[Mod Edit] Robert Klemko of MMQB on Brady Appeal

[SVN]

http://mmqb.si.com/2015/06/22/nfl-charleston-shooting-byron-maxwell-eagles/6/

Here’s where I think the league will dig in its heels, potentially drawing out this mess deep into the summer and fall: Brady should have given up his cell phone correspondences. As the source acknowledged, employees of the NFL and its clubs have a basic obligation to cooperate with their employers in any investigation. As a counterpoint, Brady’s team plans to note the only other time an employee was punished for failure to cooperate and the subsequent penalty—Brett Favre was fined $50,000 for not providing full disclosure in the investigation into allegations he sent inappropriate photos and messages to former Jets employee Jenn Sterger.

My sense is that Brady’s camp believes the NFL already has all of the phone correspondence it sought from the quarterback, and a forensic investigation into Brady’s phone at this point would be redundant and unnecessary. Even if Goodell accepts that, though, Brady would still need to explain the increased correspondence between him and equipment assistant John Jastremski following the AFC Championship Game. Remember: Brady isn’t required to raise a reasonable doubt. He’s got to prove his own innocence. The American Enterprise Institute study raises significant doubts over the science of the Wells report, but it does nothing to explain a 55-minute phone conversation between an equipment manager and the quarterback days after the game in question

Seriously ? Isnt it natural for the QB to call the equipment guy and ask what happened ? Isnt that explanation believable enough ?

and then this

Brady wants full exoneration, but he runs the risk of delaying the suspension into the late fall or early winter if he pursues a lawsuit, a tougher pill to swallow than several games in September. Here’s my not-so-bold prediction: Goodell will reduce the suspension to one game and Brady will forgo any legal action in the interest of the team.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

Mediot, he's not paying attention to what Brady's saying or has said.

 

[JMC00]

Like I said in another thread mediots would rather disregard laws of science for out of context things.

Also this guy obviously forgot the NFL's track record with suspensions when taken to court. Every suspension has ended up being tossed out.

 

[SVN]

Like I said in another thread mediots would rather disregard laws of science for out of context things.

Also this guy obviously forgot the NFL's track record with suspensions when taken to court. Every suspension has ended up being tossed out.

Dont think science is debate anymore.Its flawed and even NFL wont fight it . Thats the reason the discpline will be reduced. But they will hold their feet on the text messages .

 

[Marinlik]

That text is just retarted. What's weird about calling and asking the guy that handles the balls what's going on after national media says that you cheated with the footballs? To me that just seems like the most logical thing to do, as that is the guy that should know what's going on and how it could have happened. I think it would have been weirder if Brady didn't contact the guy after every media outlet called him a cheater. Because if he didn't even bother to contact him then it could be because he knew about some kind of deflation and didn't need to ask what the hell was going on.

 

[varjao]

"Brady wants full exoneration, but he runs the risk of delaying the suspension into the late fall or early winter if he pursues a lawsuit, a tougher pill to swallow than several games in September. "

F that, once we are 12-0 give Garops some games while Brady get ready for the playoffs in Bahamas trolling on facebook everyday.

 

[hambone1818]

What this deflategate story has shown, above all else, is the logical ineptitude of most in the media, along with the laziness in their reporting.

Why would Brady talk to the equipment manager for 55 minutes after he heard about the allegations? Hmmm...maybe because he heard that 11 of 12 footballs were deflated by 2 psi and he was confused, and wanted to talk to the guy who prepares the footballs to see what the hell was going on? Brady spent an hour in front of hostile media ("Do you want to take this opportunity to say you're sorry?") talking about something that didn't happen, of course he was gonna spend time talking to Jastremski. The NFL allowed the media circus to erupt around a false report, and forced the Patriots to scramble and try to figure out what the hell was going on, but apparently that's not a big deal.

And the laziness, I mean come ON just spend a little time on wellsreportcontext.com, or read the AEI report, or one of the others. Think about the science and what it implies when the conclusion is that no deflation occurred. Think about the Mort report, think about Brady and Belichick (twice) addressing the media based on false numbers. Think about the Patriots forced to keep quiet about the true gauge measurements when they got the data in March. Think about what Exponent, a company with a history of client bias in their analyses, being hired reveals about Wells. Spend just a little time thinking critically, then think about what all this says about the NFL and Goodell, about Kensil as the likely leaker.

