#DFG: Canceling the Noise

Is there any level of suspension that you would advise Tom to accept?


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NortheasternPJ

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Some guy on NFLN says that Pitt can win this one now since they've been "red hot on offense", I'm assuming he's talking about last year? I'm sure that'll carry over in 2015. 
 

dcmissle

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Do not compare this to Al Davis' beef with the League. You give up a ton of rights as owner, including the right to sue the League. That does not include anti-trust cases because, as a matter of public policy, the League is not allowed to violate laws that have criminal sanctions and then stop an owner for suing for violations.

This is not an anti-trust case. Nor does it implicate constitutional rights or anything else that would free Kraft from his promise not to sue.
 

Myt1

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dcmissle said:
1. Advised back in February to hire Williams & Connolly or guys like them. Do it if they are not aboard. You need pit bulls with IQs of 150 who actually try cases, not white collar litigators from white shoe firms in Boston.

2. Appeal but be prepared to lose.

3. Back TB 1000%. Do not attempt to persuade him to settle. Give him every resource you can, which combined with the union's resources should be more than sufficient. This is the only way you can shred this case and these sanctions -- that is not likely to happen in your case.

4. Play the long game too to topple Goodell. How fast that can happen depends sun stilly on 3 above.
I'd go full court press in the court of public opinion, too.  There's only so long you can play the good soldier.  If Brady really is family, he's owed a united, loud, public front on this.
 

LeoCarrillo

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When the NFL refers to "integrity of the game," that apparently has nothing -- like, zero -- to do with having players who are good citizens, who have integrity.
 
They mean "integrity" as in unaltered or compromised in a gameplay sense ... so that millions of people can gamble on it and feel as though their money is wagered on balanced dice, as it were. 
 
Just shameful. 
 

soxhop411

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I doubt Brady attends the 50th" celebration if he is not the one playing in it. Not after this.
 

twibnotes

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NortheasternPJ said:
Some guy on NFLN says that Pitt can win this one now since they've been "red hot on offense", I'm assuming he's talking about last year? I'm sure that'll carry over in 2015. 
Without Bell no less
 

NortheasternPJ

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LeoCarrillo said:
When the NFL refers to "integrity of the game," that apparently has nothing -- like, zero -- to do with having players who are good citizens, who have integrity.
 
They mean "integrity" as in unaltered or compromised in a gameplay sense ... so that millions of people can gamble on it and feel as though their money is wagered on balanced dice, as it were. 
 
Just shameful. 
 
He's got a baby mama! He impregnated her and moved on to someone better. Think of the children!
 

DJnVa

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soxhop411 said:
How does Brady respond to this?
 
Dude, what are you talking about? They've already announced their intention to appeal.
 
EDIT: Wait, I see know you have multiple other posts about the letter and the Super Bowl thing, so maybe you were referring to that. You can put multiple thoughts in one post you know.
 

Fred in Lynn

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NortheasternPJ said:
Some guy on NFLN says that Pitt can win this one now since they've been "red hot on offense", I'm assuming he's talking about last year? I'm sure that'll carry over in 2015. 
Why won't it? Their defense is the problem, as that's carried over, too. They don't have Bell in Weeks 1-2.
 

soxhop411

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DrewDawg said:
 
Dude, what are you talking about? They've already announced their intention to appeal.
No to the NFL wanting to honor him for the 50th celebration
 

pappymojo

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twibnotes said:
I don't disagree - just saying the idea that BB's pressers and response to spygate had NO factor in the league's attitude about the pats seems crazy.
 
I agree.  Maybe if Belichick had ripped Roger Dodger a new one, none of this would have happened.
 

H78

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Jul 22, 2009
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cshea said:
Forgot about this, but if the league wants to use the "Brady didn't cooperate angle" as a basis for Brady's suspension, they have a precedent was set with Favre's sexting scandal. Favre fined $50,000 for not fully cooperating in the Sterger text message scandal.
 
