it’s wrath formidable.
Lessons are not being learned as proven again and again by those while in college,attending the Combine and even when the NFL door has been opened to them.
The are many stations that need to have low tolerance due to the high esteem given it.Many of these stations are being allowed to constantly redefine the tolerance level on their own and sports is near the top of it’s game in doing so.
I can’t help but think sports at the professional level are about what you can get away with, not what team has the superior athletes or discipline. Holding is called when a ref decides to call a penalty. Pass interference offense or defense is some magical call that very few fans can ever decipher. Why not deflate the ball, why not pipe in noise (Atlanta was caught, but other stadiums do it). I knew back when Atlanta was beating us in the playoffs they were piping in noise (lets not forget the delay of replays), I suspect the Seahawks as well. These athletes and organizations are not about integrity or playing an honest game, they are teaching us to win at any cost, if you get caught cheating a small flag is thrown you lose five yards and start over at a little worse position. hat is offered only when a ref decides to see Players will do it if they feel they can get an edge or an inch. We are talking millions of dollars folks. Tom will overcome this smudge on his legacy.
In this context I would say Tom gets a one game suspension. I suspect he will get more based on the level of hype this has reached. But, overall they live by different set of rules than we do and I look at if from this perspective.
I can only assume that the author did not have any clear idea of what he actually wanted to say, and therefore he did not have any clear way of actually saying it.
Did Adrian Peterson do something to cheat? Yeah, I know about the child abuse, but did he do something to gain an unfair competitive advantage? Did the doctors install an illegal bionic knee? I must have missed that story when it was published. And if you know that Jeter was on the juice, can you tell us if it was the cream or the clear? Other than the utterly brain-dead Skip Bayless (who, like this author, did not have a shred of evidence, either) has anyone ever accused Jeter of PED use or any other kind of cheating? And what does Joe Blow cheating on his taxes have to do with it?
The notion that we now live in “a different age” seems to betray a complete lack of sports history. How is our “different age” different from McGwire and Sosa and Conseco all ‘roided up to the antiseptic levels? The Black Sox scandal of 1919 (to intentionally throw the world series)? Rosie Ruiz cheating in order to “win” the Boston Marathon in 1980? Pete Rose betting on his own games? Ben Johnson stripped of his gold for doping in 1988? Tonya Harding sending thugs to take out Nancy Kerrigan’s knee with a steel pipe (1994?) Diego Maradona and “the hand of God?” Spitballs, pine tar, vaseline and corked bats?
The title of the article says that cheating is accepted, and the article seems to be saying no, it should not be accepted. Or maybe not. Who knows?
If you are trying to say that the Patriot organization and its members have shown themselves on multiple occasions to be cheaters, and therefore they need to be punished, then yes, I agree with you.
Marpag,
You wrote exactly what I wanted to say.
I’ll add that the league must impose a punishment that is seen to be fair — in the context of players being suspended and franchises losing draft picks for PEDs, pumping noise, etc.
It won’t be harsh enough of a punishment to restore fair play. That hasn’t happened since the ‘Black’ Sox in 1919, when the guilty parties were banned for life.
The only question in my mind, Ed, is “How much can they nail Brady directly?” You and I and every non-Patriots fan on earth knows perfectly well that Brady was definitely behind it (no ball boy decides to illegally doctor the football on his own) but it becomes a matter of proof. I’m sure that Brady was smart enough to use the “hint, hint, wink, wink” method of getting what he wanted, but still, how much evidence really is there?
The NFL can DEFINITELY nail him for a failure to cooperate in the investigation (failing to turn over phone and text records). That is written into the CBA. That’s substantial in and of itself, but it’s still a bit short of a smoking gun.
Now the Patriots ORGANIZATION, on the other hand, should get absolutely clobbered, and there is no doubt in my mind about that. In the biggest games of the year, Patriot employees deliberated circumvented the rules in order to provide their team with a competitive advantage. This is undeniable. The Pats can’t say, “Oh, it was just some renegade ball boys.” It is your responsibility as an organization to make sure that this will never happen. The Patriots organization doesn’t have a single excuse. No one denies that the balls were in fact illegal.
