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- Jul 11, 2005
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So was Woody's tampering statement. Look what that amounted to.There's no "technically" about it. It's a clear violation of the plain text of the CBA. The question is whether or not the Patriots can massage their defense so that the actions could be considered 'technically' acceptable.
But in the end, some sort of common sense has to assert itself. Butler has every right to have missed the practice, but you would think BB would have the right as a HC to keep him from other voluntary practices, since having missed one, Butler would be behind and his reps would be wasted until he caught up. Perhaps the better way would have been to let him dress, and just watch, and not waste reps on him. The results are the same, but the Pats wouldn't have "violated" the CBA.
Once again strict legality trumps common sense. The rule needs to be massaged or eliminated (like the old "blue laws"). But until that time, in order to keep "labor peace", the Pats need to be minimally penalized. Proving not all the Pats haters are in the league office. As Shakespeare would have said, "much ado about nothing"