Goodell's letter response to the NFLPA...6/2/2015

[1960Pats]

Yeah, it's taken him multiple years to get back his investments in a racetrack and a stadium that seamed frivolous, but I'm sure he uncharacteristically showed his hand and rolled over this time.

He bought the team 20 years ago for roughly 150 million. His worth now is at around 4.5 billion. How many years do you think it took him to recover that 150 million or any of the other money he spent? Or should I say how many months?

Does any of that really matter though? The guy just let us know that he stands with the other owners, not with us, the Pats fans. I'd say that the folks doing rollovers are the Pats fans that still support him.

I will agree that it would be great if his capitulation was part of some plan, but I don't believe that it is. And that doesn't mean that if Brady's suspension gets reduced it had anything to do with Kraft.

 

[RobertWeathers]

He bought the team 20 years ago for roughly 150 million. His worth now is at around 4.5 billion. How many years do you think it took him to recover that 150 million or any of the other money he spent? Or should I say how many months?

Does any of that really matter though? The guy just let us know that he stands with the other owners, not with us, the Pats fans. I'd say that the folks doing rollovers are the Pats fans that still support him.

I will agree that it would be great if his capitulation was part of some plan, but I don't believe that it is. And that doesn't mean that if Brady's suspension gets reduced it had anything to do with Kraft.

The only things Kraft has done to help TB12 is authorize the Wellsreportcontext doc and offer empty rhetoric in support of TB12.

Every other action/inaction of Kraft's has been to best serve and protect his business interests and relationships with the other owners and Goody.

 

[1960Pats]

The only things Kraft has done to help TB12 is authorize the Wellsreportcontext doc and offer empty rhetoric in support of TB12.

Every other action/inaction of Kraft's has been to best serve and protect his business interests and relationships with the other owners and Goody.

Sad but true.

 

[RayClay]

No one here knows what Kraft has done, tried to do, or intends to do, but rave on.

As much as you all might like him to spit in Goodell's eye and secede from the league, he is in actuality one of the owners, not a player, not a union leader etc.

Not sure what the owner of the St. Louis patriots would be like, but i doubt we would be four time super bowl champions.

By the way, he paid a then record 172 million for the team after buying a racetrack, an obsolete stadium and financing his own 325 million dollar facility. Some of you deserve to root foe an Art Modell, Jim Irsay, or Victor Kiam team. Even in a blind rage, your arguments are juvenile.

 

[RayClay]

What he's done otherwise to help Brady is get out of the way with his futile appeal and let Brady, and the players union, go at him.

Whether he did it to help Brady is beside the point. It will help him and tying things up with as pointless appeal would have hurt Brady's case.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

The funny thing is, the loss of the 1st and 4th round picks will save Kraft more than enough money to cover the million dollar fine. For him that choice is a no brainer.

They've still got to fill a roster, and I'd bet that they'll not be dramatically more under the cap than usual. It will take an extra free agent or two, and that may be a wash.

 

[JoeSixPat]

The number of people who think Joker is delusional about the Rats' anti-Pats influence in the NFL* should be cratering.

The evidence of an anti-Pats NFL* conspiracy is becoming clear. This absolutely MUST go to court for the discovery.

This could keep the media busy for weeks as this untangles.

To put it another way, once the "best recollection" of the official was that there was no abnormal ball deflation among the Patriots balls, what was or wasn't on Brady's phone became irrelevant - no tampering occurred

Once Goodell and Wells decided they would conveniently ignore that, then what's on Goodell and Well's phone becomes relevant

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

What he's done otherwise to help Brady is get out of the way with his futile appeal and let Brady, and the players union, go at him.
.

In an legal proceeding, you want to get the other party locked into their "story" so the can't change it or get them to say something on the record that could be used against them..What's to say that if Kraft appealed ( as was his right) Goodell or one of his minions might have said something or testified to something that could have helped Brady by contradicting the league's premise??? That's how you help your HOF QB......

