I Am Still a Patriots Fan. (Vent thread on status of being a Pats fan)

Ross12 said:

I could be, I just feel like no one gives a crap about all the cheating done by all the other teams over the decades, why would they hold a grudge forever against this team? I may be wrong though...

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hope you are right and people don't care later on, but never seen the hatred towards this team.

I'm a Brady, Belichick and Edelman fan. We'll see what happens when 2 out of those 3 are gone; probably like a 40% chance I'd remain a fan of a Kraft-owned team once that happens.

Ross12 said:

I just don't give a s*** anymore. Disappointed in Kraft, but whatever, his lack of fight doesn't make BB and Brady any less awesome. Call my team cheaters, I don't care, kiss the rings on your way to the Your Team Cheats website. Sad to see the team beaten down upon, but it does make their successes a bit sweeter.

Once Brady and BB are gone, I'll have to reevaluate my fandom of the NEP, but I'll probably still watch their games. I was never a fan simply because of Kraft; it's always been and always will be about the players.

Haters are always going to hate, the smart fans will know this was all BS. Goodell will get his eventually. I just don't have the energy to be angry about it anymore.

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Not me. I love the Pats more than is considered sane. I really am consumed with it, But when I give up something I love so much, it conveys my conviction. I've always prided myself on sacrificing something to get a point across. Kraft knows we wont leave. But he is wrong in my case. Unless something drastic happens soon. Otherwise, I better start choosing which Hockey time I will be rooting for. I'm a stubborn German.

I had started to become disillusioned with all of this nonsense over puffs of air in footballs over the weekend. At this point, I am tired of it all. I guess a part of me is nostalgic for the pre-internet days where being a fan was less exhausting.

Anyways, I'm afraid I have digressed a bit.

I have always been a fan of the Patriots, because, being born and raised in RI, they were the local team, and I have always believed in supporting your roots. I have stuck with them through thick and thin.

I feel like the league has railroaded our team, purely on spite and jealousy, and our owner has let us down by caving in, thus publicly legitimizing it.

I'll admit that I was optimistic about the possibility of him sticking to his guns. Alas, in the back of my mind, I knew it was too good to be true. I suppose I would be really pissed off if I was not just fed up with this farce.

I think I'll just take a break from all of this insanity and recharge for a couple of months until training camp...

mgteich said:

If what Kraft has given us doesn't his right to ask you for his loyalty, so be it.

No, Kraft didn't mention Brady. Kraft was not discussing Brady's punishment.

So, let us say that Kraft had appealed to the Commissioner and lost. Then everything would be OK with you? Really? No, this is not about Kraft not objecting. It is about you personally disagreeing with Kraft.

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You can go ahead and continue to choose to not read what I write if you wish and if it helps you feel better.
It is about Kraft abandoning his fan base, and his GOAT QB. THAT is what it is about, Of course its different if he appeals. He chose Goodell and the other 31 teams over his employees, players and fans.
Its about character and Kraft proved he has none.

I'm too old to go back. Been following and supporting my entire life, including the Sox, Bruins & Celts, but I named my border collie Pats (she has now passed) for a reason and have bragged about the team coast-to-coast (wherever I lived). I worked for another team (investigator), but they all knew my allegiance as did a certain trade from the Pats (who was a friend). Even did a stint at a CA radio station working 49ers & Raiders games and adding local commentary during each half...Pissed off the owner because I always interjected the Pats (he was actually more upset because he was a Steelers fan) And now I'm living in Seahawk territory, but now that fun has been taken away.
There's just too much history and involvement and not enough years left. I'll be a Pats fan to the end and I'll embrace the suck. Let's do it like old Al did and simply be outlaws. Heck, I'd be up for a logo change that involves bringing back Pat, black & red colors, muskets & swords...Imply caution! But, of course, Kraft would never go for it.
And it just isn't the current state-of-affairs that bothers me, it is the fact that when I began going to Foxboro and when I moved to L.A., the Pats were considered doormat and never to rise, just a joke. Our team did, but now...Very sad...(On the other hand, the bright side, like many of you, I got through many decades of the Red Sox before seeing an actual championship and then I got to see more. (Always enjoyed Spring Training in Ft. Myers...Had a house there....Pretty exciting and well worth the wait.)
Gettin' too long, but I guess most of you understand and go through the same...I'll just stop until I can think of something else to say

Win, lose, or tie...I'm a Patriots fan till I die even though we have an owner who is more loyal to Jetdell than his team!