More than that, the NFL in other areas recognizes that second and third offenses are more serious than first time offenses. And unless I’m mistaken, this isn’t the Patriots first run-in with the man.
Personally, I would love it if they threw the book at Brady hard, but I’m afraid they won’t. He deserves it – we all know it – but can it actually be proven? I’m guessing it’s closer to a slap on the wrist.
As for the organization, I think the Spygate punishment should pale by comparison. This is worse.
I forgot about Brady’s refusal to release texts and emails. If it is indeed contractually required, I’d have to consider adding a game to the 1 or 2 game suspension I suggested above. It seems clear that he lied to investigators about how well he knew the equipment guy.
It’s ALL the media just blowing smoke! There’s not a shred of evidence that Brady deflated the balls, and what good would that do him anyway??? Oh, someone said something that one time a while ago? BURN THE WITCH WE SAY!!
And furthermore, I am SICK to death to hearing about spygate!!! This article on on the money with that issue: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1061258-fired-up-setting-the-record-straight-on-spygate
Seriously everyone, am I the only one who realizes that when the media thinks they can raise ratings and someone else’s expense, they jump on every chance they get? You honestly think they have some kind of honor code to reporting? If they had even a SHRED of decency and honor, Skip Bayless wouldn’t have a job!
One question: Were the game balls up to legal NFL standards or were they not?
I tend to agree with you that the NFL will have a hard time nailing BRADY specifically (and this is for lack of definitive evidence that Tom Brady ordered people to do it), but they have no such problems at all nailing the Patriots organization. The balls WERE DEFINITELY not legal. And this illegal deflating was definitely and deliberately done by Patriots employees.
The Patriots organization has the responsibility to make sure that the field, the equipment, and everything else used during the game is up to snuff. Clearly they did not.
How did the media make this up?
I never said there wasn’t some truth to the matter, my point is that it’s being blown way out of proportion. The best lies are the ones that are mixed with a little truth. So the balls were deflated, that affects BOTH teams in a negative way. It wasn’t until they started inflating the balls that the Patriots were effectively able to start passing it.
What about the evidence that this has been going on for years? Brady has small hands for a QB. Under-inflated footballs would greatly benefit him, no?
Also, what about the fact that this is not the first time the Pats have had run ins with the rules. Whether you like Spygate or not, BB broke the rules, then lied about it. How does Brady doing the same thing almost 10 years later NOT look bad for the entire organization? It shows the-win-at-all-costs mantra hasn’t changed one bit.
Whether or not you like Goodell – if he’s going to be consistent, he HAS to absolutely HAMMER the Pats. Brady in particular. But also Belichick. As Goodell said to Sean Payton “You were the man in charge. Whether or not you knew, you are responsible for providing institutional control.” And that was for Bountygate – which had LESS physical proof than both Spygate and Deflategate.
Evidence? WHAT evidence??? All they have is someone said something at that’s IT! It’s BOLOGNA!
The quarterbacks are asked before the game if they feel as though the balls are inflated to their exact specifications and if they like it. I can’t believe that aspect is actually being ignored!
Can you and I join in a mission to convince people that this could be the biggest non-issue in NFL history?
YES! WE CAN!
Spygate and now this deflate nonsense are easily two of the biggest non-issues blown out of the water that I have ever seen.
When the Saints were suspected of having a bounty program going on, at least the NFL released footage of the players saying “we hit him? Hey (forgot who’s name), give me my money!”. It was totally subjective, but it was SOMETHING though!
The people who accuse brady and Belichick have got diddly SQUAT!
So well said.
Here is an alternate scenario that is just as possible: Several reputable independent labs determined that the game day conditions would cause psi to drop. This actually proved what was somewhat common knowledge, knowledge easily available to the Colts pre-game. The Colts already knew the NFL was on alert to test the balls, and insured (or played their final part in cooperation with the league office former Jet employee, whichever you choose to believe) the balls would tested by claiming the intercepted ball was under-inflated.
Conclusion: It is just as easy to believe that the Colts purposefully over-inflated their balls pre-game, knowing that the balls would be tested and theirs would be in range, while the Pats balls would test under, unless the Pats had over-inflated their balls pre-game also.
Absolutely beautifully said! REALLY good point!
