Peyton Manning "cleared" by NFL in HGH Scandal...

[ivanvamp]

To review....

Tom Brady is accused of spearheading an illegal (according to NFL rules, not according to U.S. law) scheme to take air pressure out of footballs to ensure that he has a competitive advantage, thus threatening the integrity of the game. The evidence against Brady is:

* Footballs the Patriots used in the AFCCG were below the 12.5 limit when tested at halftime.
* Cameras caught McNally going into the bathroom for 90 seconds before bringing the balls out to the field before the game.
* After digging into the texts and emails of Jastremski, Brady, and McNally, they discover that Brady was upset when footballs were pumped up higher than the limit (e.g., the 16 psi Jets' game), that Brady likes his footballs at 12.5 psi, and that one of the ball guys, 9 months before the AFCCG, used the term "deflator" in reference to himself - the context of which we have no idea.
* The Patriots refused to allow McNally/Jastremski to be interviewed a fifth or sixth (I can't remember) time.
* Brady refused to hand over his cell phone.

The evidence for Brady is:

* The Ideal Gas Law completely accounts for the loss of air pressure in the AFCCG, and in any other cold weather game, as scientists across the country - and hundreds of people doing this experiment for themselves at home and posting it on Youtube - demonstrated.
* There has never been any evidence whatsoever - nothing - that Brady has ever been involved in any rule breaking in his entire career - on any issue.
* There is no direct evidence that anyone on the Patriots - never mind Tom Brady - had any scheme to tamper with footballs illegally.
* After the first half of the AFCCG, Tom Brady went on to perform at incredibly high levels, both home and away, thus rendering the "it gave him an advantage" claim totally moot.
* The NFL lied on multiple occasions and leaked damaging information against the Patriots, all in an effort to control the narrative.
* Despite claims that they would do rigorous psi research in the 2016 season, when the season was over the NFL declared that they only did "spot checks" and will not release the psi information.

Now this "crime" of Brady's, according to the NFL, is compared to a player taking PEDs. The penalty for such a crime: four game suspension and potential loss of millions of dollars (saved because the Patriots redid his deal to lessen the blow), plus the million dollar fine for New England and the loss of a first and fourth round draft picks.


Peyton Manning is accused of taking HGH. The evidence against Manning is:

* HGH is actually shipped to his home.
* The company Manning is dealing with is shady, and has illegally supplied other athletes with HGH.
* An employee (Sly) is caught ON TAPE talking about shipping HGH to Manning's house.
* Manning or his lawyers hire people to rifle through records and go have a conversation with Sly.
* The next day Sly "recants". Hmmmmmmm....
* Manning's shipments of HGH came right at the time when he was recovering from possible career-ending neck injuries.
* In contrast to Brady, whose best numbers came immediately following the NFL crackdown on footballs (meaning he HAD to be using regulation footballs), Manning's best performance came immediately following his stupendous recovery from the neck injuries.

The evidence for Manning is:

* He claimed it was for his wife, and that nobody had the right to know why.
* Sly "recanted". (but we all know what led up to that recanting)

And after a "thorough" investigation, Manning is cleared. Brady is suspended four games. For doing something the league equates to PED use. While Manning, who actually had PEDs shipped to his house during the time he was miraculously recovering from massive injuries, which promptly led to him having the greatest season in NFL history, is totally cleared. Meanwhile the other guys in that same story are still under investigation.

I mean.... My goodness.

 

[The Gr8est]

To review....

Tom Brady is accused of spearheading an illegal (according to NFL rules, not according to U.S. law) scheme to take air pressure out of footballs to ensure that he has a competitive advantage, thus threatening the integrity of the game. The evidence against Brady is:

* Footballs the Patriots used in the AFCCG were below the 12.5 limit when tested at halftime.
* Cameras caught McNally going into the bathroom for 90 seconds before bringing the balls out to the field before the game.
* After digging into the texts and emails of Jastremski, Brady, and McNally, they discover that Brady was upset when footballs were pumped up higher than the limit (e.g., the 16 psi Jets' game), that Brady likes his footballs at 12.5 psi, and that one of the ball guys, 9 months before the AFCCG, used the term "deflator" in reference to himself - the context of which we have no idea.
* The Patriots refused to allow McNally/Jastremski to be interviewed a fifth or sixth (I can't remember) time.
* Brady refused to hand over his cell phone.