The internet and modern media didn't exist in the 70s and 80s when the Steelers and 49ers were cheating. It was never in anyone's face that they cheated, and it came out after the fact. This is much different. This will never be forgotten for as long as wikipedia exists and deflategate is listed right at the top of the Patriots article. When the first result on Google for Patriots is something to do with cheating. Wall to wall coverage about Deflategate for weeks takes its tole. It will never EVER go away.

We. Are. F.ucked.

VectorPrime said:

The internet and modern media didn't exist in the 70s and 80s when the Steelers and 49ers were cheating. It was never in anyone's face that they cheated, and it came out after the fact. This is much different. This will never be forgotten for as long as wikipedia exists and deflategate is listed right at the top of the Patriots article. When the first result on Google for Patriots is something to do with cheating. Wall to wall coverage about Deflategate for weeks takes its tole. It will never EVER go away.

We. Are. F.ucked.

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This is the main reason why I've been skeptical throughout all of our conversations over the past few months. The fact that the NFL didn't do a damn thing to stop all of the negative leaks about one of the two teams playing in its biggest game (money) told me all I needed to know. There's no way that they'd have allowed that to happen if they weren't emptying the clip on us.

as I said....I am past it

I'll watch them only because it's not Kraft I am watching, but moving forward, he's just another idiot owner that no player should ever give a discount to again

I would never give up being a fan of this team and I will still be there opening night...can't wait for our run to number 5

It's been a fun ride. The Patriots have accomplished more than I could have possibly imagined during the Belichick era. Superbowl 49 was probably the greatest game ever. I have many happy memories following this team that cannot be taken away regardless of whatever the NFL does from this point on.

Sadly, it's time to move on. Let's face it, the league has "jumped the shark." It's nothing more than a multi-billion dollar laughing stock and a massive waste of time. Kraft's surrender today is indefensible no matter how we try to rationalize it.

My sentiment- I've had the privilege of enjoying the greatest head coach/QB combination in the history of the game. Sadly, the league has been corrupted by greed and petty jealousy and will never be the same again. The ride is over and done. I'm sure that there is a never ending line of suckers ready, willing and able to waste their money on this garbage; but I'm not going to be one of these suckers.

No More!

I am a fan of this team no matter what. Win another super bowl hopefully this upcoming season and this will be a distant memory for me.

It is sad to see everyone so worked up though. People wasted time and energy poking holes in reports, reading gas laws, etc when it was a foregone conclusion that they were going to throw the book at us. Almost every worst case scenario has happened, but my joy remains. We just won the most entertaining super bowl against an opponent that was more than worthy.

Being labeled a cheater doesn't actually bother me IF we are winning championships. It just doesn't. For the record, I believe we are a pretty clean organization. What bothers me is that we are getting punished for just dumb stuff. Do you think we would have a guy film out in the open or have someone refer to themselves at any time as "the deflator" if we were trying to cheat?

I saw the Patriots play at Nickerson and Fenway. I lived in Foxboro for 20 years and got tickets given to me by Rookies for games (mostly pre-season). I have lived in NY since 2006 - yeah it is a woman and yes she is worth it. In 2006-2007, I watched Troy Brown steal back a playoff win for the Pats (SD) only to lose the following week to Goober Sr. after a horrible PI call gave him the game.

I loved the 2007 season but had to live with the laughter of 18-1. Here. In 2008, I was in a sports bar for the opener, at a small table, small TV watching the Pats play KC. To the right of me, was seven young Jets fans all wearing Jets Favre jerseys. After the fifth time Brady's ACL/MCL tear was shown on the BIG (Jets) TV, to great cheers from these Farve wearing putz, I walked up to the table and told them - the next time I heard someone cheer an injury I was going to put one of them in the hospital. Fortunately, three of them were girls and the rest kept their mouths shut. Because I was a little drunk.