The biggest travesty of sports justice in history. Can anyone explain why, when the league office was supposedly already suspicious, the Pats balls were not tested in between Coleman’s check and kickoff? Is there any logical reason for allowing an entire half to be played with what the league now claims were illegal balls? Is there any rational explanation for not informing the game officials of the situation?
The answer to all these questions is no, which logically points to something else going on.
“Their exact specifications…” yeah. Between 12.5 and 13.5 PSI. Rules are rules. If the NFL didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, they should have changed the rules to “whatever the QB wants.” But that’s not what the rule says.
Secondarily, if one of the Pats equipment guys calls himself “the deflator” amidst a bunch of texts stating that Brady was hounding him about the Pats footballs being too “overinflated” in early 2014, AND Brady was one of the QBs lobbying the NFL to allow the home teams discretion on the footballs inflations (within the rules) in 2007.. what does that say to you? Circumstantial? Yes. But evidence nonetheless? Yep.
The whole bounty thing was subsequently shot down by the former commissioner. Not a very good precedent. Meanwhile, you’ve got idiots like Damion Woody, Brady’s center for several years of all things, saying he thinks Brady cheated. Hey Damion, you touched the ball EVERY play, was it right or not? There’s zero evidence that anything has happened over a long period of time.
Chad, sometimes you’re a little over the top, but man youi right on about this! This has to be the biggest to-do over absolutely nothing I’ve ever seen. Even if there were ANY hard evidence (there isn’t) that Brady and/or BB did anything, what difference did it make? The Colts were crushed in the 2nd half with the Pats using “legal” balls. The whole thing has been absolutely ridiculous from the very beginning.
I’m concerned that normally levelheaded folks like marpag, Ed, and TGR are so concerned about this incident. Here are some of the many, many reasons to be extremely skeptical of the Wells report:
1) The whole affair originated from a conspiracy between Pagano, Grigson, and Harbaugh (Baltimore). Pagano originally lied about his part, later admitted it, and a year after being America’s poster boy appears to be a complete weasel;
2)The league office assigned the investigation to a former Jets employee who set up the whole sting operation, allowing the 1st half to be played with what the league apparently already believed were illegal balls,
3) The referee gave inconsistent statements regarding the initial testing and was generally clueless about the balls’ custody or use afterward,
4. It was scientifically proven that footballs will drop psi under the day’s conditions. Wells report discounts the most logical explanation, and
5) no records were kept of any of the measurements.
There’s a lot more.
Chad and WKU,
Hey, I have no problem if you guys want to take the other side of things. We just disagree. I’m probably one of the few people in the universe who has actually read the Wells Report (yes, cover to cover and word for word). “Speed-reading” might be my only true skill, and I have a love for NFL football and also for physics, so this debate about air pressure in footballs was right up my alley. I’ve also read a lot of the articles and studies which take issue with something in the Wells report.
If you want to read (or at least skim) the report, it is available online here: http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/photo/2015/05/06/0ap3000000491381.pdf It’s actually a pretty easy read.
WKU, I’d disagree with your 5 contentions above.
1) The whole affair originated from a conspiracy between Pagano, Grigson, and Harbaugh (Baltimore). Pagano originally lied about his part, later admitted it, and a year after being America’s poster boy appears to be a complete weasel;
You say that this was “a conspiracy?” Why? If the Colts and Ravens both had concerns about under-inflated footballs during previous games, and then were on the lookout for it in subsequent games, does this make them liars and conspirators?
2)The league office assigned the investigation to a former Jets employee who set up the whole sting operation, allowing the 1st half to be played with what the league apparently already believed were illegal balls,
A sting operation?? I find it ironic that you say there is no evidence against the Patriots (as if a dozen flabby footballs that averaged 11.3 psi were nothing at all of evidence), and yet you support an entirely unfounded conspiracy theory that is totally devoid of facts… namely that the Colts carefully investigated Amontons’ Law of Pressure and Temperature, then took a wild guess that the cold would reduce the pressure in Patriot footballs to substandard levels (even though the Colts had no way of knowing how much air the Pats had put in them from the start), then over-inflated their own footballs to their own competitive disadvantage, and then continued in this disadvantage for the whole first half while they were being eliminated from Superbowl contention, and then sprung the trap against those poor, unsuspecting Patriots. And all of this is “proven” by the fact that league official Mike Kensil, who has no affiliation with the Colts whatsoever, was a former Jets employee. Um, OK.
