What bothers you the most about all this?

What annoys me most is that the league doesn't have to abide by any rules in handing out punishments, and are incredibly inconsistent when doing so (not just against us and our losing 1st round picks, but things like tapping up players resulting in some teams losing draft picks while others get a mere slap on the wrist).

What also annoys me is the media's desperation to smear the name of the Patriots irrespective of any evidence against them, and the influence they have on the public in their determination of the Patriots (the media here in the UK assume the Pats are guilty because that's the message coming out of the US. Nobody questions it here.) They, like Goodell, appear to be accountable to no-one. The likes of Chris Mortensen can distribute a pack of lies with no recourse whatsoever (even worse when the lies come via a league source...)

I guess what annoys me most of all is that the interests of the game of football (your version, not mine!) are being neglected so that agendas can be played out, egos can be stroked and reputations protected. It's the sporting equivalent of two parents hammering each other in divorce court while neither put the needs of the child first.

Deflategate has left the NFL is a poorer place to be, and the sport less attractive to watch.

This as #12 has been tried in the court of public opinion..

My wife asked the me the other day why the NFL has their offices on Fifth Avenue NYC???I responded "So all the Jets Employees who work there do not have to relocate".. pretty funny if I do say so myself.

Lots of good answers here but I'll goo with this:

Total lack of sense of proportion.

So this is all about fairness and a level competitive field.

Let's pretend that Brady ordered these guys to lower the balls to below the legal limit specifically during before the AFCCG (nothing I've seen proves this — if anything he wanted the balls at the lowest legal limit).

How much does that really affect the competitive balance? Does it affect the outcome of a play or game more than, say, blatant pass interference? Holding? Tackling someone at the knees and ending their season? I don't this so, not even close. And yet those instances of "cheating" are penalized in mere yards.

For me it's the complete failure of neutrality and the witch hunt that has ensued solely because this involves the Patriots. In the same offseason that a Falcon's department head (I think game day operations?) admits to deliberately breaking the rules by pumping in crowd noise ( for several seasons), the Patriots are being crucified for an offense no more egregious. Put me in the camp that think it's entirely unfair to deem them "repeat offenders"- two entirely different "crimes", years apart ( like holding someone more criminally accountable for jay walking because they have a speeding ticket on their record).

The Pats are held to a different standard than other teams in the league courtesy of a Commissioner who was a Jets employee.............and has a cadre full of them on PArk Ave.

The talking heads on TV going on and on about something they really haven't got a f-ing clue about.
And the idiots who are quoting the Wells report as if it was the gospel truth.

Its safe to assume Brady misses the espys.

what bothers me the most right now is the possibility that this **** is only done to keep us crazy fans riveted when there is nothing else to talk about

what if you found out that this was all mutually orchestrated by all parties involved........that makes about as much sense as any other scenario being bandied about

What I hate the most? It is a freaking distraction. On the way home from a track meet, I spent 25 minutes explaining to my 12 year old daughter why Tom Brady is not a cheater, people don't understand science and some people just hate "because".

As a dad, I'd rather talk about the birds and the bees. Ugh.

Mostly I feel bad for Tom and the team.

As a fan (especially one that no longer lives in New England), it stinks to have to defend your team's reputation. It goes from "no titles since Spygate!" to "no titles since Deflategate!".

The feeling of helplessness and rage when you know there's a witch hunt and you are powerless to stop it.

robertweathers said:

What I hate the most? It is a freaking distraction. On the way home from a track meet, I spent 25 minutes explaining to my 12 year old daughter why Tom Brady is not a cheater, people don't understand science and some people just hate "because".

As a dad, I'd rather talk about the birds and the bees. Ugh.

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I'm starting to smell a rat in the entire NFL brand including the Pats front office.......all of this is just too convenient......my son has worn his brady jersey for 2 days now......what kraft said last week.......the report.....what kraft said this week......what wells said......what yee said......it is all starting to seem kind of scripted

Thing that bothers me most is that Mr. Kraft has had to have himself and his team beaten senseless (by the court of general public opinion) to finally realize that the ignoramus commissioner is not his buddy...(his team's fans have also been subject to perpetual shots as well, the price to be paid for being a loyal Pats fan these days)

think about it.....it is may, and EVERY sports outlet was spending much of their time talking about the NFL

I'll tell you one thing, the timing of all of everything could not be better to keep NFL fans on task when there should be nothing to talk about

I'm betting that by some time in August, Brady's suspension becomes at worst 1 game, and the fines will be reduced and it will wind up not being a 1st round pick

the final nail in the conspiracy theory coffin will be that the game that Brady has to sit will not be the week 1 game......