I say this not to brag about how great a fan I am. I am one of many here.

But I am so angry at Kraft's spineless display today, this is what I want to happen.

Brady asks for his release. I think he might be able to demand it. Belichick retires. Team returns to mediocrity and 10,000 seats sold like I remember. All this before Bob K dies so he can reflect on his legacy.

And Brady signs with the Jets and hoists a Lombardi with Revis. I would laugh. That is how angry I am.

doesntmatter1 said:

I am a fan of this team no matter what. Win another super bowl hopefully this upcoming season and this will be a distant memory for me.

It is sad to see everyone so worked up though. People wasted time and energy poking holes in reports, reading gas laws, etc when it was a foregone conclusion that they were going to throw the book at us. Almost every worst case scenario has happened, but my joy remains. We just won the most entertaining super bowl against an opponent that was more than worthy.

Being labeled a cheater doesn't actually bother me IF we are winning championships. It just doesn't. For the record, I believe we are a pretty clean organization. What bothers me is that we are getting punished for just dumb stuff. Do you think we would have a guy film out in the open or have someone refer to themselves at any time as "the deflator" if we were trying to cheat?

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I'm a fan to the end because I've got no clue as to what it is like rooting for another team. I worked for another team, did my job well, but didn't root for them over the Pats at any time, including the POs. That might seem like a real test, but it isn't. Simple to do.

The difficult thing that we have to accept is that none of this is going away and never will. You only live once so unless you're 5 years old, Spygate & Deflategate will stick until most of us are gone and those other fans will never let us forget. Perhaps your grandkids or great grandkids will have a clean slate, but for those of us now living, today marked the day that we'll never be able to walk away from. I'm not happy w/Kraft's decision, but I'll keep holding hope that there's something else to this that most are not seeing. If you can't have hope, well (wells) what else is there?

neali said:

I saw the Patriots play at Nickerson and Fenway. I lived in Foxboro for 20 years and got tickets given to me by Rookies for games (mostly pre-season). I have lived in NY since 2006 - yeah it is a woman and yes she is worth it. In 2006-2007, I watched Troy Brown steal back a playoff win for the Pats (SD) only to lose the following week to Goober Sr. after a horrible PI call gave him the game.

I loved the 2007 season but had to live with the laughter of 18-1. Here. In 2008, I was in a sports bar for the opener, at a small table, small TV watching the Pats play KC. To the right of me, was seven young Jets fans all wearing Jets Favre jerseys. After the fifth time Brady's ACL/MCL tear was shown on the BIG (Jets) TV, to great cheers from these Farve wearing putz, I walked up to the table and told them - the next time I heard someone cheer an injury I was going to put one of them in the hospital. Fortunately, three of them were girls and the rest kept their mouths shut. Because I was a little drunk.

I say this not to brag about how great a fan I am. I am one of many here.

But I am so angry at Kraft's spineless display today, this is what I want to happen.

Brady asks for his release. I think he might be able to demand it. Belichick retires. Team returns to mediocrity and 10,000 seats sold like I remember. All this before Bob K dies so he can reflect on his legacy.

And Brady signs with the Jets and hoists a Lombardi with Revis. I would laugh. That is how angry I am.

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What is so different today than yesterday? Kraft obviously wasn't going to be able to do much, and as we know--the organizational power is much less than the players', which is why Brady has always had a better chance at getting his suspension reduced.

You're telling me that after all these years as a fan, you're giving up now because Kraft decided to give up (a futile) appeals process? Did you really think that anything would change?

supafly said:

What is so different today than yesterday? Kraft obviously wasn't going to be able to do much, and as we know--the organizational power is much less than the players', which is why Brady has always had a better chance at getting his suspension reduced.

