Brady will be suspended by Roger Goodell for role in DeflateGate, announcement expected next week

He shouldn't miss any games. Didn't the saints players not give up their phones?

tombonneau said:

That's the safest thing he could do for a Patriots fan. You and many people on this board are not observing the situation dispassionately. And that's part of being a fan.

But Goodell needs to satisfy owners, players, fans, the media, etc. It's not a good look for him if he lets Brady off scott free. So dinging him for not cooperating satisfies he most number of people while minimizing risk that this gets dragged out in a appeal.

I expect a statement like "while the evidence in the report is not significant enough to determine guilt on Brady's part, without access to his phone we can not create a clear enough picture and thus do to this lack of cooperation he will be suspended for d games."

Everyone moves on with their lives.

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You are right. I'll criticize them and not be totally blind to their faults, but no question that I have a long track record on this board of being an all-things Patriots suck-up and apologist.

I posted what I did is because I truly believe that if Goody said that, he would demonstrate leadership, honesty and integrity and at some level compassion. He would be known as the man who didn't penalize a player for "maybe" and without evidence. That's about as American as you can get.

Penalizing him for not cooperating with an NFL investigation by not giving up his phone records is too Nazi brownshirt for me especially when Yee said that he and Brady would work with the NFL to define the scope. They refused.

robertweathers said:

You are right. I'll criticize them and not be totally blind to their faults, but no question that I have a long track record on this board of being an all-things Patriots suck-up and apologist.

I posted what I did is because I truly believe that if Goody said that, he would demonstrate leadership, honesty and integrity and at some level compassion. He would be known as the man who didn't penalize a player for "maybe" and without evidence. That's about as American as you can get.

Penalizing him for not cooperating with an NFL investigation by not giving up his phone records is too Nazi brownshirt for me especially when Yee said that he and Brady would work with the NFL to define the scope. They refused.

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I think if this were some minor investigation into Andy Dalton and the Bengals your scenario might likely happen. But sadly we all know the Patriots are being treated differently because they are the Patriots. It's just the reality. There would be no million dollar report for any other ball club. Just a fine like we already saw happen.

While this sucks, imagine how much more it would suck coming off the heels of another SB loss due to improbable circus catch.

Mark Daniels ‏@MarkDanielsPJ 6m6 minutes ago
A kid just asked Devin McCourty if Tom Brady is getting suspended. McCourty smiled and said, "I don't know."

How depressing

Thank goodness we won the Super Bowl, otherwise this would feel much worse

Chiuba E. Obele said:

Mark Daniels ‏@MarkDanielsPJ 6m6 minutes ago
A kid just asked Devin McCourty if Tom Brady is getting suspended. McCourty smiled and said, "I don't know."

How depressing

Thank goodness we won the Super Bowl, otherwise this would feel much worse

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WTF? Its depressing because DMac said I dont know? Would it make you feel better if he said absolutely positively not? He dosent know and how could he know and why would he say even if he did know. Seriously you think TB will miss time with this flimsy report? Also, even if he missed a game or two this team wouldnt suffer that badly.

Seriously, grow up.

Bruins29 said:

WTF? Its depressing because DMac said I dont know? Would it make you feel better if he said absolutely positively not? He dosent know and how could he know and why would he say even if he did know. Seriously you think TB will miss time with this flimsy report? Also, even if he missed a game or two this team wouldnt suffer that badly.

Seriously, grow up.

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Dude, it was a YMCA event filled with children....and the first question to be asked by a kid was not "How does it feel like to be a football player" but if Tom Brady would be suspended.

Tom Brady is an icon. Children look up to him.

Bruins29 said:

WTF? Its depressing because DMac said I dont know? Would it make you feel better if he said absolutely positively not? He dosent know and how could he know and why would he say even if he did know. Seriously you think TB will miss time with this flimsy report? Also, even if he missed a game or two this team wouldnt suffer that badly.

Seriously, grow up.

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chill out man...I'm sure he meant it in the sense that its depression because Brady is a hero to many little kids and now these kids are having media question their hero and what he stands for.

I know we are talking about the lunacy of the NFL here, but can someone, please anyone explain to me how the NFL can suspend a player (an elite player), without any concrete evidence or proof that he did anything wrong?

The Wells report is a huge stinking pile of bafflegab that proves absolutely nothing.

I'm sticking with a small fine for Brady and a larger fine for the team ...
Both for being less than 100% accessible .... which is a judgement call at best anyways.

GaryfromTO said:

I know we are talking about the lunacy of the NFL here, but can someone, please anyone explain to me how the NFL can suspend a player (an elite player), without any concrete evidence or proof that he did anything wrong?

The Wells report is a huge stinking pile of bafflegab that proves absolutely nothing.

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Sure it is, but Goodell can do whatever he wants. The Wells report was orchestrated to reach the actionable (by NFL standards) conclusion of "more likely than not" GUILTY. I will be very surprised if Brady is not suspended for multiple games (say 4-6). I also expect Brady to contest it, and the final settlement to be reduced (1-2 games). All just speculation of course.

