The Most Egregious Case of Tampering Ever

What will actually happen, I think, is that the league will interview Revis, his agent, and some Jets personnel. They will be asked questions to which it's easy to figure out the most benign possible answer. Then the league will act as if all those answers are 100% truthful.

Fencer said:

If the Patriots do get compensated, people around the country will claim that Goodell is in Kraft's pocket.

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We Pats fans don't give a **** about what the rest of the country thinks.

I doubt the Jets will receive a significant penalty, but I do appreciate the OP's enthusiasm.

I think the main message these events is that tampering works. And if the penalty is an exchange of mid-round picks plus the loss of a late round pick, it's worth it, too.

Wheelman said:

The most disappointing thing about this thread is the timing. Seriously, where was this thread when the tampering first occurred? I've been demanding a 1st round draft swap since day one. Now that Revis is gone we see this thread? Shameful! Absolutely Shameful! Now that Revis is with the Jets I want a 1st round draft swap this season, and a 1st round draft swap next season.

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Please explain how this would have been any different if Johnson had kept his mouth shut.

The Patriots were not going to pick the option up, so Revis was either going to sign an extension or become a FA. Revis's agent -- like all other agents (unless they are morons) -- has been talking to interested teams. All the back-channel talks that every team has with agents that happen at combine time are an open secret, and so on (so don't pretend they don't happen).

Revis would have found out enough at combine time or via other back-channel stuff that he'd know he should not sign an extension so NE would have to let him become a free agent (and his agent has probably been advising him to do that from the day he signed with NE). And once he became a free agent he would have officially heard the Jets offer anyway (even if he had not heard it before). And the same result would have happened.

So sure, punish Woody for being an idiot and clearly breaking a clear rule. But really, this same result would have happened if he never said a thing in public and never leaked a thing to Mehta.

(Also, if it's true that NE offer only guaranteed in the thirties, but NY offer guaranteed "north of forty" it's pretty hard to blame Revis -- approx 30% more guaranteed money is a damned meaningful difference.)

Seacoast Fan said:

Can you imagine the outcry and outrage if the roles were reversed....if it had been the Pats who had tampered and then signed the player?

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See, on it's face I'm tempted to say that what the Jet's owner said was no more than a throwaway comment at a press conference and wasn't a big deal at all. That's what I really think.

Buuuuut.....like you say, if the situation was reversed and BB or Kraft said something about a Jets' player, I actually can see there being an outcry for some sort of retribution against NE. So from that perspective, while I don't believe that the Pats are owed anything for the Revis situation, I would be upset if they weren't at least awarded a mid-round pick for it. And I think that would be the right thing for the league to do to prevent future comments from team management regarding players under contract to other teams. It's not necessarily about malicious intent or causation in THIS particular case, but if they are concerned about tampering (and the press release this week indicates it's not, like, totally off their radar), then at least act on an actionable offense.

Sciz said:

I'm not expecting anything major or anything. I just want some punishment and acknowledgment, and I'm not sure even that is coming.

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I'm not saying it's going to happen but I still think this is complete bullsh.t. The Jets tampered publicly with a HOF player under contract to a division rival, and then they leaked their willingness to pay him huge money over and over and over-----and then did it. It doesn't get any worse and it is a big deal, the punishment should be immediate and severe. Number 6 overall, period, and even that doesn't make up for this tamper.

The Jets first round pick should be the MINIMUM the team demands as compensation.

Fencer said:

If the Patriots do get compensated, people around the country will claim that Goodell is in Kraft's pocket.

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So what?

Patsfanin Philly said:

If they don't punish the Jets, they just set one hell of a precedent and better watch out for the next time it happens.. If they try to punish the next offender, they will argue rightfully that if Woody wasn't punished, neither should they...

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Just like the precedent they set when Braylon Edwards didn't get suspended for a DUI....

**** knowing the NFL, they will figure out a way to fine the Pats in this tampering case...

Where was everyone in 1996/97 Patriots are going to the Super Bowl and the headlines read Parcells going to the Jets. I was shocked at the time how blatant it all was, and the Jets had so little shame that they didn't even try to hide the tampering. The Jets have been involved in every aspect of all of the scandals aimed at the Patriots yet no one bats an eye. The NFL needs to be moved to LA and all Jets hacks removed!

