Vegas Rumour: No Punishment For Patriots

http://www.boston.com/blogs/sports/..._the_patriots_have.html?p1=menu_homepage_main

Probably the "closest thing to the truth" I've read since this began.

The greatest achievement of Deflategate is that it is profoundly and historically stupid, even by the exceedingly low standards of sports media.

Todd Bradley said:

Pretty sure Kraft still has an image he needs and wants to maintain. A second cheating allegation would be devastating for that. I'm sure he has quite a bit of info on Goodell that could harm him and league, if they wanted to throw down an unwarranted sanction on his team. He's not going down without a fight, and if he does, then it's all over for him anyways.

Click to expand...

I wish I could be confident you're right. If there is some ridiculous fine/suspension, I'm worried Kraft will just take it, even knowing that in any reasonable appeals/arbitration process it should be thrown out.

primetime said:

The greatest achievement of Deflategate is that it is profoundly and historically stupid, even by the exceedingly low standards of sports media.

Click to expand...

That's what this will be remembered for. Stupidity.

A game won by 38 points (for the second time in the year no less), where re-inflated balls after halftime only helped the winning team further.

Yet Mike Tomlin can trip a player, Steve Bisciotti can hide and deny domestic violence tape evidence, other teams and players can heat up balls, over inflate balls and pay off Super Bowl ball-boys and it's nothing compared to the Pats, yet still....no evidence of anything.

Stupidity isn't even the word to describe this farce and the people "infalting" this non-story.

primetime said:

The greatest achievement of Deflategate is that it is profoundly and historically stupid, even by the exceedingly low standards of sports media.

Click to expand...

It's a non-issue that has been blown up into an international scandal. Even if the Patriots cheated, it's a $25k fine, according to the rule itself.

This is nothing more than committing a personal foul in a game, if it's even that.

Wait a Second! So when Ward intercepted 2 of Brady's passes in earlier game at Indy they said that something was up with pressure of Pat's footballs.

Then they tip off whoever and NOW their lookin out for it second time around.
Jackson intercepts Brady goes to equiptment person tells him check this ball it feels deflated goes to Coach goes to media.

NOW Jackson takes back his statement and says he never said it and is oblivious to'da fact and has no idea how he is involved. Ok Jackson....

So Brady uses Colt's footballs second half of game and does EVEN BETTER.

Am I updated here or am I missin something???

Oh Yeah For Record, So Rodgers Likes his 'Balls' 2 OVER LEGAL limit and pushes envelope and Admitted It. So does that mean, How long has Rodgers been doin this? Is he really most accurate QB in game today. Is his SB Win tainted for over inflated footballs??? JOKE!

There is no way IMO that the NFL can let the Patriots off with nothing. If the report is true it is fact that 11 out of 12 were underinflated. How that happened doesn't really matter, just like you can't say oh sorry officer I didn't know I was speeding saying we have no idea how they got underinflated won't get you out of it. I listened to the two press confrences yesterday and I came away with this notion. Our coach and QB are two of the most competitive people the planet has ever seen, they absolutely push the envelope and search for loopholes to give them any competitve advantage they can find and I love them for it. What they are not is liars. Think back to 2007, they came out and said we misunderstood this rule and we did violate it so we will accept any consequences the league hands down. They then shut up and allowed a witch hunt that continues today. Not so with this based on the press confrences. They flat out said "we had nothing to do with it, and have no idea how it happened." I believe them and do not think they knowingly "cheated". That said I can see the league making everyone unhappy (isn't that what compromise is all about?) by saying "we have no evidence that the Patriots intentionally deflated the game balls, however they were under league standards so that's a 25k fine per ball". It will make the pats mad that they are being punished for doing nothing wrong, and it will drive the haters nuts because there are no loss of draft picks or suspensions.

pazrul72 said:

That said I can see the league making everyone unhappy (isn't that what compromise is all about?) by saying "we have no evidence that the Patriots intentionally deflated the game balls, however they were under league standards so that's a 25k fine per ball". It will make the pats mad that they are being punished for doing nothing wrong, and it will drive the haters nuts because there are no loss of draft picks or suspensions.

Click to expand...

I think this is the most sensible outcome. The league saves face to a degree, by issuing a punishment, and the Pats pay a fine, but without being convicted of any crimes. They will lose money, but Krafty Bob has lots of that. I just don't know if "sensible" is even possible in this overblown ordeal.

