Spikes and Talib: Patriots falsify injury reports

[Leather]

Link.
 
*Sigh*.
 
Here we go again; the press making something out of nothing because it's the Bad, Cheating, Patriots.
 
Honestly, this is so fucking stupid.

 

[Ed Hillel]

I was waiting for this to blow up. Yeehaw!
 
Nevermind that the NFL is stupid for openly specifying injuries to begin with, haha time for Cheatriots!

 

[Ralphwiggum]

 
Although it was reported that the IR move was a mutual decision, Spikes' agent disagrees with that assessment, "The team's decision to place Brandon on injured reserve was not a mutual decision, nor need it be," Gary Uberstine said in a statement."Brandon had every intention to keep playing throughout the playoffs, despite the pain he was experiencing throughout the season."
 
Spikes was placed on injured reserve with a bad knee, but he said it was an injury he could have played with, "That was just from the labor throughout the season, man. It was just -- you know how it is -- it's a tough 16 games. All I needed was rest and rehab," Spikes said.

 
I suppose I kind of get the Talib thing, if his hip really wasn't injured and the Pats reported it as a hip (although I agree with Ed above that requiring teams to disclose specific injuries is kind of dumb).
 
But based on the quotes above, where is the story on the Spikes stuff?  He agrees his knee was injured, he claims he could have kept on playing but his agent even admits that the decision to put a player on IR does not have to be mutual.  What's the controversy?

 

[AbbyNoho]

 
 What's the controversy?

 
That it's the Patriots so everyone can pile on without needing reason or logic. 

 

[YTF]

 
I suppose I kind of get the Talib thing, if his hip really wasn't injured and the Pats reported it as a hip (although I agree with Ed above that requiring teams to disclose specific injuries is kind of dumb).
 
But based on the quotes above, where is the story on the Spikes stuff?  He agrees his knee was injured, he claims he could have kept on playing but his agent even admits that the decision to put a player on IR does not have to be mutual.  What's the controversy?

 
 
The thing with Talib is that the misrepresentation of his injury COULD affect the interest and offers made to him on the FA market. Not saying that the Pats had this in mind, but reporting the injury as a bad hip might potentially scare off suitors and give the Pats a better shot at signing Talib at their price.

 

[YTF]

 
 

Double post

 

[IdiotKicker]

Last time I checked, having your best players on the field helps you win games.  Move along.

 

[allstonite]

 
I suppose I kind of get the Talib thing, if his hip really wasn't injured and the Pats reported it as a hip (although I agree with Ed above that requiring teams to disclose specific injuries is kind of dumb).
 
But based on the quotes above, where is the story on the Spikes stuff?  He agrees his knee was injured, he claims he could have kept on playing but his agent even admits that the decision to put a player on IR does not have to be mutual.  What's the controversy?

 
 
It came out that he missed a meeting and was suspended. So maybe they falsified it in that he could have played but they IR'd him instead of a suspension? Wouldn't it look better for him going into free agency as having a nagging injury than having team suspension stink on him?
 
Here's a report
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/11/report-patriots-put-spikes-on-ir-after-he-was-late-to-practice/

 

[Dogman]

The Patriots may have done Spikes a favor by placing him on IR.  We all know he had a knee injury at the end of the regular season and, as the article states, Spikes admits he did. Spikes also admits he needed rest and rehab.  The Patriots felt rest and rehab wouldn't have healed him enough to contribute in the playoffs so they placed him on IR and he didn't like it. I remember the story of him missing a meeting and could have been suspended. Instead, they placed him on IR.
 
The favor I'm talking about is the IR placement may very well saved Spikes from further injuring his knee and being unable to sign with another team.

 

[Reverend]

The Patriots may have done Spikes a favor by placing him on IR.  We all know he had a knee injury at the end of the regular season and, as the article states, Spikes admits he did. Spikes also admits he needed rest and rehab.  The Patriots felt rest and rehab wouldn't have healed him enough to contribute in the playoffs so they placed him on IR and he didn't like it. I remember the story of him missing a meeting and could have been suspended. Instead, they placed him on IR.
 