3) The referee gave inconsistent statements regarding the initial testing and was generally clueless about the balls’ custody or use afterward,
This proves nothing for or against the case.
4. It was scientifically proven that footballs will drop psi under the day’s conditions. Wells report discounts the most logical explanation, and
Everybody knows that pressure and temperature are directly related. And this is why the NFL hired an independent testing firm called Exponent, whose findings were reviewed and approved by Dr. Daniel Marlowe PhD. a professor of physics at Princeton University. All of this is included in the Wells Report, so I don’t really get your point when you say that the report “discounts the most logical explanation.” Here is the bottom line of Exponent’s report, verbatim:
In sum, the data did not provide a basis for us to determine with absolute certainty whether there was or was not tampering as the analysis of such data ultimately is dependent upon assumptions and information that is not certain. However, based on all of the information provided to us, particularly regarding the timing and sequencing of the measurements conducted by the game officials at halftime, and on our testing and analyses, we conclude that within the range of game characteristics most likely to have occurred on Game Day, we have identified no set of credible environmental or physical factors that completely accounts for the additional loss in air pressure exhibited by the Patriots game balls as compared to the loss in air pressure exhibited by the Colts game balls measured during halftime of the AFC
Championship Game.
5) no records were kept of any of the measurements.
Not true. This is true only if you mean the pressure measured by the game officials prior to the start of the game. The measurements at halftime most certainly were recorded and are found ad nauseum in the Wells Report.
Very well said Marpag. Thanks.
Hi marpag! I was hoping you would reply, I always respect your opinion. With regard to your responses to the 5 points:
1) It’s always important to know who started an investigation or complained about something. The motives and connections are relevant to how the investigation was conducted,
2)Kensil being a former Jets employee is definitely material. There are several articles detailing his potential bias. My “conspiracy theory” was presented as an alternative to show how easily another scenario could have happened, and to highlight what I believe to be the absurdity of the entire situation. However, it is based on facts and I do not believe it would be as difficult as you state for the Colts, especially with Kensil’s assistance, to pull off such a manuver. What is the explanation for the league allowing the 1st half to be played with what they obviously believed were illegal balls? Why were the balls not tested pre-game, after the referee’s supposed tests?
3) The referee’s cavalier attitude shows that whoever with the league that controls referees sure wasn’t very concerned about the balls,
4) I bow to your superior knowledge of atmospheric effect on psi, and am glad we someone with such knowledge. However, as an attorney I can assure you that I can find an expert (and college professors) that will manipulate that data any way I want it. Perhaps you’re familiar with Exponent and can vouch for their integrity,
5) I overstated, was referring to to pre-game measurements only.
We should also question the credentials and independence of Wells. What is his background? Is he capable of understanding the scientific data?
Lastly, I believe Packers fans, out of respect for Paul Horning, show be very slow to support the league office in any affair.
Thanks for the thoughts, PackFan. I’ve said all along that the NFL’s “case” – much like Patriot footballs – is certainly not 100% airtight (har har), but overall I do believe that the Patriots must have deliberately doctored the balls. I’ll make a few more comments here in response to yours: “What is the explanation for the league allowing the 1st half to be played with what they obviously believed were illegal balls? Why were the balls not tested pre-game, after the referee’s supposed tests?”
The accusation against the Patriots follows this basic sequence of events:
1) Each team provides the 12 balls that will be used when their own team is on offense. Both team’s footballs WERE checked for pressure by the game day officials prior to the game. Officials found nothing suspicious. This is standard operating procedure.
2) Since the balls were checked as described above, the officials had no reason at all to suspect that the balls were under-inflated during the first half of play.
3) Near the end of the first half Brady threw an interception and the ball ends up on the Colts sideline. People who handled it immediately suspected that it was under-inflated (and as you correctly pointed out, they had suspicions about this from a prior game). So the chain of investigation starts here.