The evidence for Brady is:

* The Ideal Gas Law completely accounts for the loss of air pressure in the AFCCG, and in any other cold weather game, as scientists across the country - and hundreds of people doing this experiment for themselves at home and posting it on Youtube - demonstrated.
* There has never been any evidence whatsoever - nothing - that Brady has ever been involved in any rule breaking in his entire career - on any issue.
* There is no direct evidence that anyone on the Patriots - never mind Tom Brady - had any scheme to tamper with footballs illegally.
* After the first half of the AFCCG, Tom Brady went on to perform at incredibly high levels, both home and away, thus rendering the "it gave him an advantage" claim totally moot.
* The NFL lied on multiple occasions and leaked damaging information against the Patriots, all in an effort to control the narrative.
* Despite claims that they would do rigorous psi research in the 2016 season, when the season was over the NFL declared that they only did "spot checks" and will not release the psi information.

Now this "crime" of Brady's, according to the NFL, is compared to a player taking PEDs. The penalty for such a crime: four game suspension and potential loss of millions of dollars (saved because the Patriots redid his deal to lessen the blow), plus the million dollar fine for New England and the loss of a first and fourth round draft picks.


Peyton Manning is accused of taking HGH. The evidence against Manning is:

* HGH is actually shipped to his home.
* The company Manning is dealing with is shady, and has illegally supplied other athletes with HGH.
* An employee (Sly) is caught ON TAPE talking about shipping HGH to Manning's house.
* Manning or his lawyers hire people to rifle through records and go have a conversation with Sly.
* The next day Sly "recants". Hmmmmmmm....
* Manning's shipments of HGH came right at the time when he was recovering from possible career-ending neck injuries.
* In contrast to Brady, whose best numbers came immediately following the NFL crackdown on footballs (meaning he HAD to be using regulation footballs), Manning's best performance came immediately following his stupendous recovery from the neck injuries.

The evidence for Manning is:

* He claimed it was for his wife, and that nobody had the right to know why.
* Sly "recanted". (but we all know what led up to that recanting)

And after a "thorough" investigation, Manning is cleared. Brady is suspended four games. For doing something the league equates to PED use. While Manning, who actually had PEDs shipped to his house during the time he was miraculously recovering from massive injuries, which promptly led to him having the greatest season in NFL history, is totally cleared. Meanwhile the other guys in that same story are still under investigation.

I mean.... My goodness.

It's people like you who cause unrest.

 

[The Gr8est]

Thanks, Anditsgood. I vaguely now remember hearing something about that. Aren't the Broncos historically the most fined team for cheating? The Pats are not even in the top 5 (IIRC).

But the Broncos are not "known past offenders".

To become a "known past offender" you need to be punished severely, like the Pats have been. Then, as "known past offenders", any future offenses committed by that team will be punished more severely, since they have a history of this sort of thing.

Now if you are the Rats and have Tripgate, multiple tamperings, etc., but you are not punished severely, then you are not in the category of "known past offenders", and your future transgressions will be punished lightly, given that they do not have a history of this sort of thing.

So one man acting as judge, jury, and Omissicutioner, can determine whether a team is a "known past offender", and basically harass them to his heart's content, and with support from the rest of the NFL*.

 

[PatsBoy12]

But the Broncos are not "known past offenders".

To become a "known past offender" you need to be punished severely, like the Pats have been. Then, as "known past offenders", any future offenses committed by that team will be punished more severely, since they have a history of this sort of thing.

Now if you are the Rats and have Tripgate, multiple tamperings, etc., but you are not punished severely, then you are not in the category of "known past offenders", and your future transgressions will be punished lightly, given that they do not have a history of this sort of thing.

So one man acting as judge, jury, and Omissicutioner, can determine whether a team is a "known past offender", and basically harass them to his heart's content, and with support from the rest of the NFL*.

I agree. But you know the funny thing about it is prior to "Spygate," what were the Patriots past perpetrators of? Nothing that I knew of . . . it's like their also being punished for being dominant. If they were a sorry ass team, like the Falcons who were proven to have been pumping in crowd noise (a far worse offense), then nobody would care. But you're absolutely right, Gr8est.