 

[RayClay]

He bought the team 20 years ago for roughly 150 million. His worth now is at around 4.5 billion. How many years do you think it took him to recover that 150 million or any of the other money he spent? Or should I say how many months?

Does any of that really matter though? The guy just let us know that he stands with the other owners, not with us, the Pats fans. I'd say that the folks doing rollovers are the Pats fans that still support him.

I will agree that it would be great if his capitulation was part of some plan, but I don't believe that it is. And that doesn't mean that if Brady's suspension gets reduced it had anything to do with Kraft.

I don't think it was a plan at all. He told the league they should apologize when they appeared to be trying to justify nonsense allegations.

I think he was truly shocked by the punishment, as we all were and he had some strong words and published the rebuttal to welles report.

After that, I think he calmed down enough to consult with advisors and lawyers about what he could do, and they told him nothing. Nothing he couldn't do at the owners meeting by telling Goodell he should reduce the penalty. the reason is, the appeal would be exactly the same.

"Here's the rebuttal to the report, there is no evidence of anything, you have no choice but to reduce the penalty."

At that point, Goodell, hearing the appeal of his own case based on no evidence would say...
No.

Appeal over.

 

[RayClay]

In an legal proceeding, you want to get the other party locked into their "story" so the can't change it or get them to say something on the record that could be used against them..What's to say that if Kraft appealed ( as was his right) Goodell or one of his minions might have said something or testified to something that could have helped Brady by contradicting the league's premise??? That's how you help your HOF QB......

It isn't a legal proceeding. You couldn't be the prosecutor and the judge in a legal proceeding.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

It isn't a legal proceeding. You couldn't be the prosecutor and the judge in a legal proceeding.

No, but Brady's case will be .(when it ends up in court)....... and why not accumulate all the ammunition you can against the league?

 

[RayClay]

No, but Brady's case will be .(when it ends up in court)....... and why not accumulate all the ammunition you can against the league?

Because all you would accumulate is a loss. Brady and the Union have a case for Brady losing the right to work, all players in that situation and multiple avenues for lawsuits including brady and other union issues.

The owners have agreed to abide by any decisions of goodell and are not an opposition union, in fact they hired him and if they are mostly united against him, can fire him, which is a real good reason not to make a loud, futile appeal.

Actually, since neither Brady, nor the union can fire him, that makes it even better to keep that avenue open if, as i suspect, goodell is heavily damaged by Brady.

 

[fnordcircle]

If you want to be angry at Kraft for something be angry at the last 10 years or whatever of backing Goodell, that's where he ****ed up.

I'm not a fan of Pyrrhic victories and, given what I understand about Kraft's options, I think that was likely the best case scenario for him.

As for me this whole thing has made me question **** I've said and thought about Ben Roethlisberger's sexual assault, Ray Lewis' murder crap, the New Orleans bounty ****, the bullying in Miami, etc. I assumed what was being said was true because, first and foremost, as a fan I wanted it to be. Seeing how we got royally screwed and likely did not even break a ****ing rule (at least in the case of spygate we did break a rule even if it was only camera placement) and seeing how people jump on that because it is expedient to their football biases I've decided I don't want to be like that. So I'm not gonna assume any of that other **** that has gone down at the hands of Goodell and the league is just simply because I enjoy the idea of the Dolphins being a disgrace or whatever.

This has been such a miscarriage of justice and disgraceful staining of Brady's legacy to simply buy the league some good will from the unwashed masses who only hate the Patriots more than Goodell. I feel bad thinking that I was one of those idiots jumping to the conclusion I wanted to be true in other instances.

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

What he's done otherwise to help Brady is get out of the way with his futile appeal and let Brady, and the players union, go at him.

Whether he did it to help Brady is beside the point. It will help him and tying things up with as pointless appeal would have hurt Brady's case.

How?

 

[RayClay]

How?

Because the excellent case brady and the union have will get all the media attention, as goodell is likely to be forced to back up his contradictions and could possibly be made to testify, in court, if not at the appeal.

Players against management, as it should be, and the only group with power to do anything against goodell.

