Deflating deflategate --[Mod Edit] AEI Opinion Piece in NY Times

Tunescribe said:

So if Brady's suspension is overturned, shouldn't the lost draft picks be reinstated?

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There is a theory out there that Kraft is waiting for such a thing to happen- which would give him more solid ground and legal legitimacy to plead to Goody for relief.

Kenneth Sims said:

Must admit l might be doing a little wishful thinking. I said in another thread this week that I might be the only fool left who thinks there is a deal. Kraft should not have made the "other 31" statement even if Jihadi Roger was holding a blade to his throat. But, I can't see any reason why Kraft would make that statement, which he was clearly uncomfortable doing, without a deal.

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When the owner does something as monumentally stupid as Kraft did, it is understandable to give consideration to the possibility that there has to be some sort of plan that we are not privy to. The Kraft apologists have come forward with possible scenarios in an attempt to explain his behavior, but none has come close to passing the sniff test. What sort of deal might he have made? "Sure Roger, I 'll give you my draft picks and a million dollars, and I will make a public plea to end the talk. And in return, I will get...." What?
"If you can get Tom to give me his phone, and if it is clean, I will reduce his suspension for showing cooperation."
Tell me you have something better than this. Have you got something truly plausible? Because I got zilch. Nada. The plausible scenario I got is that Bob encountered something like this:
"Bob, Bob, sit down. Where are you going with this? We fought long and hard with the NFLPA for the power to control our league. We placed a commish who sold his soul to keep the spigot flowing and it has been gushing. Now you turn on us just because your own guy was doing his job? Got a $5 million report that says you did it. He supposed to trash that? Listen Bob, you got a nice team, a beautiful woman, and a mansion with the beautiful people. What do you want? You want to start a fight on Park Avenue? For what? You cannot win an appeal. You gonna try and take out your own commish? We don't need bloodshed. Bloodshed is bad for business. For all of us. Tell you what you're gonna do. You're gonna put an end to this nonsense right away, and get back to the business of selling our product."

Remember what the Falcon's owner predicted?

Blank praised Kraft as "one of the great owners" in the NFL. He predicted Kraft and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will protect their relationship.

"Putting aside my personal relationship with him, he's one of ... a handful of owners, when they stand up in that room and they talk, everybody else listens, because they have a history of putting the league ahead of their own franchise," Blank said. "Robert has done that, has demonstrated that.

"I think after things are processed, Robert will be in a good place, I think the commissioner will be in a good place, I think their relationship will be a good one and they will continue to work for the benefit of the National Football League for a long time."

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

That is a nice report. I just want this whole debacle over with. I am hopeful that TFB will be starting the first game. If not then I am done with the NFL.

betterthanthealternative said:

I too started wondering about the sponsorship for this piece of work as soon as I saw it in the NYT. It is possible that it was done out of general funds, as a marketing tactic (how many of you now know about AEI who didn't before?). Or as a freebie by the authors, in their "spare" time, to draw attention to themselves.

But it is far more likely that someone wrote a check for this. We can speculate, but we'll probably never know.

Given that the authors are the same folks who kicked the NFL's butt on the Saints bounty case, I wouldn't be surprised if Brady's attorney's sponsored this. It would be a relatively inexpensive contribution to the legal case. They'd probably launder it a bit, by having a friend of a friend write the check, but that's just an issue of mechanics.

Speculation is fun!

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LaunderGate?

Brady2Moss said:

No one will care, NFL doled out the punishment and that's that, no one cares to read this report OR the Well's report. We knew they didn't deflate the balls 5 months ago.

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I gave up a long time ago on "public opinion" so I really don't give a flying falanga that "no one will care." What counts is that a Federal Court will care, which is why this is a "Holy ****" moment for Goodell and the NFL.

SVN said:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...-institute-calls-ted-wells-report-unreliable/

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I don't see how it's possible for Goodell to use the AEI report to refute a report he paid millions for. It's just makes him look even dumber.

turkeyneck said:

The good thing about this is that the NYT is certainly read in Goodell's circles - or at least those that he aspires to. This may break through his NYFL bubble. Maybe he'll feel a little tiny bit of social pressure to not look any more the fool than he already does.