 

[skinnydog]

Manning wife needed HGH because they were having a private whose forehead is biggest competition.

 

[ivanvamp]

It's people like you who cause unrest.

Haha

 

[ivanvamp]

But the Broncos are not "known past offenders".

To become a "known past offender" you need to be punished severely, like the Pats have been. Then, as "known past offenders", any future offenses committed by that team will be punished more severely, since they have a history of this sort of thing.

The Broncos were punished severely for their salary cap violations of the late 90s.

The Denver Broncos Complete Cheating History - Your Team Cheats - The Definitive Guide to NFL Cheating

 

[IcyPatriot]

WTF ... anyone see the Peyton on Sunday Morning promo commercial ... barf ...

.

 

[ChessToCheckers]

To review....

Tom Brady is accused of spearheading an illegal (according to NFL rules, not according to U.S. law) scheme to take air pressure out of footballs to ensure that he has a competitive advantage, thus threatening the integrity of the game. The evidence against Brady is:

* Footballs the Patriots used in the AFCCG were below the 12.5 limit when tested at halftime.
* Cameras caught McNally going into the bathroom for 90 seconds before bringing the balls out to the field before the game.
* After digging into the texts and emails of Jastremski, Brady, and McNally, they discover that Brady was upset when footballs were pumped up higher than the limit (e.g., the 16 psi Jets' game), that Brady likes his footballs at 12.5 psi, and that one of the ball guys, 9 months before the AFCCG, used the term "deflator" in reference to himself - the context of which we have no idea.
* The Patriots refused to allow McNally/Jastremski to be interviewed a fifth or sixth (I can't remember) time.
* Brady refused to hand over his cell phone.

The evidence for Brady is:

* The Ideal Gas Law completely accounts for the loss of air pressure in the AFCCG, and in any other cold weather game, as scientists across the country - and hundreds of people doing this experiment for themselves at home and posting it on Youtube - demonstrated.
* There has never been any evidence whatsoever - nothing - that Brady has ever been involved in any rule breaking in his entire career - on any issue.
* There is no direct evidence that anyone on the Patriots - never mind Tom Brady - had any scheme to tamper with footballs illegally.
* After the first half of the AFCCG, Tom Brady went on to perform at incredibly high levels, both home and away, thus rendering the "it gave him an advantage" claim totally moot.
* The NFL lied on multiple occasions and leaked damaging information against the Patriots, all in an effort to control the narrative.
* Despite claims that they would do rigorous psi research in the 2016 season, when the season was over the NFL declared that they only did "spot checks" and will not release the psi information.

Now this "crime" of Brady's, according to the NFL, is compared to a player taking PEDs. The penalty for such a crime: four game suspension and potential loss of millions of dollars (saved because the Patriots redid his deal to lessen the blow), plus the million dollar fine for New England and the loss of a first and fourth round draft picks.


Peyton Manning is accused of taking HGH. The evidence against Manning is:

* HGH is actually shipped to his home.
* The company Manning is dealing with is shady, and has illegally supplied other athletes with HGH.
* An employee (Sly) is caught ON TAPE talking about shipping HGH to Manning's house.
* Manning or his lawyers hire people to rifle through records and go have a conversation with Sly.
* The next day Sly "recants". Hmmmmmmm....
* Manning's shipments of HGH came right at the time when he was recovering from possible career-ending neck injuries.
* In contrast to Brady, whose best numbers came immediately following the NFL crackdown on footballs (meaning he HAD to be using regulation footballs), Manning's best performance came immediately following his stupendous recovery from the neck injuries.

The evidence for Manning is:

* He claimed it was for his wife, and that nobody had the right to know why.
* Sly "recanted". (but we all know what led up to that recanting)

And after a "thorough" investigation, Manning is cleared. Brady is suspended four games. For doing something the league equates to PED use. While Manning, who actually had PEDs shipped to his house during the time he was miraculously recovering from massive injuries, which promptly led to him having the greatest season in NFL history, is totally cleared. Meanwhile the other guys in that same story are still under investigation.