GaryfromTO said:

I know we are talking about the lunacy of the NFL here, but can someone, please anyone explain to me how the NFL can suspend a player (an elite player), without any concrete evidence or proof that he did anything wrong?

The Wells report is a huge stinking pile of bafflegab that proves absolutely nothing.

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The NFL has been running a parallel universe judge/jury/executioner style of justice for quite some time now.

Like I've been saying, easiest and cleanest way is for NFL to suspend Brady for an unwillingness to fully cooperate. That is clear as day from their stance and no one can argue you it.

Yes, it opens the slippery slope of you can be accused of something baseless and refuse to hand over personal property as a violation of privacy and then be convicted for not cooperating, but again, this is a kangaroo court.

Mack Herron said:

Sure it is, but Goodell can do whatever he wants. The Wells report was orchestrated to reach the actionable (by NFL standards) conclusion of "more likely than not" GUILTY. I will be very surprised if Brady is not suspended for multiple games (say 4-6). I also expect Brady to contest it, and the final settlement to be reduced (1-2 games). All just speculation of course.

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if the NFL goes ahead with this pitchfork and torch mentality, then yes I too agree it must be contested. In which case the NFL must proof it's case beyond a shadow of a doubt otherwise complete exhonoration of Brady. No half assed suspension reductions.
We are talking about the reputation of the GOAT here.

tombonneau said:

The NFL has been running a parallel universe judge/jury/executioner style of justice for quite some time now.

Like I've been saying, easiest and cleanest way is for NFL to suspend Brady for an unwillingness to fully cooperate. That is clear as day from their stance and no one can argue you it.

Yes, it opens the slippery slope of you can be accused of something baseless and refuse to hand over personal property as a violation of privacy and then be convicted for not cooperating, but again, this is a kangaroo court.

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IMO any punishment Brady will go nuclear. THis is about Pride, Honor ect. His legacy is at stake. He is a player who is mindful of his place in Football history, he wants to go down as the GOAT at his position this would tarnish that and he will challenge it to the end and his the financial wherewithal to do just that.

It's cool, Scott's got our back (Fujita):

Scott Fujita@sfujita55
22h
22 hours ago
Finally read Wells Report. Yawn. Barring any new developments, I've yet to see anything that warrants discipline. Chill w/ the hyperbole.

Scott Fujita retweeted
Stephanie Stradley @StephStradley · 9h9 hours ago
it is insane to consider a nearly all day interrogation a "lack of cooperation" just because you didn't get the confession you wanted.

Scott Fujita @sfujita55 · 8h8 hours ago
Someone called me a Pats homer yesterday. Pretty funny.

patsfan13 said:

IMO any punishment Brady will go nuclear. THis is about Pride, Honor ect. His legacy is at stake. He is a player who is mindful of his place in Football history, he wants to go down as the GOAT at his position this would tarnish that and he will challenge it to the end and his the financial wherewithal to do just that.

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I think if any part of the suspension indicates it is due to him being complicit in a conspiracy to deflate balls he will challenge; however, if it is just due to lack of cooperation he will grin & bear it and contest that in court of public opinion via exclusive interview with Anderson Cooper, etc.

tombonneau said:

I think if any part of the suspension indicates it is due to him being complicit in a conspiracy to deflate balls he will challenge; however, if it is just due to lack of cooperation he will grin & bear it and contest that in court of public opinion via exclusive interview with Anderson Cooper, etc.

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Thats his strongest legal ground. It is part of the CBA. Its a long shot to suspend someone for exercising their collectively bargained right. The NFLPA will flip.
Its really not about how they phrase it, Brady will not accept any suspension.

Brady has been suspended for 4 games, Loss of First round pick and a Fourth. Also got fined 1 Mil.

I told you guys it was a big deal when it happened. Wow. The NFL may have gone too far with the punishment.

Afam said:

Brady has been suspended for 4 games, Loss of First round pick and a Fourth. Also got fined 1 Mil.

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How many times do we have to watch the NFL completely bungle an investigation and then throw a fine out there in accordance to how the rest of the nation is feeling? This punishment is not even remotely consistent with other fines etc....given out in the last few years.

IF the NFL had just held onto those footballs in question at half time and put them aside and used the back up balls there would have been no question whether or not those footballs were tampered with. But instead they re-inflate them and essentially destroyed the evidence. So now you bring in an investigative firm that comes to a conclusion of "more possible than not". How do you beat that?

So I guess going forward you have to stop thinking of the Patriots team as a Squeaky clean organization because whether or not it is you will always have to fight a huge overly ignorant mass of idiots with the agenda to bring them down. Those idiots will never fully read the Wells report but simply call you cheaters. Those idiots will not understand that the discrepancy in those footballs according the wells report amounted to approximately 0.3 psi.

Brady did not want those footballs out of regulation. He wanted them at 12.5.

Did McNally tamper with them? Did Brady know about it? I don't know but I am convinced, and the wells report supports this, that Brady wanted those football at 12.5 - 13.0 psi.