I haven't watched espn forever but out of curiosity turned on nfl insiders for a few minutes and it was almost like Mort tried to get a little something good in about Brady, saying how he read everything and how Brady has good case....but that was it, none of the others commented on it just switched subject. Do you think Mort is feeling bad but being told to keep his mouth shut or just that he's simply feeling the heat?
Mort is the stooge here. He was played, and he knows it - but he probably gets paid a lot of money and he'll never get that anywhere if he "comes clean."
What we are seeing is corporate power (read: money) at work. The NFL is ESPN's lifeblood. They cannot charge the cable companies the money they do (it's outrageous) without the NFL. And the Pats are the perfect foil: Everyone hates us.
Keep spinning the lie is the directive ESPN dutifully carried out. People are predisposed to believe anything negative about our team. The NFL calculated, correctly as it turns out, that public opinion and even other teams would buy their story.
And it worked. Those standing up for NE are a distinct minority. Once that story broke the night of the AFCCG we arrived at the inevitable conclusion with the fine, loss of draft picks and the destruction of a great QBs reputation. As others have observed, "they" probably wanted BB but failing that got the next best thing: Brady. It has not only worked, it has worked perfectly. Arguably the best franchise in sports history, with the historically best coach and an all time great QB will be forever dogged by the cheater label. Maybe that wasn't the goal, but that is the result. Roger repairs his reputation, the NFL has its villain, all is right in the NFL HQ world.
Which brings us back to Mort. He probably
is conflicted. But at the end of the day, it's money that talks and walks the dog. Unless and until someone breaks ranks ... let's just say, if history is kind, it will vindicate the franchise.