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This is NOT a NY Times story, even though it is being publicized there. It is an American Enterprise Institute study, published and reported by the NYT. That's even more important. Essentially , we have a Right of Center Think Tank and a Left of Center Newspaper saying that the Wells report is ********. As I've said a couple of times already and as I will repeat again no doubt, this is a "Holy ****" moment for Goodell and the NFL.

scott99 said:

But WAIT, the NY Post and the NY Daily News swear that the facts show the Pats deflated the footballs and are cheaters, this new report in the NY Times must be faulty, it can't be. Science and proof show the Pats didn't cheat ? This can't be right.

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Please. Everybody. Stop referring to this as a New York Times Report. It is an American Enterprise Institute Study that is being published and publicized by the NYT. That's a very important distinction. It means that a left of center paper and a right of center think tank are both saying the same thing.

Jackson 2 said:

He didn't. They were taken and regardless of what he did or said they weren't coming back. No one was more pissed off or disappointed in his surrender than I was. But the idea that he just handed the picks over is nonsense. I know it sounds good and feels better, but it's ********. Continuing to claim otherwise is knowingly perpetuating a lie.

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It ain't over 'til it's over.

JDot said:

And how the hell has Bill Nye the science guy got a pass in all this?

That clown went on TV and said Beli was a liar, when it turns out Beli was right.

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Bill Nye the Science guy couldn't get a job as a receptionist at the AEI.

Again I say,

f.uck Kraft

SVN said:

"Our recommendation? When the N.F.L. hears Mr. Brady’s appeal of his suspension later this month, it should proceed with the knowledge that the Wells report is unreliable" Ha! like that will happen

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This is all about what happens when Kessler and the NFLPA take this to Federal Court now, unless Goodell reduces the suspension to zero.

Hoodie said:

I don't see how it's possible for Goodell to use the AEI report to refute a report he paid millions for. It's just makes him look even dumber.

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And how's he going to look in court? How's he going to look if someone at .gov wants to use this as a basis for attacking the league's anti-trust exemption?

Apparently, the NY Jets boys in the league office didn't think this half-baked scheme through.

I really don't see any scenario here where the NFL doesn't come out looking completely f*cked up.

FCB02062 said:

As a Pats fan this is cool & all but it will do nothing to change the opinion of 90% of the country that the Pats and Brady cheated.
Only way that changes is if ESPN takes this AEI report and gives it a major push... That ain't happening

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I gave up on "90% of the country" in this matter a long time ago. Eventually, all that's going to matter is going to the opinion of a Federal Judge.

PatsFanSince74 said:

I gave up on "90% of the country" in this matter a long time ago. Eventually, all that's going to matter is going to the opinion of a Federal Judge.

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the masses in this country think bob kraft owns kraft foods. that is how intelligent they are.

50-yard-line said:

It's legit - AEI has a lot of very smart people working for them. Like all think tanks, they won't bite the hands that feed them, but on neutral issues, they can do good work.

Yes, they're very right-wing and very PNAC, too, but they also have people like Norm Ornstein.

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They're legit - they helped overturn the Bounty-gate suspensions. It's good to have a national organization with legit press leads get into national print what everyone on this site has been saying for the past 6 months

Jackson 2 said:

No, on the contrary. Kessler's argument won't mean **** during the appeal hearing because Goodell is the arbitrator. My point was that Kessler's argument will only be pertinent if Brady decides to mount a legal challenge. I once thought that was a foregone conclusion. Now, I think there's no chance that happens. This is over. In my opinion, it'll be 2 games and Brady will take it

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If he were willing to take two games, he wouldn't have hired Kessler. He will take the League to court and force Discovery under oath from League officials as well as officials in the Ravens and Colts organizations along with players from across the League.

Jackson 2 said:

Matt Flynn, the snap percentages in OTAs with JG. I believe hiring Kessler was designed to scare The Dope into recusing himself as arbitrator. Didn't work. Listen, I'm not some contrarian hater. I think my posting history would accurately paint me as an unapologetic homer, and I'm proud of it. I just think this one is over.

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Right. Because BB is notorious for not planning meticulously for absolute every contingency.

Hoodie said:

I don't see how it's possible for Goodell to use the AEI report to refute a report he paid millions for. It's just makes him look even dumber.

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It would make him look stupid enough to warrant being fired.

It would be like Columbus coming back to the Queen of Portugal to report the world is round but being dismissed because her highly paid in-house adviser insists it's flat.

Ivan said:

I was wondering if they would do so and how much time and credence they would give it. Should be interesting to see how out plays out.

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Right now the 'Top Headline' is "Ex_Patriot cited in accident on Mass highway". Why isn't he an ex-Bill? Last NFL game he played was for them.