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5965863
 
Any type of harassment or abuse toward women is somewhat acceptable, dude. Get ahold of yourself.
 
Now, wear neon cleats and prepare to pay the fucking price!
 

Remagellan

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H78 said:
 
Any type of harassment or abuse toward women is somewhat acceptable, dude. Get ahold of yourself.
 
Now, wear neon cleats and prepare to pay the fucking price!
 
 
Damn straight.  We now know that possibly tampering with a football is twice as bad as battering a woman on videotape in the eyes of Roger Goodell.  
 

bankshot1

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Can other owners (allies) pressure Goodell to moderate what appears to be a heavy-handed penalty? Or is there an internal appeals process?
 
If the RG is all powerful and Kraft now feels he has an enemy perhaps he publicly undermines Goodell with a devastating and well documented critique of the handling of this investigation.  From the sting aspect to the ball handling by the officials to the leaks to the absence of good science.  
 
An investigation of the investigation aired on ESPN to expose a bumbling RG
 
May 30, 2009
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in my pants...
I'm not sure if this would be helpful, but what I really want to see is TB do a press conference where the first thing he does is place his checkbook right on the podium, then goes off on a hour long rip fest of the NFL for all of this bullshit.
 

nattysez

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cshea said:
Continue to publicly back Brady. Work on team recourse behind the scenes.
 
This 100%.
 
I'd try to find ways to embarrass the NFL without being too obvious about it. Security is instructed that signs are allowed during the first two home games and no sign will be confiscated, no matter how vulgar.  Do a banner raising, but only raise it to half-staff.  If Goodell doesn't show his face at the first game, note his absence in pre-game remarks.  
 
Also, if you are really going crazy, you could deny any request for an accommodation by the NFL that is not strictly required, and otherwise make league personnel miserable.  NFL Network requests for interviews are all denied.  NFL employees are given the worst allowable seats for all home games in 2015-2016.  No suites are made available for any NFL personnel unless that's required by rule.  Etc., etc.         
 

Jettisoned

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Goodell might have screwed up in fining the Patriots $1 million.  I know that's not a huge amount of money for most of the owners, but I bet more than a few of them are a bit concerned that financial penalties may be imposed on them basically because the commissioner feels like it.
 

Bongorific

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cshea said:
Forgot about this, but if the league wants to use the "Brady didn't cooperate angle" as a basis for Brady's suspension, they have a precedent was set with Favre's sexting scandal. Favre fined $50,000 for not fully cooperating.
 
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5965863
Money quote from that article:
 
"Favre's punishment stems from Goodell's determination that he was 'not candid in several respects during the investigation resulting in a longer review and additional negative public attention for Favre, Sterger and the NFL," the league said.'"
 
Maybe the NFL will fine itself for conducting an excessively long review that brought negative public attention to a star QB and the league.
 

staz

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The cradle of the game.
This is absolutely without a doubt the most ridiculous farce in the history of professional sport.
 
The NFL is a fucking joke.
 
A. FUCKING. JOKE.
 
 
I literally cannot believe this.
 

Harry Hooper

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With Roger perhaps over-reacting to criticism that he was too close to Kraft and ratcheting up the penalties, need to paint him at every turn as unfair and vengeful to get him to move the dial back over to the other side if anything else comes up in the future.
 

Leather

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Jul 18, 2005
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Some of you are reading things into pieces that aren't there. That Forbes piece isn't a "call for Roger's head", it questions whether This decision will ultimately be Goodell's undoing.
 

NortheasternPJ

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pappymojo said:
Christ.  The NFL learned at least one lesson from Spygate.
This is tne craziest of all,of it. We're not taking your first round pick but any you may acquire if it's better than yours.
 

DavidWellsAteNelson

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So smart for TB not to turnover his cellphone communications.  In court his lawyers can argue this as a privacy issue: He's being punished by his employer for refusing to turn over private communications to them.
 