Goodells punishment for the Jets ; No snack before bed!

There is no way in hell the Jets get punished. Goodell was a Jet's employee, they can do whatever they want.

Ivan said:

The NFL is a disgrace. This is the worst case of tampering the league has ever seen. The Patriots got completely f.cked in as public a manner as possible. The Kraft's need to push this to the limit and demand the Jets number 6 pick in this draft.

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Let's be honest. EVERYONE tampers. Revis isn't gone because the Jets tampered. Revis is gone because the Patriots refused to guarantee big money for a HOF corner. Sickening how we go through this every single freakin' year. The core foundation of this team is never stable.

Marko said:

Where was everyone in 1996/97 Patriots are going to the Super Bowl and the headlines read Parcells going to the Jets. I was shocked at the time how blatant it all was, and the Jets had so little shame that they didn't even try to hide the tampering. The Jets have been involved in every aspect of all of the scandals aimed at the Patriots yet no one bats an eye. The NFL needs to be moved to LA and all Jets hacks removed!

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This is absolutely correct and note-worthy. EVERY incident where the Pats are accused of wrongdoing the Rats are involved somehow.

Belichick quitting the Rats to eventually become HC of the Pats. It cost the Pats a 1st round pick, mainly because of the letter of the law, but the Pats were trying to do things correctly. They requested permission to talk to BB about their HC coaching vacancy, but the Rats didn't respond, and the Rats and Parcells attempted shenanigans involving Parcells becoming a consultant, resulting in Belichick contractually becoming the Rats HC.

The reason that the Rats had BB on their coaching staff anyway was because he followed Parcells after the Rats tampered with him, as the Pats were getting ready to play a Superbowl just to make it more egregious, and the Rats and their fans were all still butt-hurt that Tagliabue had actually dared to impose penalties on them. After all, if the Rats wanted Parcells, well then they should be allowed to have him, no strings attached.

So then we come to Spygate, and the Rats little paws are all over that one. It may even be worse than it appears, since at the time very few Pats fans knew who Mike Kensil was, but at the time he was the NFL's Director of Game Operations, and the sting occurred in Rats Stadium.

Now we have Deflategate, and the evidence is suggesting that Mike Kensil may be the chief culprit, even though, on the surface, it appeared to be Colts-initiated, with the Ravens as possible accessories.


Now when it comes to Rats transgressions they have been accused of tampering with Michael Crabtree when the 49ers were trying to sign their #1 pick. No penalty to the rodents.

Tripgate, when a Rats coach mugged an opposing player on the sidelines. Goodell says he believed Rex Ryan and Mike Westhoff when they claimed no knowledge of what was happening on their own sidelines. The Rats were allowed to investigate themselves. They fired Sal Alosi but any fines were minimal.

While Mike Westhoff claimed he never saw it on the Rats sidelines, he said that the Pats DID do it. So I guess he IS able to actually recognize it, he just can't recognize it when it happens right in front of his nose week after week. It is also a violation to call out another team like he did to the Pats. In THIS case Goodell was quick to impose no punishment whatsoever.

Now we have a clear, textbook case of tampering, reported to the league the day before Deflategate was reported ( coincidence?), and it STILL hasn't been adjudicated, even though it is such a textbook case done on a public forum, that it should have been a quick case to resolve. Now the league is upset that their "legal tampering" period was abused, and they are going to investigate the teams involved. (I wonder if the Rats' communications will be investigated.....nah, no I don't)

So now this clear tampering has resulted in the tampered with player actually completing the circle and joining the tampering team.

Bob Kraft, if you can't, or won't, come down hard on the league over this, then I guess you never will.

One last question and I'm done with this. If Robert Kraft had said 3 months ago that the Patriots would love to have Ndamukong Suh on their team while he was still under contract to the Detroit Lions, and if the Patriots signed him today, what would Marshall Faulk, Jerome Bettis, Tom Jackson, Cris Carter and other anti- Patriot media members and all the haters from the other 31 teams be saying right now?