The favor I'm talking about is the IR placement may very well saved Spikes from further injuring his knee and being unable to sign with another team.

 
"Player gets hurt, loses a step but wants to play anyway. News at 11."

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

See the key buzz word is "falsifying" -- like falsifying your tax returns, forging a check, you know, cheating, criminal stuff. 
 
A word that conjures up all the crap that happened in the past, a word that reinforces the negative notions these morons have about the Pats.
 
A word that gives them a point of release, a place to spew, a stand to take a moral high ground.
 
I don't know John Breech from shit but I'm sure he's smirking at the page view numbers. 
 
P.S. I particularly enjoyed this gentleman's lamented woos: "As the rules dissolve - so does the game itself. I watch much less football now because of the Patriots - specifically Kraft, Belichick and Goddell."

 

[Dogman]

Talib was injured and missed 3 games, so he was on the injury report. He says quad, Pats doctors say hip.
 
I'm inclined to believe the doctors.
 
So when he gets hurt playing for Denver, and he will, the injury report could say hip or quad.  Either way, he isn't playing.

 

[rodderick]

 
 
The thing with Talib is that the misrepresentation of his injury COULD affect the interest and offers made to him on the FA market. Not saying that the Pats had this in mind, but reporting the injury as a bad hip might potentially scare off suitors and give the Pats a better shot at signing Talib at their price.

 
Isn't that why teams have the player take a physical? If Talib is going around saying his injury was misreported, what impact does that really have? Aside from that, is it really that much better to say, "oh, I've had a history of hip injuries, but with the Patriots I've only missed games because of quad problems!"? Yeah, so now you have two parts of your body that worry potential suitors.
 
I also love how the dipshits all come out of the woodwork with "cheating again! Cheaters!! LOL LOL LOL!". Can anyone explain to me how this would provide the Patriots with a better chance of winning a football game? Yeah, maybe now your dirty fucking players are confused as to which part of a guy's body to target in order to injure him further, but apart from that, what changes exactly?

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

Nobody cares.
 
Fans on other teams don't care.
 
The NFL doesn't care.
 
The Patriots don't care.
 
There are people in this thread that are already riled up that "people are out to make the Patriots look like cheaterzz!"
 
There will be plenty of real situations where we can feel sleighted by the media. We don't need to conjure one up here.
 
Besides, letting this guy get your goat is your own fault. Type in "John Breech, Patriots" into google and the top 10 searches include:
 

• Him picking Miami over New England
• Him picking Denver over New England in the regular season
• Him picking Cinci over New England
• Him tweeting "These Patriots AFC title t-shirts might be kind of tough to sell now: http://t.co/rJ8LpCsNmQ"
• Him picking the Colts over New England in the playoffs
• Him picking Denver over New England in the playoffs

3 of the remaining 4 hits are tweets about Browner, Ryan Allen, and Desean Jackson.
 
We don't need to find every negative piece that some schmuck posts online and work ourselves into a lather over it.

 

[dcdrew10]

 
But based on the quotes above, where is the story on the Spikes stuff?  He agrees his knee was injured, he claims he could have kept on playing but his agent even admits that the decision to put a player on IR does not have to be mutual.  What's the controversy?

 
 IMHO this is case of Spikes trying to make himself look good by making the Pats look bad/clearing his "good name" after the pseudo-suspension for showing up late to practice. Is BB a pain in the ass and perhaps a bit overzealous/militant, especially with fuck-ups? Yes. Do guys like Brady, Mankins, Rodney and Bruschi thrive under him, while guys like ADT, Terry Glenn, and OchoCinco wash out? Yes. That's the price you pay for playing for a guy that has a set of brass knuckles made out of Super Bowl rings. Spikes couldn't operate under BB and he's trying to paint BB as a lying prick to make himself look like less of a moron.

 

[tims4wins]

Nobody cares.
 
Fans on other teams don't care.
 
The NFL doesn't care.
 
The Patriots don't care.
 
There are people in this thread that are already riled up that "people are out to make the Patriots look like cheaterzz!"
 
There will be plenty of real situations where we can feel sleighted by the media. We don't need to conjure one up here.
 