I mean.... My goodness.

Great summary!

Obviously, it's not about the facts, or fairness, or justice. Even our courts have failed us.

IMO: The Patriots, over the last 16 years, have made "The 31" look incompetent. 31 of 32 regions in the nation hate the Patriots because of their excellence. Most people in the nation are happy that Tom Brady has been suspended, because they know that he is a major reason that the Pats win so much. Many people in the nation are envious of Tom because of his "great life (affluence, good looks, good health, and great marriage.)

Despite all of this, most of us on this Board fully expect that the Pats will go deep into the playoffs again this year. Hell, so does Las Vegas. Nothing would be sweeter then actually winning #5! Think of that!

I'm hoping we start by having Jimmy G light up the Cardinals in Week #1 on National TV.

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

To review....

Tom Brady is accused of spearheading an illegal (according to NFL rules, not according to U.S. law) scheme to take air pressure out of footballs to ensure that he has a competitive advantage, thus threatening the integrity of the game. The evidence against Brady is:

* Footballs the Patriots used in the AFCCG were below the 12.5 limit when tested at halftime.
* Cameras caught McNally going into the bathroom for 90 seconds before bringing the balls out to the field before the game.
* After digging into the texts and emails of Jastremski, Brady, and McNally, they discover that Brady was upset when footballs were pumped up higher than the limit (e.g., the 16 psi Jets' game), that Brady likes his footballs at 12.5 psi, and that one of the ball guys, 9 months before the AFCCG, used the term "deflator" in reference to himself - the context of which we have no idea.
* The Patriots refused to allow McNally/Jastremski to be interviewed a fifth or sixth (I can't remember) time.
* Brady refused to hand over his cell phone.

The evidence for Brady is:

* The Ideal Gas Law completely accounts for the loss of air pressure in the AFCCG, and in any other cold weather game, as scientists across the country - and hundreds of people doing this experiment for themselves at home and posting it on Youtube - demonstrated.
* There has never been any evidence whatsoever - nothing - that Brady has ever been involved in any rule breaking in his entire career - on any issue.
* There is no direct evidence that anyone on the Patriots - never mind Tom Brady - had any scheme to tamper with footballs illegally.
* After the first half of the AFCCG, Tom Brady went on to perform at incredibly high levels, both home and away, thus rendering the "it gave him an advantage" claim totally moot.
* The NFL lied on multiple occasions and leaked damaging information against the Patriots, all in an effort to control the narrative.
* Despite claims that they would do rigorous psi research in the 2016 season, when the season was over the NFL declared that they only did "spot checks" and will not release the psi information.

Now this "crime" of Brady's, according to the NFL, is compared to a player taking PEDs. The penalty for such a crime: four game suspension and potential loss of millions of dollars (saved because the Patriots redid his deal to lessen the blow), plus the million dollar fine for New England and the loss of a first and fourth round draft picks.


Peyton Manning is accused of taking HGH. The evidence against Manning is:

* HGH is actually shipped to his home.
* The company Manning is dealing with is shady, and has illegally supplied other athletes with HGH.
* An employee (Sly) is caught ON TAPE talking about shipping HGH to Manning's house.
* Manning or his lawyers hire people to rifle through records and go have a conversation with Sly.
* The next day Sly "recants". Hmmmmmmm....
* Manning's shipments of HGH came right at the time when he was recovering from possible career-ending neck injuries.
* In contrast to Brady, whose best numbers came immediately following the NFL crackdown on footballs (meaning he HAD to be using regulation footballs), Manning's best performance came immediately following his stupendous recovery from the neck injuries.

The evidence for Manning is:

* He claimed it was for his wife, and that nobody had the right to know why.
* Sly "recanted". (but we all know what led up to that recanting)

And after a "thorough" investigation, Manning is cleared. Brady is suspended four games. For doing something the league equates to PED use. While Manning, who actually had PEDs shipped to his house during the time he was miraculously recovering from massive injuries, which promptly led to him having the greatest season in NFL history, is totally cleared. Meanwhile the other guys in that same story are still under investigation.

I mean.... My goodness.

Didn't Manning have a career year the season of/following said HGH being shipped to his house?

