Kraft’s shot across the bow of the other Owners:

goheels22002 said:

This won't destroy the NFL. They'll play the games and 32 city-states will return to rooting for their guys and hating their opponents. It's a part of our DNA.

Why has no one come to their rescue? They don't need it. This is a heavyweight fight between the Commissioner and his stooges vs. the best QB of all time and the most successful franchise of the past 15 years.

This is the most interesting battle in pro sports since Marvin Miller took on the imperial Major League baseball commissioner and owners to overturn the reserve clause and create free agency.

I do not know if there will be momentous change in the NFL, but you can bet the role of the Commissioner will be vastly different- one way or the other - after this is over.

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Well said.
NFL football's viewership power is so great that ratings releases tend to be put it into its own category so to be able to view non NFL broadcasts in their proper context. The NFL is likely the mightiest fist of the media. And you can count on it's viewership not changing because of this deflated football fiasco (it will take A LOT more than this to make any tangible difference). Remember that it isn't just the NFL we are talking about we are also talking about Disney, GE, Comcast, Newscorp and a bunch of other media controlling, multi billion dollar corporations that have financially important reliance on the NFL.

Maybe one small side angle of this fiasco story that is lost is that Goodell's act of "punishment" is an act against us too (obviously not on the level with Brady and the others). Put another way, I'd bet most everyone here on this board has felt some sort of feeling that could be described as unwellness (anywhere from anger to dismay) caused by the Commissioner's act. That kind of emotional connection is apt to make the unfairness thought to be easily seen by others. That a judge would obviously see the unfairness too and proclaim it so. That unfairness like this will have the NFL, Goodell and his gang reap what they have sown. But none of it is based on the harsh realities. The NFL's viewership prowess, the financial prowess that goes with it and is spread through some of the mightiest media controllers there are isn't going to change because of this deflated football fiasco. And as long as the underlying $$$ doesn't change, again even if a unassailable judge proclaims the NFL acted grossly improper and illegal, everything is going to remain overwhelmingly the same. No NFL damage, no Goodell fired, no shift change in their 'executive culture'. Just is what it is...

I'm not sure what people here expect. The owners aren't going to knife the commissioner in public this early in the process.

Deus Irae said:

I'm not sure what people here expect. The owners aren't going to knife the commissioner in public this early in the process.

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"Et tu, Woody?"

The Gr8est said:

Arthur Blank said Thursday there is a "general feeling" that the Patriots' failure to acknowledge mistakes added to the punishment they received for deflating footballs.

Hey Arthur, why are you assuming there is some wrongdoing they need to admit?

Witch hunt indeed.

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I wonder if he will have the guts to say the same thing to Mr. Kraft's face when they are at the owner's meeting this week....... "No Bob, I was misquoted"
The one image of Blank that stays with me that I can't ever envision Mr. Kraft doing.......

Deus Irae said:

I'm not sure what people here expect. The owners aren't going to knife the commissioner in public this early in the process.

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No, but they might sweat a little bit if Mr. Kraft lays out how this could play out and impact all of them, in the one place that they have a common interest, their wallets....

Patsfanin Philly said:

No, but they might sweat a little bit if Mr. Kraft lays out how this could play out and impact all of them, in the one place that they have a common interest, their wallets....

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I have felt this way all along, that currently they are keeping quiet, but next week Kraft(who is by no means dumb) can spread some influence regarding Goodell's abuse of power.. if this happens to the Pats and one of the reasons for such severe discipline, what could happen to any one of them.. is the San Diego Stickum issue a first offense?? Is the Atlanta Noise brouhaha a first offense?? Is Woody's tampering a first offense??How about NOLA, they got most of that overturned, is their payback coming??

The whole idea that the Pats caved on Spygate, and did so without explanation caused the NFL to come down as hard as they have in this sitz.. could be scary to other owners. What have they created???

The Gr8est said:

This pisses me off. Arthur Blank has openly admired the Patriots for a long time and that is one of the reasons he hired Tom Dimitroff. Now he goes and says this. Arthur Blank said Thursday there is a "general feeling" that the Patriots' failure to acknowledge mistakes added to the punishment they received for deflating footballs.

Hey Arthur, why are you assuming there is some wrongdoing they need to admit?

Witch hunt indeed.

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/...arthur-blank-failure-to-admit-mistakes-051415

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What's that Arthur? You'll have to speak up! What? I can't hear you. Could someone please turn down the crowd noise? What? Arthur, maybe it's best if you just text me. What? I said text me! Text me! What? You can't hear me? You're a douche, Arthur! I said, you-are-a-douche!