I want this to turn on Goodell so, so bad. He deserves it, after cameraplacementgate, after bountygate, the Ray Rice tapes, after years of inconsistent and nonsensical penalties being levied he deserves to be absolutely crushed. I just have no faith in the media to do the crushing, they were headed down that path after Rice and Peterson but they found a bigger, more hated fish to fry with this football psi 'scandal': they thought they had the hated Patriots by the short hairs, and can't see past their own biases to realize Goodell is still the incompetent boob he was six months ago.

 

[Ivan]

Mediot, he's not paying attention to what Brady's saying or has said.

I think Goodell reducing it to one game would make it a really tough decision for Brady. I doubt Goodell would do it and it clearly isn't what Brady wants but it would be hard to pass on.

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

I sure would love to hear how Brady is supposed to prove he's innocent.

 

[Zeus]

"Brady isn’t required to raise a reasonable doubt. He’s got to prove his own innocence."

What?

I would have thought that Brady has to demonstrate either (more likely than not) the balls were not tampered with or (more likely than not) he was not at least generally aware of tampering if it did in fact take place.

The foolish CBA specifies the more likely than not standard. Brady shouldn't have to prove his innocence, only that the league really didn't prove his guilt.

Having said that, who knows what Commissioner Blockhead will do? He'll once again be making up the rules as he goes along and it's an even money bet that he manages to find a way to screw things up even more than he has already.

 

[JMC00]

I think Goodell reducing it to one game would make it a really tough decision for Brady. I doubt Goodell would do it and it clearly isn't what Brady wants but it would be hard to pass on.

Why? Brady will get an injunction to play and then whatever suspension will ultimately be thrown out over various factors. Such as the only other time the NFL punished a player for not handing over his phone in an investigation was Brett Favre who was fined $50k and then there is how Troy Vincent according to the CBA doesn't have the authority to hand out the punishment.

 

[Nunchucks]

http://mmqb.si.com/2015/06/22/nfl-charleston-shooting-byron-maxwell-eagles/6/


Seriously ? Isnt it natural for the QB to call the equipment guy and ask what happened ? Isnt that explanation believable enough ?

and then this

All the mediots are saying that Brady will just accept some shortened suspension as to not interfere with the season. I really hope that is not the case.

 

[NashuaPats]

So the thinking is that when no one was watching them, Brady and Jastremski were so careful that they had zero electronic communication. But once they were suspected, they became careless. That's just brilliant reasoning. Inspector Clouseau would be proud of Ted Wells.

 

[dales804]

But how do they know Brady talked to him for 55 minutes!!!? He never gave up his phone!!!

Wait....what? You can tell who someone called and texted by looking at the other person's phone? Oh...

 

[NJPatsfan26]

Ah MMQB.

Nonsense

Wells is counting his money knowing he framed Brady and the Pats for the 5 million dollars he got.


Goodell will back him 1000% and disregard all the science that has been proven wrong.

This will go to court and the NFL will loose.

 

[voluntarysaftey]

Not only was Favre punished less -- Gostowski also refused to give up his phone and was not punished. The punishment against Brady for not giving up his phone is because guilt is presumed and thats the only thing they can 'catch' him on -- when it defies all logical sense that he could be hiding communication when they have the other parties' phones

 

[NashuaPats]

Not only was Favre punished less -- Gostowski also refused to give up his phone and was not punished. The punishment against Brady for not giving up his phone is because guilt is presumed and thats the only thing they can 'catch' him on -- when it defies all logical sense that he could be hiding communication when they have the other parties' phones

Not to mention Favre was being investigated for sending text messages with pictures of his penis to female NFL employees. His phone was the center of the investigation.

 

[Oswlek]

Ah MMQB.

Nonsense

Yup. Any time you enter a thread with MMQB on it, you know you are getting the full dumbass treatment. We really should consider an "enter at your own risk" warning for those less experienced members, though. No need to put excessive brain cells at risk.

 

[dales804]

Not to mention Favre was being investigated for sending text messages with pictures of his penis to female NFL employees. His phone was the center of the investigation.

You're missing one key detail here: he was playing for the Jets at the time.

 

[Oswlek]

Not to mention Favre was being investigated for sending text messages with pictures of his penis to female NFL employees. His phone was the center of the investigation.

Exactly. Who else is Brady texting about this? If you didn't find a single eyebrow raising communication between him and the very guys who handle the balls, why should I assume he was sending psi texts to Giselle? Or Bill? Or anyone?