 

[RobertWeathers]

Didn't Manning have a career year the season of/following said HGH being shipped to his house?

He received the shipments during the 2011 season while he was on IR. In 2012 he signed with Denver. His career year was 2013 which was the 55 TD season but his 2012 season was also dominant thanks to the HGH.

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

The Broncos were punished severely for their salary cap violations of the late 90s.

The Denver Broncos Complete Cheating History - Your Team Cheats - The Definitive Guide to NFL Cheating

It's a shame for them that Rog wasn't in power then because he would've found his way to issue a 100 k fine for that and then launch a 15M investigation as to whether or not Bob and Brady split the bill on a meal where Brady ordered more. After the investigation came to the conclusion that it was more likely than not despite most of the direct evidence indicating that each paid their portion Rog would suspend Brady indefinitely, fine the Patriots 50M and 12 first rounders, and lower their cap by 20 M for four years.

 

[The Gr8est]

The Broncos were punished severely for their salary cap violations of the late 90s.

The Denver Broncos Complete Cheating History - Your Team Cheats - The Definitive Guide to NFL Cheating

That is all true, but it was before Goodell's reign of error, and no team had ever had as high as a 2nd round pick confiscated for disciplinary reasons, let alone a 1st.

So many people were pointing out how the severity of the punishment was a true indicator of the severity of the crime, and that might be true in the absence of one man being judge, jury, and Omissicutioner, as well as having strong ties to a team that can't get past the Pats without help, and usually not even then.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

The Broncos were punished severely for their salary cap violations of the late 90s.

The Denver Broncos Complete Cheating History - Your Team Cheats - The Definitive Guide to NFL Cheating

Clarifications:

Broncos are real past offenders

what does one consider "severely" to mean: less than $2m in fines, no 1st- or 2nd-rounders...

ZERO league/BSPN propaganda, therefore nobody knows or cares about what gave them a clear competitive advantage


Reminders:

Patriots never cheated. '07 taping did not violate any rule. Never tampered with balls.

 

[Patriot Missile]

So how much did the NFL spend on the Manning investigation? 50 cents for the phone call.

Did you do it?
No.
Good enough, we'll pretend we did some investigative work and announce something in a few months. No need to bring Wells in on this one.

I mean it was for your wife right?
Yes.
Didn't know she was dealing with anti aging/injury right around the time you had one of the most serious nfl surgeries of the last 10 years. Hope she is ok.

Click. Crock of poop.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

To review....

Tom Brady is accused of spearheading an illegal (according to NFL rules, not according to U.S. law) scheme to take air pressure out of footballs to ensure that he has a competitive advantage, thus threatening the integrity of the game. The evidence against Brady is:

* Footballs the Patriots used in the AFCCG were below the 12.5 limit when tested at halftime.
* Cameras caught McNally going into the bathroom for 90 seconds before bringing the balls out to the field before the game.
* After digging into the texts and emails of Jastremski, Brady, and McNally, they discover that Brady was upset when footballs were pumped up higher than the limit (e.g., the 16 psi Jets' game), that Brady likes his footballs at 12.5 psi, and that one of the ball guys, 9 months before the AFCCG, used the term "deflator" in reference to himself - the context of which we have no idea.
* The Patriots refused to allow McNally/Jastremski to be interviewed a fifth or sixth (I can't remember) time.
* Brady refused to hand over his cell phone.

The evidence for Brady is:

* The Ideal Gas Law completely accounts for the loss of air pressure in the AFCCG, and in any other cold weather game, as scientists across the country - and hundreds of people doing this experiment for themselves at home and posting it on Youtube - demonstrated.
* There has never been any evidence whatsoever - nothing - that Brady has ever been involved in any rule breaking in his entire career - on any issue.
* There is no direct evidence that anyone on the Patriots - never mind Tom Brady - had any scheme to tamper with footballs illegally.
* After the first half of the AFCCG, Tom Brady went on to perform at incredibly high levels, both home and away, thus rendering the "it gave him an advantage" claim totally moot.
* The NFL lied on multiple occasions and leaked damaging information against the Patriots, all in an effort to control the narrative.
* Despite claims that they would do rigorous psi research in the 2016 season, when the season was over the NFL declared that they only did "spot checks" and will not release the psi information.