Besides, letting this guy get your goat is your own fault. Type in "John Breech, Patriots" into google and the top 10 searches include:
 

• Him picking Miami over New England
• Him picking Denver over New England in the regular season
• Him picking Cinci over New England
• Him tweeting "These Patriots AFC title t-shirts might be kind of tough to sell now: http://t.co/rJ8LpCsNmQ"
• Him picking the Colts over New England in the playoffs
• Him picking Denver over New England in the playoffs

3 of the remaining 4 hits are tweets about Browner, Ryan Allen, and Desean Jackson.
 
We don't need to find every negative piece that some schmuck posts online and work ourselves into a lather over it.

 
You may be right, but the level-headed Mike Reiss of all people went into a long rant on this today in his chat
 

 
(1 of 3) Bob, I have a strong opinion on this story. I think it's ridiculous and reflects the need for more context. I honestly don't believe Aqib Talib was taking a shot at the Patriots. He was asked about the condition of his hip by a Denver reporter, and said something like, "Oh, my hip is fine. Hasn't been an issue since Tampa. It was actually my quad, but that's the way they list things there." It was immediately concluded that it was a shot at the Patriots, even though there was no follow-up. If there was a follow-up, here's what I think Talib's response would be, "Oh man, no big deal. I loved my time there. They were just trying to protect me so an opponent couldn't come after me." ...


Mike
  (11:26 AM)


(2 of 3) ... The whole purpose of the injury report is to disclose any players who might be in jeopardy of missing that week's game. It goes back to 1947 because then commissioner Bert Bell felt it threatened the integrity of the game when a player unexpectedly didn't suit up one week. In the case of Talib and Spikes, the Patriots were well within the rules because they disclosed the possibility those players might not be available. In Talib's case, they did what many teams do -- they were evasive on the specifics of the injury to protect the player so the opponent couldn't target him. SO THEY WERE ACTUALLY TRYING TO HELP TALIB. A more egregious violation of NFL rules would be not putting players on the report at all, which we've seen other teams do. But when that happens, it doesn't seem to get the same media-based traction it does when the Patriots are in the cross-hairs. That goes back to my theory that the Patriots are an easy target.



Mike
  (11:30 AM)


(3 of 3) As for Spikes, if we're all Patriots followers here, we watched every game in 2013. How could anyone, in their right mind, think he wasn't hurt? His knee was abolsutely an issue. I think back to the regular-season finale and remember him getting up slowly after missing a tackle. He was a gamer playing through it. Spikes could have played through it in the playoffs but that wasn't the only issue -- he also blew off a practice in the bye week when it was snowing. So you take the injury, and couple it with a player missing a practice, and I think that's what led the Patriots to the conclusion of placing him on IR. That is well within their rights and it happens all the time -- players land on IR even if they think they can play/return at some point. It comes down how a team decides its best to manage their roster. When you listen to Spikes' remarks, what exactly is he contesting? He acknowledges he was injured. I TRULY BELIEVE HE WAS CONTESTING THE REPORT THAT IT WAS A MUTUAL DECISION TO HAVE HIM PLACED ON IR. That is a completely different issue but it's being lumped in with Talib. What a mess.

 

[Kenny F'ing Powers]

 
You may be right, but the level-headed Mike Reiss of all people went into a long rant on this today in his chat
 

 
Hey, everyone gets frustrated with trolls. He clearly wants to set the record straight.
 
We don't have to (or need to) here. 
 
With all the other cool shit going on in the NFL right now, even talking about this is letting the terrorists win. We might as well start a thread quoting a GangGreen post about how the Patriots obviously broke the rules by contacting Revis while he was under contract. 

 

[Ed Hillel]

Seeing Reiss in CAPS mode is like seeing your cute little puppy rape a kitten.

 

[YTF]

 
Isn't that why teams have the player take a physical? If Talib is going around saying his injury was misreported, what impact does that really have? Aside from that, is it really that much better to say, "oh, I've had a history of hip injuries, but with the Patriots I've only missed games because of quad problems!"? Yeah, so now you have two parts of your body that worry potential suitors.
 