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Supafly,

It doesn't matter what the reality was of Kraft's probability of eventual success. He said he was going to war and then he caved, and then he hugged Godell. He could have gone down fighting. He could have at least made it look better. He hugged him. That is like hugging a guy that just banged your wife. I despise the white collar blue shirt wearing pantywaist.

And the owners are weaker than the NFLPA? The NFLPA might be the weakest union in the history of the universe. Certainly in the history of sports. Contractually, the NFLPA is in a stronger position than Bob, but , but, Brady will never remove the stain that Kraft varnished on his legacy today. He is now a Bob Kraft branded cheater. Kraft could have taken on the NFL and given the NFLPA 1% of the power the MLB has. He is probably worried about the NE Revolution. The puke.

edited to change "I" to "It"

neali said:

Supafly,

I doesn't matter what the reality was of Kraft's probability of eventual success. He said he was going to war and then he caved, and then he hugged Godell. He could have gone down fighting. He could have at least made it look better. He hugged him. That is like hugging a guy that just banged your wife. I despise the white collar blue shirt wearing pantywaist.

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I can certainly respect the anger a bit more once you put it that way. I too, don't care for the way that he misled his intentions, although it may be possible that he was attempting to bluff a bit to gauge owner support.

I'd have to assume (right or wrong) that he had some fairly efficient lawyers on this case. I hate to bring it up, but it is possible that either one of McNally or JJ may have placed the team/Kraft (not necessarily Brady) in a position that's difficult to win in a court of law?

I agree that I'd have much rather seen the appeals followed through, but in the big picture I don't think any of it would've mattered much.

neali said:

Contractually, the NFLPA is in a stronger position than Bob

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That's where I was heading with the thought that Brady is in a much better position to win than Kraft ever was.

supafly said:

I can certainly respect the anger a bit more once you put it that way. I too, don't care for the way that he misled his intentions, although it may be possible that he was attempting to bluff a bit to gauge owner support.

I'd have to assume (right or wrong) that he had some fairly efficient lawyers on this case. I hate to bring it up, but it is possible that either one of McNally or JJ may have placed the team/Kraft (not necessarily Brady) in a position that's difficult to win in a court of law?

I agree that I'd have much rather seen the appeals followed through, but in the big picture I don't think any of it would've mattered much.

That's where I was heading with the thought that Brady is in a much better position to win than Kraft ever was.

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Yeah, Brady is in a better decision to win in appealing his suspension, but so what? Kraft did the fold so no matter what happens w/Brady, it will be 10-20 years of "cheater". Those other fans will not recognize prior or future SB wins as legitimate. Pats might as well have four (4) more titles printed because the weight will be equal. That is what Kraft's decision has left us with. So be happy, we can all celebrate our SB wins in an enclosed tank, a vacuum, devoid of the outside world. And that's what it will be like for most of our lifetimes...Incredible!

ScottMac said:

Yeah, Brady is in a better decision to win in appealing his suspension, but so what?

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Well, the point was that Kraft and the Pats as an organization are rather limited in what they can do, and that Kraft's attorneys or counsel obviously felt that dragging on a futile effort was pointless.

It's also quite possible that he may have gauged the support (or lack thereof) from the other 31 owners and realized that they weren't exactly backing him up.

One final theory which will be very unpopular is the thought that further evidence may have been at risk of coming out had this gone on any longer, which we'll hopefully never find out about either way.

ScottMac said:

Kraft did the fold so no matter what happens w/Brady, it will be 10-20 years of "cheater". Those other fans will not recognize prior or future SB wins as legitimate. Pats might as well have four (4) more titles printed because the weight will be equal. That is what Kraft's decision has left us with. So be happy, we can all celebrate our SB wins in an enclosed tank, a vacuum, devoid of the outside world. And that's what it will be like for most of our lifetimes...Incredible!

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See, this is where we disagree a bit. I don't see Bob Kraft saying that "I've carefully weighed out my options and while I don't agree with the punishment, have decided not to pursue the appeals process" as cementing any "cheater" accusations for the next 10-20 years. Those were going to happen either way, unless one is naive enough to have believed that the league would suddenly change their minds and give us back picks, etc. That obviously wasn't going to happen.