The only "sensible" outcome is to retire off Walt Anderson for failing to gauge test prior to kickoff then for the league to apologize to the Patriots for wasting their time and tarnishing the franchises image and to the Patriots fans for ruining what should have been a celebratory week.

Kdo5 said:

Dang Rob, your killing the cautious optimism I was starting to have.

Click to expand...

Right. He'll say he inferred the pats submitted low psi balls either willfully or through incompetence and that even though it is the leagues job to notice that some burden is on the pats and so they will be fined, same as a uniform violation or whatever.

Big-T said:

The only "sensible" outcome is to retire off Walt Anderson for failing to gauge test prior to kickoff then for the league to apologize to the Patriots for wasting their time and tarnishing the franchises image and to the Patriots fans for ruining what should have been a celebratory week.

Click to expand...

How would punishing Anderson without proof be any better than punishing the Patriots without proof?

Deus Irae said:

How would punishing Anderson without proof be any better than punishing the Patriots without proof?

Click to expand...

Reading between the lines of the lawyer speak, he did a squeeze test and not the leagues required gauge test - if this is the case then he should be retired off because of this palava he's caused.

Deus Irae said:

How would punishing Anderson without proof be any better than punishing the Patriots without proof?

Click to expand...

Bingo. The NFL wouldn't even punish one of their own referees WITH proof unless that proof was leaked to the media. The NFL is not about honest self policing. They're about doing what the public perceives is the right course of action.

Big-T said:

Reading between the lines of the lawyer speak, he did a squeeze test and not the leagues required gauge test - if this is the case then he should be retired off because of this palava he's caused.

Click to expand...

That's not reading between the lines. That's wishful thinking.

Sicilian said:

The NFL is not about honest self policing. They're about doing what the public perceives is the right course of action.

Click to expand...

And the only people who buy it are Jets fans and other idiots. Most people see right through the league's charades.

Sicilian said:

Bingo. The NFL wouldn't even punish one of their own referees WITH proof unless that proof was leaked to the media. The NFL is not about honest self policing. They're about doing what the public perceives is the right course of action.

Click to expand...

Yeah...

It's pretty clear that something happened. The issue is how. Neither the league, nor the Patriots, have said anything for the record that would enlighten us about that, at all. That's what we're all stuck waiting on.

Deus Irae said:

Yeah...

It's pretty clear that something happened. The issue is how. Neither the league, nor the Patriots, have said anything for the record that would enlighten us about that, at all. That's what we're all stuck waiting on.

Click to expand...

I've got "A sasquatch tried to eat the balls and punctured them, but was brought down by snipers before it got the 12th ball" in the office pool. I'm not holding my breath on a payday though.

Deus Irae said:

It's pretty clear that something happened.

Click to expand...

I'm still having trouble with this. We know a complaint was filed, but I believe Brady and BB. IF something "actually happened," I don't see the Patriots being blameworthy at this point. So, how/why are the officials not culpable? I think this lies with the refs.

Tunescribe said:

I'm still having trouble with this. We know a complaint was filed, but I believe Brady and BB. IF something "actually happened," I don't see the Patriots being blameworthy at this point. So, how/why are the officials not culpable? I think this lies with the refs.

Click to expand...

Unless we somehow find that the NFL is lying in its statement, something happened. Some of the balls used in the game were found to be inflated below the required minimum.

While the evidence thus far supports the conclusion that footballs that were under-inflated were used by the Patriots in the first half, the footballs were properly inflated for the second half and confirmed at the conclusion of the game to have remained properly inflated. The goals of the investigation will be to determine the explanation for why footballs used in the game were not in compliance with the playing rules and specifically whether any noncompliance was the result of deliberate action.

Click to expand...

At this point, it's about about the "how" and, perhaps, the "who".

I guess
1. Refs only did a squeeze ball test after checking one or two footballs
2. Colts filled over 13.5 or at least 13.5 expecting it to drop below with the weather (and if they knew before hand , probably filled it over to escape scrutiny)
3. Pats filled at 12.5
4. Half time pats below limit and colts in limit. Mort's 2 PSI limit is not confirmed for all the balls yet.
5. Pats getting investigated.