Patriots fan files consumer complaint against the NFL

betterthanthealternative said:

Why is that? If I'm buying a service from the NFL and Kraft, and it has certain specifications, and they change those specifications in a manner that reduces the value of the service to me, why would Kraft's actions change that?

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Simple. That's not a legal argument. Cite a case. Opinion doesn't win a court of law.

FirstAndGoal said:

Will be thrown out before the judge gets to the end of the document. The second Kraft accepted "the NFL's ruling", it ended there... this is as silly and pointless as fans suing to keep the Patriots out of the Super Bowl. Sad, but true.

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No, actually. That was sillier. No formal charge had been issued at that point, it was still in the accusation/investigation phase. You don't shut a business down for an allegation of fraudulent practices without a formal charge being issued.

Big Bucks said:

TBH I could see an angle where he adds Kraft to that and the other 31 owners, not just the NFL.

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Technically it should be v. Kraft as it is his business in which he is accusing of devaluing his service rendered by reducing the quality of play( #1 pick). Why Bob is doing it is immaterial. The challenge is that the grounds for the case are based on pure conjecture as we have no idea how the Pats will perform on the field in 2016 w/o a #1 pick.

robertweathers said:

Taking away a #1 pick is about as severe of a penalty for this team as it can get since in 13 year's worth BB has missed on maybe 2 or 3.

After watching that pathetic excuse for a press conference I want him to go down hard.


Bob is better than this. Laying down to tyranny is very Un-Patriotic.

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A year without Bill Belichick having an opportunity to trade back in the draft is no draft I want a part of.

FirstAndGoal said:

Will be thrown out before the judge gets to the end of the document. The second Kraft accepted "the NFL's ruling", it ended there... this is as silly and pointless as fans suing to keep the Patriots out of the Super Bowl. Sad, but true.

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It's an uphill battle but it's not pointless. This fan is better off suing the league than Kraft is, he'd basically be suing himself.

FirstAndGoal said:

Simple. That's not a legal argument. Cite a case. Opinion doesn't win a court of law.

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There's never been a case where contracted services weren't delivered as expected?

“You just need to be a flea against injustice. Enough committed fleas biting strategically can make even the biggest dog uncomfortable and transform even the biggest nation.”
― Marian Wright Edelman

memento said:

It's an uphill battle but it's not pointless. This fan is better off suing the league than Kraft is, he'd basically be suing himself.

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If that's what gets sent to a judge, then yeah, it's pointless. No judge is going to spend a second on that. It's only uphill if you make enough of an argument to warrant a legal discussion. The climb will be short.

That may be unpopular on the board but come back to this thread why the judge reads it and tell me I'm wrong.

Well, let him know your behind him twitter freaks:

jimderochea‏@jimderochea
jimderochea Retweeted Michael McCann

The first stone has been cast!


Edit: I don't have a twitter account (divorce lawyer advised me it was a bad idea) but if he's not already a member he would probably appreciate the link to this thread.

betterthanthealternative said:

There's never been a case where contracted services weren't delivered as expected?

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Many.

betterthanthealternative said:

There's never been a case where contracted services weren't delivered as expected?

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Ever hire a contractor?

Kraft would become the Al Davis of the league if he fought for getting the draft picks back. I don't see it happening.

FirstAndGoal said:

If that's what gets sent to a judge, then yeah, it's pointless. No judge is going to spend a second on that. It's only uphill if you make enough of an argument to warrant a legal discussion. The climb will be short.

That may be unpopular on the board but come back to this thread why the judge reads it and tell me I'm wrong.

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I appreciate all the wannabe (or actual) attorneys on this board (I'm a wannabe at times). It's a definite strength when it comes to understanding the landscape we face. But I'd suggest that it's not about winning a case in a courtroom, it's about winning a case in the court of public opinion.....which can be a very powerful venue itself. Let's play in the same "court" that Roger plays in, simply to make his life miserable....and not necessarily to achieve some "ruling". I realize the naysayers will reply: "but no other fan bases will join us in this court of public opinion." But I'd counter with the fan bases of St Louis, San Diego, and Oakland (as a start). And then I'd point out that some other fan base could be the next to get thrown under the bus, if necessary to offset Roger's ineptitude.

Turnabout is fair play....

I still don't feel like the loss of a 1st round pick is much of a problem. They can use the money that they would have spent on a 1st rounder on a proven FA instead.

betterthanthealternative said:

Why is that? If I'm buying a service from the NFL and Kraft, and it has certain specifications, and they change those specifications in a manner that reduces the value of the service to me, why would Kraft's actions change the validity of the harm done to me?

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The court would almost certainly find these damages "speculative."

1960Pats said:

I still don't feel like the loss of a 1st round pick is much of a problem. They can use the money that they would have spent on a 1st rounder on a proven FA instead.

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A free agent will cost more than a Malcom Brown for instance but that's not the point, the point is Roger and the NFL screwed the Pats because they can.

Unless this guy is an attorney who knows what he's doing, does not need representation (can represent himself at the court of law), and can afford to devout out of his own time for this matter, I don't see this going anywhere. The only way this gets anywhere, is if this guy has the financial means (if requires representation), and the time to go through this, since it will most likely get thrown out, and the only way would be to appeal this to federal court, and the supreme court followed that.

I just can't see anyone taking the time and money to deal with this on his own, but I most certainly solute the initiative!

cmasspatsfan said:

A free agent will cost more than a Malcom Brown for instance but that's not the point, the point is Roger and the NFL screwed the Pats because they can.

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Yes, I agree that they screwed the Pats. I just don't agree that it's that much of a problem. If the Pats had a pick in the top ten then I'd be more concerned. Plus, I won't be an NFL fan for much longer anyway, so anyone drafted now doesn't interest me.

1960Pats said:

I still don't feel like the loss of a 1st round pick is much of a problem. They can use the money that they would have spent on a 1st rounder on a proven FA instead.

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The issue is not finding a player for next year that will help the team at a level which is similar to a player drafted #31. Its the economic impact involved moving forward. For example, look at Brown's contract.

Malcom Brown Contract Details, Salary Cap Charges, Bonus Money | Over The Cap

He'll most likely be a core player in the D in 2016 and 2017 and out-perform his deal. He also might take a team-favorable deal to stay during his prime years for later this decade.

The way to be successful in the NFL is to A) draft well and B) have as many players as possible outperform their deals. Thats how you stay ahead. Losing your draft picks hurts the businesses' ability to grow.

The sad reality we have to face is that the only person that was in a position to stand up to Goodell's pilfering of our picks was Kraft and he blew it.

Sadly, in an organization that preaches "do your job," it was the owner that failed to perform his primary duty and responsibility; namely, protect the franchise. He failed by endorsing the hiring and continued retention of Goodell even after it was crystal clear that Goodell was incompetent, bias, and a liar as well.

Kraft's "hands off" attitude served us well when it came to letting Belichick run the team. Unfortunately, this same attitude allowed an idiot commissioner to essentially ruin the game . . .

If the Pats wanted to play hardball they would have picked a cold day during a prime time broadcast from Gillette and had Lloyds of London or Christie's or some reliable institution measure and certify ball pressure changes for them in full media spotlight