I also love how the dipshits all come out of the woodwork with "cheating again! Cheaters!! LOL LOL LOL!". Can anyone explain to me how this would provide the Patriots with a better chance of winning a football game? Yeah, maybe now your dirty fucking players are confused as to which part of a guy's body to target in order to injure him further, but apart from that, what changes exactly?

 
I believe there is history of prior hip issues with Tampa and the Pats so IF misrepresented now, whether the hip checks out or not it COULD result in some teams balking or or offering lesser deals which COULD be in the Patriots favor. Again, I'm not proposing that this is how all of this went down, simply presenting an example of how it COULD have been in the Pats interest to misrepresent the injury.  

 

[NortheasternPJ]

Imagine the outrage if the Red Sox put someone on the DL with a fake injury! America's pastime would be crippled.
 
The whole injury report is a joke. Is there a good reason why it even exists for NFL teams? (I'm not including gambling / fantasy, fantasy which is a more recent thing and gambling which is supposedly frowned upon. I understand from a business standpoint why these are important)
 
The Pats got ripped for the whole lower body / upper body injury, then they are getting ripped for players saying its not the exact part of the body. Of course Talib is going to say it's not the hip and Spikes will say it wasn't an IR level injury, which is not his call.
 
That being said i'm sure the Cheatriots / Belicheats will be thrilled over this. 

 

[DJnVa]

 
I believe there is history of prior hip issues with Tampa and the Pats so IF misrepresented now, whether the hip checks out or not it COULD result in some teams balking or or offering lesser deals which COULD be in the Patriots favor. Again, I'm not proposing that this is how all of this went down, simply presenting an example of how it COULD have been in the Pats interest to misrepresent the injury.  

 
So, teams don't give their own physicals huh?

 

[YTF]

Where did I say that? The team interested in the FA does the physical, the hip may check out fine, but the past 3 or so LISTED hip injuries (real or perceived) can be used in negotiations. The team COULD cite a history or possible pattern of injury in an attempt to knock a few million or a year or two from the player's asking price. Are you telling me that teams are above using any means to try to pay less for a player if they can?

 

[Reverend]

If Talib is telling the truth, then that means going back to 2010, he has on separate occasions injured his calf, hamstring, quad and hip-flexor.
 
What's his guaranteed money look like again? I mean, that's, like, pretty much every part of the human leg that is used in football right?

 

[soxfan121]

If Talib is telling the truth, then that means going back to 2010, he has on separate occasions injured his calf, hamstring, quad and hip-flexor.
 
What's his guaranteed money look like again? I mean, that's, like, pretty much every part muscle of the human leg that is used in football right?

 
Plantar fasciitis?
 
Paging Doctor Ten Dollars, $10 to the red courtesy phone. 

 

[DaveRoberts'Shoes]

Plantar fasciitis?
 
Paging Doctor Ten Dollars, $10 to the red courtesy phone.

Danny Amendola and his adductor would like to have a talk with you.

 

[Stitch01]

Next thing you'll tell me Brady's shoulder really wasn't injured for five years straight.

 

[slamminsammya]

Next thing you'll tell me Brady's shoulder really wasn't injured for five years straight.

The greatest question in football for the next few decades will be what kind of career Brady could have had if he hadn't been injured the ENTIRE time.

 

[Gash Prex]

Also, we apparently enslaved Mr. Spikes for 4 years.
 
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10756726/brandon-spikes-buffalo-bills-takes-shots-new-england-patriots-twitter

 

[AlNipper49]

Also, we apparently enslaved Mr. Spikes for 4 years.
 
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10756726/brandon-spikes-buffalo-bills-takes-shots-new-england-patriots-twitter

 
What does this have to do with falsifying injury reports?

 

[uncannymanny]

Oh yeah, making millions of dollars playing professional sports is totally analagous to slavery.

 

[Leather]

 
What does this have to do with falsifying injury reports?

 
Brandon Spikes Falsifies Salary Reports!

 

[Rough Carrigan]

Oh yeah, making millions of dollars playing professional sports is totally analagous to slavery.

Apparently they had him manacled to mediocrity, the fiends!