PedroKsBambino

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The likely nuclear option for Kraft is to air some dirty league laundry; he likely has several hamperfuls of it, certainly that would reflect very negatively on Goodell and likely a number of others.  Huge costs to going there, of course.
 
I think track "A" is a top-tier lawyer who will go to war and actually go to trial.   You probably need to figure out an antitrust-based theory in order to get outside of league disciplinary rules (and to raise the stakes).  I'm totally confident that Williams & Connelly can (though as I recall they have done work for NFL in past, so would need to figure that part out).  A spinoff from there is on the player agent side now, and that's an interesting route to think about.
 
Track "B" is the insider moves---try to rally support for tossing Goodell, even if part of deal is that you accept the penalties.   Your argument has to be something along the lines of 'there is a cancer on the presidency' and not about the penalties for the Pats.
 
The 'dirty laundry' angle is a lever your lawyer will use very judiciously in Track A primarily, though you might also get support from it from some as part of Track B.  The other way to use it is to develop a couple media sources, leak some juicy dirt to them, and then right around the appeal let RG know that you will empty the rest of the trove if he doesn't do the right thing.  It's high-stakes, but once you're in that's where you are.
 

Toe Nash

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But another storyline I found interesting was what, inside the letter that league executive vice president Troy Vincent wrote to the Patriots, was actually being said to the other 31 teams in the league. The crushing harshness contained this message to the rest of the NFL that Goodell wanted to send: We do not play favorites.
How does King think this? They are absolutely playing favorites. Unless they mean like, from now on, or something.
 

dcmissle

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One other thing. Kraft needs to get the straight scoop from Brady, including on those phone records, if he's going to back this fight.

Especially If Tom has to sue to gain an impartial review, there is a darn good chance a judge or magistrate will order those records produced. Kraft cannot afford to be blindsided by this.

If those records are badly incriminating, wveryone should just cut the best deal they can and go home.
 

dynomite

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I've been watching football since roughly 1993. Not as long as many on here, but long enough to have a solid foundation in the NFL, the Patriots, and various scandals and suspensions. I feel like I should have something constructive to say, or be able to think rationally about what happened and how to think about this.

Unfortunately, I'm stumped. I have nothing constructive to say about any of this. The Wells report is a fucking travesty. Roger Goodell is one of the most incompetent, cowardly, and downright ridiculous figures in professional sports in my memory.

One day I will be able to think rationally about this, I suppose. Until then, here is my review of the NFL, Roger Goodell, Troy Vincent, the reaction of the press corps and ESPN in particular, and this entire Kafka-esque episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWqKiqTfXuA
 

slamminsammya

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This whole message-sending angle, if true, is incredibly dumb. I am currently in a position where I grade student exams and homework etc., and one of the first things we learn in our training is:
 
If you want to appear impartial, overly harsh treatment is just as bad as going too easy on people, whatever the reason (they're your friend, you are boning, they have pictures of you watching Million Dollar Listing etc.)
 

LuckyBen

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DavidWellsAteNelson said:
So smart for TB not to turnover his cellphone communications.  In court his lawyers can argue this as a privacy issue: He's being punished by his employer for refusing to turn over private communications to them.
Exactly! And the Wells report is shit to top it off. I see no way this will not be overturned. Just get it out of the NFLs hands and Brady is fine. Honestly, with the first round, we could've picked gholston at 10 and been worse off than losing a first entirely. Thankfully the Jets are a joke of a franchise.
 

ekim colorwaterpit

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Bud, GM, Verizon, McDonald's, Pepsi, Fedex, Bose, Marriott and Campbell's are some of the NFLs biggest sponsors. I know they don't care but I am letting them know I won't be buying there products as long as Roger is in charge
 

pjr

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Bud, GM, Verizon, McDonald's, Pepsi, Fedex, Bose, Marriott and Campbell's are some of the NFLs biggest sponsors. I know they don't care but I am letting them know I won't be buying there products as long as Roger is in charge
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