4) During halftime the game officials re-check the 11 Patriot footballs that remain, two separate pressure checks on each ball. Of the 22 separate pressure tests, ALL 22 of them came back under-inflated. In fact only one test was above 12 pounds (12.3), which is still below the legal limit. The average psi of all the tests was 11.3 psi.
5) The accusation then is that the Patriots equipment men deflated balls AFTER the game officials tested them prior to the game, but before the balls were put in play.
5) The Exponent report concluded that they can find no natural explanation for why the Patriot footballs lost so much air and the Colt footballs didn’t.
5) The Patriot equipment manager was caught on CCTV spending “private time” in the bathroom WITH THE FOOTBALLS on his way to the field. This was AFTER the balls had been tested and approved by officials.
6) Text messages are recovered etc etc. etc….
Thanks to you again marpag, really enjoying the conversation. I’ll admit there’s quite a bit of speculation in my posts. As you said, we’re going to have to agree to disagree on this one.
Interestingly, during our discussion today Florio posted on PFT about the questions related to the two guages used. As you probably recall from the report, Walt Coleman cannot remember for sure which guage he used pre-game. According to Florio, Wells chose the guage Coleman thinks least likely was used. Hopefully my points about Coleman and the lack of pre-game records seem more sound now.
By the way, I meant why didn’t they test the balls pre-game again after Coleman and just prior to kickoff. They certainly seem to have had enough suspicion.
I also believe that Brady is not dumb enough to deny any involvement if he thought the league had any chance of proving chicanery. I believe he’s as shocked with the outcome as Chad and I are.
Finally, I wasn’t trying to be smart about the expert thing. I’ve talked plenty aofexperts into saying exactly what I needed them to, and found others when they wouldn’t. Of course, I have no way of knowing if the league did that here. In litigation, however, never trust anything an expert says.
Cory, don’t forget about Favre’s season at age 40. Was he drug tested? He was on the decline for many years prior. Then he signs with the Vikings in 2009 and puts up his best season since 1998. Really? I find it hard to believe that he didn’t get help from PEDs
Actually, it’s not that hard to believe that Favre was that good in 2009. His 2nd best season of the decade was in 2007. In 08 he was hurt, and his offense was awful around him. Brady and Peyton just had really good years close to 40. QB’s don’t have to run (shouldn’t run?) that much to be successful in the NFL.
If anything, it just shows you how BADLY BF underachieved under Sherman.
Absolutely spot on. I’m not the biggest Favre, but the idea he was doing PED’s is just ludicrous to me.
Favre’s QB rating in 2009 was 107. That’s higher than when he was 27 years old and winning back to back MVPs. We’ll never know what goes on in a locker room unless the athlete speaks truthfully. However, BF’s performance in 2009 doesn’t seem “natural”. After years of decline, how does a guy have his best season ever at age 40? You may believe he was just that good. We all have our opinions. Just like Clemens was just that good at age 40; I’ll never believe it.
Gotta think Favre’s shoulder surgery and his switching to Wrangler Jeans was the basis for his superb 2009 season!
Ask the Clinton’s about cheating. They cheat on everything, break the law and will never see a day behind bars. The press will give you 100 hours about deflated footballs and ZERO about the Clintons.
Shame, really.
Yep!!
No politics, please (even when I agree).
It is a shame where football is headed. I still say drugs will ruin the game, but this deflated football thing really makes me angry. Brady has already had major breaks in his career like tuck rules and personal foul boundaries. I think he AND Belicheck ought to miss the 2015 season entirely without pay. Protect the shield my hairy butt. They want to protect profits, protect owners, but they don’t care about integrity. Why does everything that seems so good have to be destroyed from within by those who want their way..like little children. Pete Rose broke the rules, but baseball “forgives him” because he was so good. I guess since so many are cheating now it doesn’t seem like a big deal. WRONG. Out for life. Ryan Braun should be out for life. Belicheck and Brady should be out for life. Use a PED and you’re out for life. Cheating destroys the game, our youth, our country. It is criminal. The reward for cheating should not be better than the risk. Cheating in football is no different than cheating in the banking/investment world. Where is Bernie Madhoff? Do they let him run funds anymore? Cheating is fraud.