ESPN Radio's Armen Williams: investigation done, report in final stages

Armen Williams of ESPN Radio 104.5 says the report is just about done -- the conclusion section is currently being written:

Armen Willians said:

Roger Goodell says Ted Wells is done w/ #DeflateGate investigations, in final stages / writing conclusion. "Available soon". @1045TheTeam

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https://twitter.com/ArmenWilliams/status/594137526601908224

I'll be surprised if they release it while the draft is ongoing, unless they think that's the best way to bury it.

Then again, the deflategate stuff pre-Super Bowl did lead to the highest rated television program in American history, so maybe they aren't afraid of a little bad press. However, in that case, all the bad press was for us.

rlcarr said:

Armen Williams of ESPN Radio 104.5 says the report is just about done -- the conclusion section is currently being written:



https://twitter.com/ArmenWilliams/status/594137526601908224

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I was stuck in traffic, when nfl radio went on a break i tuned into Bspn, they had Rodger the dodger on. He said wells had been writing his report for awhile, the dodger also said that he wouldn't give B Kraft an apology because the investigation was started to uphold the integrity of the league.

I'm not overly optimistic about this report. I think the best case scenario will be that the report will state there is not evidence that the Patriots did anything wrong, but there will be enough vague references* and buzzwords in there ("concerns" "irregularities" "wasn't able to speak with" "footage wasn't available") that the team will look guilty.

Some people have said this all along, but with the stance the Patriots took, that science was on their side, and the speculation that the Colts or the league were being investigated, I thought we would see an exoneration and exposure of the rats in the system. The slap on the wrist that the Jets just received for tampering has changed my mind: We're not going to see anything that benefits the Patriots.

The league office isn't going to admit that they ran a sting on a team or that someone intentionally leaked damaging information about that team to maximize the distraction and bad publicity. They're not going to sully a 'feel good' story like Chuck Pagano or the next golden boy, Andrew Luck, by looking into the motives and actions of the Colts. Even the scientific information could be marginalized by the report saying "This can explain the change in air pressure, but we're just not sure if any other external forces were at work." People will focus on the last part of that sentence rather than the first.

In the bigger picture, if the report shows there were shenanigans going on with Kensil and Grigson and this was an attempt to smear the Patriots, the league will look bad. People will question the league's integrity. Or the report could show that there's something fishy going on in New England, but they just couldn't prove anything. People will just question the Patriots then (which is what they've already been doing) and forget everything else. I'll be happy to be wrong, but I think this is what we're headed for.

*An example of this from 2008 - Goodell says the Patriots did not gain a competitive advantage from taping signals, but never expands on that. That left most people wondering why such a big deal was made of the situation and the punishment was so great for a non-advantage and took it as an attempt to downplay the whole thing. All he had to do was say "The cameraman had the tape with him the entire game and no one else saw it until later. Sometimes days later." That would be an accurate statement, but Goodell never said it.

Koma said:

I'll be happy to be wrong, but I think this is what we're headed for.

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I oscillate. One thing gives me hope, then Goodell opens his stupid dumb mouth and takes it away. Just remembering what a moron the guy is hurts my hope. Whatever his decision is, it will be irrational.

At the end of the day, I don't think the report is likely to sway opinions one way or another. Those were made up months ago.

Apparently Goodell also said he wouldn't apologize to Kraft and the Patriots if there was no finding of foul play by the Patriots.

karguy85 said:

Apparently Goodell also said he wouldn't apologize to Kraft and the Patriots if there was no finding of foul play by the Patriots.

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I don't think he needs to apologize for looking into a claim but he does need to apologize for how it was done, the leaks all designed to make the Patriots look bad etc...

Anybody want to put a guess on release? How much time will the NFL have with it before its released? Is next Friday looking reasonable?

Bruce Allen ‏@bruceallen 12s12 seconds ago
Goodell says he won't apologize to Kraft for the investigation. Um, that wasn't the issue. It was the slanted leaks from Goodell's offices.

SVN said:

Bruce Allen ‏@bruceallen 12s12 seconds ago
Goodell says he won't apologize to Kraft for the investigation. Um, that wasn't the issue. It was the slanted leaks from Goodell's offices.

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Goodell is a PoS but this isn't a bad sign for the Pats like some people here are saying. In fact it might be good. If Goodell knows that this will look badly on the league and his office he won't want to apologize because that would make him look like an even bigger idiot. It's very possible that he now knows that the report exonerates the Pats and criticizes the league in how they handle things so he's preemptively prepping the public for his inevitable "well it wasn't my fault, I didn't do anything wrong. And you can't prove that the leaks came from my office so I'm not gonna apologize." He's arrogant enough to think that will fly right.

He's stupid AND arrogant. No freaking way would he apoligize, no matter if the Wells report clearly says "The NFL front office leaked slanted statements to make New England look bad".

One day he won't be commissioner anymore. He'll either wreck the league (Hello London franchise) or be caught in a gigantic scandal even he can't politic his way out of. I plan on having a party that day.

reflexblue said:

I was stuck inn traffic and when nfl radio want on a break i tuned in. Bspn. They had Rodger the dodger on. He said wells had been writing his report for awhile. The dodger also said that he wouldn't give b Kraft an apology because the investigation was started to uphold the integrity of the league.

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Matt Chatham for the win:

Matt Chatham ✔ @chatham58
Is #RogerGoodell dumb or just playing dumb? He knows Kraft apology isn't 4 investigating. It's his office leaking like a diaper-less infant


.

I imagine Wells will make our prepping process sound worse than preparing bank robberies.

"And one oil the Patriots use in the rubbing process we found has been banned in 25 countries(no ones ever heard of) for it's toxins, although not banned in the US, it still shows a lack of concern for the staffs well being."

"Although we found no sign of deflating we did notice the Patriots try to gain a maximum advantage in the ball prepping process going to lengths while not illegal, still quite out of the norm for such a simple process"

"The way Brady meticulously lords over each ball before the start of a game it's quite possible he selects the animal in which the hide will be used to make the football"

These reports are written as dryly and objective as the English language allows, you won't see anything like that.

All of you who were holding your breath waiting for the Pats to get the apology, Kraft demanded can breathe now. The only question remains is whether and how much the Pats will be fined. I guess Goodell is all finished apologizing after telling Woody how sorry he was for having to fine him.

Release the report Wells!

Wells' office must be on the floor laughing at how the NFL could possibly warrant spending this kind of cash on this kind of "investigation". Future generations will (justifiably) mock us for the resources we (as humans) spent on this while the real life around us needed attention.

reflexblue said:

I was stuck in traffic, when nfl radio went on a break i tuned into Bspn, they had Rodger the dodger on. He said wells had been writing his report for awhile, the dodger also said that he wouldn't give B Kraft an apology because the investigation was started to uphold the integrity of the league.

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The apology isn't for starting an investigation, you ****ing idiot.

Goodell should apologize for being born.

VectorPrime said:

These reports are written as dryly and objective as the English language allows, you won't see anything like that.

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... and, in my experience, using very carefully chosen, precise wording.

Which is a good thing.