While I was greatly bothered earlier by Brunell and company branding Brady a liar, I am at the end of the day greatly bothered by the outright lies and twsiting of info (regarding the gauges) in the Wells Report.

In the same way people say that it's not a good look for Brady to lie (when he didn't, and no one knows), it is horrible for an official organ to lie in a report whose own Appendix makes plain that it is lying.

FrodoBagginz said:

Now I am confused. Everyone everywhere is saying teams cannot appeal/sue due to owners signing contracts with the NFL.

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That was my understanding as well, but I have seen an appeal process for teams mentioned in a few places.

The absolute worst part of this whole deal to me, at least, has to be the fact that other quarterbacks and teams have OPENLY ADMITTED to altering balls to their preference.

Aaron Rodgers, the 2014 NFL regular season MVP has told the world that he likes to push the limit on how much air he can put in the football. Defends the Patriots.

The Panthers and Vikings were both seen heating up balls on the sideline last year, another violation of ball inflation that should also be taken into consideration when considering the "integrity of the game". And what punishment did they receive? Why didn't Cam Newton and Teddy Bridgewater (or whomever was the starting QB at the time) get slapped with a 4-game punishment? Why didn't the Panthers and Vikings get 1st and 4th round draft choices taken away? This "Deflategate" nonsense is so clearly and utterly Anti-Patriots that anyone should be able to see the injustice.

Brad Johnson, former QB for the Buccaneers when they won the Superbowl in 2002 has admitted to PAYING $7,500 in order to have the 100(!) new balls for the Superbowl tampered with.

Why on Earth are we the ones to get punished by the league for an insignificant ploy such as this? And without concrete evidence, as well.

Furthermore, why does everyone (outside of the Patriots fanbase) think that we should have our Superbowl victory impugned? The supposed ball deflation occurred during the AFC championship game against the Colts. There was even a big fuss over the balls in the Superbowl being under constant surveillance. I remember rolling my eyes when Collinsworth brought it up. We would have STEAMROLLED the Colts either way.

People may (and let's be honest, "may" is an understatement) say "Oh, the Patriots cheated to win the 2015 AFC title game, they should replay the Superbowl with the Colts representing the AFC". Let's not forget, however, that the balls' pressure was taken in to question and tested before the half. At halftime, we were already up 17-7. Sure, it was a close enough game. But then the balls were taken and re-inflated. And what happened after halftime? We put up another 28 points. 4 touchdowns with the fully inflated balls. And the Colts could do absolutely nothing, even though the "integrity of the game" had been restored. The restoration of this "integrity" led to 28 unanswered points. Numbers don't lie. But apparently pressure gauges do.

So the willingness of the NFL to look the other way on the topic of deflating or inflating balls to suit a QB against teams and players that AREN'T the Patriots is what bothers me most. That, and the idiocy that surrounds this entire issue. The proclamations of a "competitive edge" are completely ridiculous, as are the claims that we cheated during the Superbowl.

IllegalContact said:

I'm starting to smell a rat in the entire NFL brand including the Pats front office.......all of this is just too convenient......my son has worn his brady jersey for 2 days now......what kraft said last week.......the report.....what kraft said this week......what wells said......what yee said......it is all starting to seem kind of scripted

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That thought crossed my mind as well. The NFL will do anything for attention. Especially during the down cycles.

Need to have a tight circle. For example, BB, Kensil and Vincent wouldn't be part of it. Maybe Jonathan. Needs to be tightly orchestrated.

In the end, I just can't see Bob and Goody collaborating to the point of destroying Brady and Kraft agreeing to the sanctions.

If this scenario ever came to light as truth the Kraft name would be Mudd. I don't think would want that.

The injustice and unfairness of the frontal assault on the New England Patriots, as demonstrated through the unequal application of the rules and their consequences to the Patriots.

FrodoBagginz said:

Now I am confused. Everyone everywhere is saying teams cannot appeal/sue due to owners signing contracts with the NFL.

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The Saints appealed (unsuccessfully) to get their draft picks back re: Bountygate:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/18164762/saints-payton-to-appeal-yearlong-suspension-on-friday