Garafolo: League finally engaging Brady, NFLPA in settlement talks

If the league was smart (which they are not) and acting in good faith (which they do not) they would start the process of backtracking or at the very least announcing they are going to postpone any final decision until after the season.

What the heck is the league going to do when they measure the balls for NYG at Minnesota, December 27, and they descrease in pressure by 2.5+ PSI?? We went through all this nightmare over half that amount.

Let us all join hands and pray that the media holds the NFL's feet to the fire and demands the numbers and results of the random testing.

Ross12 said:

Like @robertweathers said yesterday, the new football handling rules reported could've been the "trial balloon", and now today they could be looking to drop the suspension, maybe. IMO they are probably trying to get Brady to accept a 1-game suspension just for non-cooperation, and Brady is saying "no dice". Question is whether the NFL will cave and drop the entire suspension, or if they will risk a lawsuit.

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This this this.

I think the league kinda assumed Brady would be happy with 2 games and that he would slobber over them in exchange for reducing it to 1 game. Now they're like "oh crap, when he said 0 games, he meant it!!"

Fixit said:

... which science says never happened.

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It doesnt matter what science says. I wish it did, but the science is already ignored outside of NE fandom, if Brady takes any penalty and it doesn't matter how it is presented you have to know what the general public and media is going to say. it isnt going to be innocent .

Im just hoping the NFL backs off and Brady plays all games.

I think the talk with Tom went somethig like this....



Where is Thomas?....Where is Thomas?....Here I am!

XLIX said:

If the league was smart (which they are not) and acting in good faith (which they do not) they would start the process of backtracking or at the very least announcing they are going to postpone any final decision until after the season.

What the heck is the league going to do when they measure the balls for NYG at Minnesota, December 27, and they descrease in pressure by 2.5+ PSI?? We went through all this nightmare over half that amount.

Let us all join hands and pray that the media holds the NFL's feet to the fire and demands the numbers and results of the random testing.

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The problem with this is that the NFL can cook the data they want and I don't trust their fairness. Unless this process is verified by a reliable external institution. I want this over before week 1.

Boston's Olympic bid has died at the age of 6 months and 18 days. It is survived by Deflategate (6 months, 9 days).

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https://twitter.com/jeffphowe/status/625748629245022208

The NFL are the ones approaching Brady and NFLPA, they don't want this going to court because they know they will lose. The Wells Report has more holes in it than swiss cheese! They don't want discovery either because they don't want everyone to know what they were really up to with this witch hunt/frame job!

Brady shouldn't settle for the suspension, demand the picks too once they agree to zero games.

Froob said:

Brady shouldn't settle for the suspension, demand the picks too once they agree to zero games.

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He has no legal standings to demand anything about the team punishments.

VectorPrime said:

He has no legal standings to demand anything about the team punishments.

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You are correct, but that doesn't mean that he couldn't, theoretically, demand them anyway.

VectorPrime said:

He has no legal standings to demand anything about the team punishments.

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I don't think this settlement is even allowed under the CBA to begin with.

varjao said:

The problem with this is that the NFL can cook the data they want and I don't trust their fairness. Unless this process is verified by a reliable external institution. I want this over before week 1.

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I can see (hope) a TV station in Green Bay, Minnesota or Chicago (likely one without an NFL TV contract so the league has no leverage) with no ax to grind doing a study on a football Sunday in December and showing how the PSI decreases in cold weather...
Then it will be interesting to see how the league reacts when they can't bury it. Hopefully other stations repeat it and it becomes, "the emperor has no clothes"......

GaryfromTO said:

I know it's the NFLPA and they only care about Brady, but this is what I'd love to hear Tom say to the NFL.

The only settlement I'll agree to is
NO games
No fine
Restore the Pats draft pick
rescind all team fines.
and
A public retraction that there was simply no evidence that the balls were tampered with in any way and the NFL made a serious error in judgment in pursuing this matter.

In return, I save you from the total embarrassment you will endure in court, Roger.

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I wouldn't be surprised if that was their going-in negotiating stance.

My hope is that both sides can find a way to "No Games," a Fine for what everyone knows is a ******** "non-cooperation" penalty over his cell phone and the NFL's acknowledgment that they have put the new procedures for handling game balls in place because they don't have the evidence to prove that an offense ever occurred (the "Sally Jenkins Solution").

I think it's a game of chicken.

Brady's threat is that he has nothing to lose by going to court.

The NFL's threat is that Brady has to risk getting a judge who won't hear the case because it's a matter of a disputed Arbitration outcome.

Each has to decide what they are willing to take as an acceptable outcome to avoid an unwanted result.

This is like a dukes of hazzard episode. Boss frames the Dukes, Dukes are punished and have to prove boss was under the whole scam. Once they can out that boss bargains and gives back all he took at the espense of not gettin exposed. My guess is goodell will remove all that's taken before a lawsuit, or go to the lawsuit and make some of his minions take the downfall, maybe even wells.

Patsfanin Philly said:

I can see (hope) a TV station in Green Bay, Minnesota or Chicago (likely one without an NFL TV contract so the league has no leverage) with no ax to grind doing a study on a football Sunday in December and showing how the PSI decreases in cold weather...
Then it will be interesting to see how the league reacts when they can't bury it. Hopefully other stations repeat it and it becomes, "the emperor has no clothes"......

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What stopped them from doing that in January and February?

Froob said:

Brady shouldn't settle for the suspension, demand the picks too once they agree to zero games.

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Why should Brady fight Kraft's battle, when he gave up without a fight?

Archeryaddict12 said:

This is like a dukes of hazzard episode. Boss frames the Dukes, Dukes are punished and have to prove boss was under the whole scam. Once they can out that boss bargains and gives back all he took at the espense of not gettin exposed. My guess is goodell will remove all that's taken before a lawsuit, or go to the lawsuit and make some of his minions take the downfall, maybe even wells.

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Goodell will be the only one who takes the fall.

Goodell's "minions" know where Goodell's skeletons are buried, so he can't make them take the fall.

Goodell can't make Wells take the fall because he's the idiot who paid Wells the $5 million.

The only "out" for Goodell is the Sally Jenkins Solution: the NFL's procedures don't allow us to determine that a crime was even committed. He then shovels out some ******** like "Wells was operating with his hands tied behind his back because of that but he's a really swell guy who did the goldarn best he could under the circumstances."

Sayonara Roger...maybe not next week, but before your Contract is up.

Is this "negotiation" even allowed in the CBA?

one more term the NFLPA should demand...
Roger Goodell must step to the podium and state...

"I am generally aware, that it is more probable than not, that the footballs at the AFC final in Foxborough lost marginal psi due to the laws of mother nature; and I am generally aware, that it is more probable than not, that the entire Wells report is a crock of ****".

Ross12 said:

Is this "negotiation" even allowed in the CBA?

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At a minimum, it kinda flies in the face of the idea that Goodell is an impartial arbiter who is ruling based on the evidence. All of the developments of the past few days can only help Brady if this does go to court.