Wheelman said:

The most disappointing thing about this thread is the timing. Seriously, where was this thread when the tampering first occurred? I've been demanding a 1st round draft swap since day one. Now that Revis is gone we see this thread? Shameful! Absolutely Shameful! Now that Revis is with the Jets I want a 1st round draft swap this season, and a 1st round draft swap next season.

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Ummmmm.......there were threads about it all over the forum.

Where were YOU?

Wheelman said:

The most disappointing thing about this thread is the timing. Seriously, where was this thread when the tampering first occurred? I've been demanding a 1st round draft swap since day one. Now that Revis is gone we see this thread? Shameful! Absolutely Shameful! Now that Revis is with the Jets I want a 1st round draft swap this season, and a 1st round draft swap next season.

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Seriously? There's been a thread about this for months. If you're being sarcastic, I apologize.

The Gr8est said:

This is absolutely correct and note-worthy. EVERY incident where the Pats are accused of wrongdoing the Rats are involved somehow.

Belichick quitting the Rats to eventually become HC of the Pats. It cost the Pats a 1st round pick, mainly because of the letter of the law, but the Pats were trying to do things correctly. They requested permission to talk to BB about their HC coaching vacancy, but the Rats didn't respond, and the Rats and Parcells attempted shenanigans involving Parcells becoming a consultant, resulting in Belichick contractually becoming the Rats HC.

The reason that the Rats had BB on their coaching staff anyway was because he followed Parcells after the Rats tampered with him, as the Pats were getting ready to play a Superbowl just to make it more egregious, and the rats and their fans were all still butt-hurt that Tagliabue had actually dared to impose penalties on them. After all, if the Rats wanted Parcells, well then they should be allowed to have him, no strings attached.

So then we come to Spygate, and the Rats little paws are all over that one. It may even be worse than it appears, since at the time very few Pats fans knew who Mike Kensil was, but at the time he was the NFL's Director of Game Operations, and the sting occurred in Rats Stadium.

Now we have Deflategate, and the evidence is suggesting that Mike Kensil may be the chief culprit, even though, on the surface, it appeared to be Colts-initiated, with the ravens as possible accessories.


Now when it comes to Rats transgressions they have been accused of tampering with Michael Crabtree when the 49ers were trying to sign their #1 pick. No penalty to the rodents.

Tripgate, when a Rats coach mugged an opposing player on the sidelines. Goodell says he believed Rex Ryan and Mike Westhoff when they claimed no knowledge of what was happening on their own sidelines. The Rats were allowed to investigate themselves. They fired Sal Alosi but any fines were minimal.

While Mike Westhoff claimed he never saw it on the Rats sidelines, he said the the Pats DID do it. So I guess he IS able to actually recognize it, he just can't recognize it when it happens right in front of his nose week after week. It is also a violation to call out another team like he did to the Pats. In THIS case Goodell was quick to impose no punishment whatsoever.

Now we have a clear, textbook case of tampering, reported to the league the day before Deflategate was reported ( coincidence?), and it STILL hasn't been adjudicated, even though it is such a textbook case done on a public forum, that it should have been a quick case to resolve. Now the league is upset that their "legal tampering" period was abused, and they are going to investigate the teams involved. (I wonder if the Rats' communications will be investigated.....nah, no I don't)

So now this clear tampering has resulted in the tampered with player actually completing the circle and joining the tampering team.

Bob Kraft, if you can't, or won't, come down hard on the league over this, then I guess you never will.

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Actually, Tagliabue didn't impose penalties on the Jets, he got the Pats and the Jets to negotiate Parcells' release from his option year which precluded him from coaching another team. So in essence even Tags gave the Jets what they wanted as this was their plan anyway, as they forced the Pats hand with the BS consultancy for Parcells. There was also the Deion Branch tampering, the Jets filming version of spy gate where the claimed to get permission from the Pats despite the Pats denying they gave it, the Desean Jackson tampering, some illegal practicing issues, and Jets players threatening Welker's career in the media, but those were all ignored as well.

What I find interesting is the numbers we heard the last two days ($40M Guaranteed) $48M for 3 years is essentially what he got from NY. They added two years to help spread out the bonus for the cap hit. Those numbers were reported while he was under contract to the Patriots.