I don't know if there is a better thread for this, but here is Goodell's opinion on the Vikings tampering with footballs and only getting a warning (from page 15 of
the report):
"The conduct at issue here is also very different from the ball-warming incident in Minnesota last year, in which a Carolina Panthers ball attendant was observed warming a ball on the Vikings sideline; there was no evidence of any intentional attempt to violate or circumvent the rules, no player involvement, and no effort to conceal the ball attendant's conduct. As Mr. Vincent testified, the ball never got into the game and the matter "was addressed immediately.' "
Somehow, it's better that it was all caught on camera. That makes it okay in Goodell-World. Isn't tampering with a football circumventing the rules, regardless of motivation? If I don't realize I'm speeding or I pick up an item at a store and get distracted and walk out with it, I'm still getting in trouble, even though I was doing it "intentionally."
I can also think of an incident where a team employee was on the sideline, out in the open, violating an NFL rule, and that resulted in a significant penalty, even though the product of those actions "never got into the game."
