PonyExpress

How about this PFT entry from November 2006:

http://archive.profootballtalk.com/1...gh11-15-06.htm

Easterbrook was maybe the first "reporter" to urge the NFL to make "Sunday Ticket" avaliable on Cable, one of Comcast's talking points. He seems very in tune with Spector's comments. Interesting that Easterbrook was so dialed in on this arcane league issue at such an early date. These same characters converged again around another issue, a year later: LIEgate.

Easterbrook was the driving force behind ESPN's coverage of "LIEgate". He was the one who constantly hinted at Walsh's existence. He was the one who ranted about the "walkthrough tape" the day before the SB. Almost in tandem, Spector then had his face on every TV screen mimicking Easterbrook's fake outrage. The NFL commissioner laughed during the Q & A portion of his pre SB "state of the NFL" speech, after a planted comment from the peanut gallery about Spector's link to Comcast's campaign cash.

Connecting the dots...

It certainly seems possible that Easterbrook was acting as the public mouthpiece for Comcast and Spector. The motive may have been to use the threat of public scandal as a way to pressure Mr. Kraft, head of the NFL television committee, into agreeing to sell a stake in NFLNetwork or forking over the Sunday Ticket rights to Comcast.

Not a big deal. Just high stakes blackmail, with billions of dollars at stake. Good vs Evil, right Mr. Easterbrook?

jmt57

The plot thickens. I know plenty of folks will have comments about black helicopters and tin foil hats, but in my opinion this whole spygate controversy has been the tip of the iceberg in a huge corporate power play.

Wildo7

I wouldn't say it's an "arcane league issue." From a consumer standpoint, which is what Easterbrook has been complaining about, it's ridiculous that DirecTV has a complete monopoly on the NFL like that. I hate Easterbrook as much as anyone, but I don't think he was pushing "spygate" for Comcast, he's just a hater.

JoeSixPat

... and Matt Walsh's lawyer, Levy has ties back to Comcast and therefore Specter as well.

Levy's former lawfirm has a direct link to Comcast.

Is there something more to be found there? Is Levy just a nice guy who happens to be a DC lawyer with ties back to Comcast who's willing to take a break from his $500 per hour practice to represent Walsh out of the goodness of his heart - or is there something else at play here?

SoonerPatriot

Holy crap. I think I just found something I agree with Easterbrook on. The NFL Ticket SHOULD be on cable. It's a joke that it's not seeing as how, oh I don't know, IT's ABOUT A 20 to FRICKIN 1 difference in households who have it.

Zeke_Mowatt

I agree, why can't I watch the Pats at home without having to buy DirecTV and put a stupid dish on my roof? I get stuck going to a buddy's house, and hoping we don't have rain because the dish FahQin sucks? While I hate all things Specter, and ESPN, I still really wish I could get Sunday Ticket with my Comcast and I think it's bullsh!t that I can't. There are a huge number of DirecTV members who are only members because of Sunday Ticket...if that isn't monopolization of a medium I don't know what is.

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SpiderFox53

But that's not the NFL's fault. They put the rights to Sunday Ticket up for auction, DirecTV bid the most. If you want to complain, complain to the cable company that they didn't bid enough.

On a related note. DirecTV wouldn't exist if they lost the exclusive rights to the Ticket. That's the only thing that keeps them in the black.

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