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

Because the excellent case brady and the union have will get all the media attention, as goodell is likely to be forced to back up his contradictions and could possibly be made to testify, in court, if not at the appeal.

Players against management, as it should be, and the only group with power to do anything against goodell.

It seems like you're deliberately avoiding the question. Let me rephrase. How would Bob's appeal hurt Brady's?

 

[The Gr8est]

If you want to be angry at Kraft for something be angry at the last 10 years or whatever of backing Goodell, that's where he ****ed up.

I'm not a fan of Pyrrhic victories and, given what I understand about Kraft's options, I think that was likely the best case scenario for him.

As for me this whole thing has made me question **** I've said and thought about Ben Roethlisberger's sexual assault, Ray Lewis' murder crap, the New Orleans bounty ****, the bullying in Miami, etc. I assumed what was being said was true because, first and foremost, as a fan I wanted it to be. Seeing how we got royally screwed and likely did not even break a ****ing rule (at least in the case of spygate we did break a rule even if it was only camera placement) and seeing how people jump on that because it is expedient to their football biases I've decided I don't want to be like that. So I'm not gonna assume any of that other **** that has gone down at the hands of Goodell and the league is just simply because I enjoy the idea of the Dolphins being a disgrace or whatever.

This has been such a miscarriage of justice and disgraceful staining of Brady's legacy to simply buy the league some good will from the unwashed masses who only hate the Patriots more than Goodell. I feel bad thinking that I was one of those idiots jumping to the conclusion I wanted to be true in other instances.

With what we've experienced through Deflategate, and how it has forced us to look at previous events from a different viewpoint, I fear my concept of what the NFL* has become is really ruining my ability to enjoy it going forward.

I was watching some the Ravens and Colts game highlights today and something just feels wrong with it. I should be able to watch it and relive the joy I felt but I couldn't feel it, at least today.

Damn Goodell and the jealous bastards who can't accept the Pats excellence!

If Brady fails to take the NFL* to court and get their agenda exposed for all to see I may be done with the NFL* whether I want to be or not.

 

[RayClay]

It seems like you're deliberately avoiding the question. Let me rephrase. How would Bob's appeal hurt Brady's?

I told you. Instead of the news focusing on the union's successful appeal they would focus on the hopeless Kraft appeal, ultimately giving a PR victory to Goodell among the stupid fans that don't realize there's really no appeal for an owner except to beg.

Kraft is management and the successful appeal will come from the players. Another reason to stay out of it.

 

[fnordcircle]

With what we've experienced through Deflategate, and how it has forced us to look at previous events from a different viewpoint, I fear my concept of what the NFL* has become is really ruining my ability to enjoy it going forward.

I was watching some the Ravens and Colts game highlights today and something just feels wrong with it. I should be able to watch it and relive the joy I felt but I couldn't feel it, at least today.

Damn Goodell and the jealous bastards who can't accept the Pats excellence!

If Brady fails to take the NFL* to court and get their agenda exposed for all to see I may be done with the NFL* whether I want to be or not.

I dunno, hanging out on so many rival team and general NFL forums I've just learned to compartmentalize. Living where I do now (Raider country) every time I wear my jersey out I get **** from idiots who think that because I root for a team that they consider scum I too must be scum and they're entitled to give me **** about it. The sheer lack of perspective that we're talking about ****ing spectator sports has been lost on people who only hate Brady because he's an amazing football player but would be overjoyed if he went to prison or something. It's just really stupid.

So I just shut it out. I don't bother defending the team and I'm not sure why anyone does at this point, especially given that minds will never been changed. Most of the time I embrace it and accept the roll of the 'villain' with these people and it um, deflates their attempts to rile me up.

They can never take away what happens on the field from me and that's all that matters in a goddamn spectator sport. Nothing will make Vinatieri miss against the Rams and the Panthers. Nothing will make Rodney or Malcolm drop their game-sealing interceptions.

 

[RayClay]

We don't need to defend the team. they're the best team in the game despite whatever roadblocks the misguided fuhrer tries to throw in front of us.