Now this "crime" of Brady's, according to the NFL, is compared to a player taking PEDs. The penalty for such a crime: four game suspension and potential loss of millions of dollars (saved because the Patriots redid his deal to lessen the blow), plus the million dollar fine for New England and the loss of a first and fourth round draft picks.


Peyton Manning is accused of taking HGH. The evidence against Manning is:

* HGH is actually shipped to his home.
* The company Manning is dealing with is shady, and has illegally supplied other athletes with HGH.
* An employee (Sly) is caught ON TAPE talking about shipping HGH to Manning's house.
* Manning or his lawyers hire people to rifle through records and go have a conversation with Sly.
* The next day Sly "recants". Hmmmmmmm....
* Manning's shipments of HGH came right at the time when he was recovering from possible career-ending neck injuries.
* In contrast to Brady, whose best numbers came immediately following the NFL crackdown on footballs (meaning he HAD to be using regulation footballs), Manning's best performance came immediately following his stupendous recovery from the neck injuries.

The evidence for Manning is:

* He claimed it was for his wife, and that nobody had the right to know why.
* Sly "recanted". (but we all know what led up to that recanting)

And after a "thorough" investigation, Manning is cleared. Brady is suspended four games. For doing something the league equates to PED use. While Manning, who actually had PEDs shipped to his house during the time he was miraculously recovering from massive injuries, which promptly led to him having the greatest season in NFL history, is totally cleared. Meanwhile the other guys in that same story are still under investigation.

I mean.... My goodness.

Rodney copped to it right away, did the right thing. Is he respected? Only by himself, and those of us who are objective and have a moral compass, and we seem to be going quickly extinct.

 

[Koma]

This makes no difference now, because we've learned that the courts will allow Goodell to do whatever he wants and the media has no interest following up on his lies.

I looked back at Goodells press conference at the SB and he was asked about the PED allegations against Manning and other players. Goodell said "When these allegations first came out, we immediately began our own investigation." But then he also said "We do not have an independent investigation going on at this point other than working with the other leagues and WADA. If we feel that that’s necessary at some point, we may do that. At this point, we don’t."

So there was a contradiction, either the league started their own investigation or they didn't. If the NFL was working with MLB and WADA, then they don't have an independent investigation, except Goodell said they started their own investigation. To a larger point, I don't recall seeing anything that MLB or WADA are done with their investigation. If the NFL is working with them, how did they clear Manning before the investigation is complete?

Also, people have questioned the "7 month investigation" that the NFL conducted. Articles from before the SB stated that the NFL would begin a full investigation after the Super Bowl was over. The SB was played on 2/7. The NFL cleared Manning at the end of July. Even if the league counted February and July as full months in the investigation, that's still short of 7 months. Unless the league began investigating earlier than February, except Goodell said there was no independent investigation.

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

This makes no difference now, because we've learned that the courts will allow Goodell to do whatever he wants and the media has no interest following up on his lies.

I looked back at Goodells press conference at the SB and he was asked about the PED allegations against Manning and other players. Goodell said "When these allegations first came out, we immediately began our own investigation." But then he also said "We do not have an independent investigation going on at this point other than working with the other leagues and WADA. If we feel that that’s necessary at some point, we may do that. At this point, we don’t."

So there was a contradiction, either the league started their own investigation or they didn't. If the NFL was working with MLB and WADA, then they don't have an independent investigation, except Goodell said they started their own investigation. To a larger point, I don't recall seeing anything that MLB or WADA are done with their investigation. If the NFL is working with them, how did they clear Manning before the investigation is complete?

Also, people have questioned the "7 month investigation" that the NFL conducted. Articles from before the SB stated that the NFL would begin a full investigation after the Super Bowl was over. The SB was played on 2/7. The NFL cleared Manning at the end of July. Even if the league counted February and July as full months in the investigation, that's still short of 7 months. Unless the league began investigating earlier than February, except Goodell said there was no independent investigation.

But NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy on Monday revealed to Pro Football Talk that Manning will be interviewed as well.

Report: NFL will interview Peyton Manning, too, in PED investigation

This article was from June 27th. Apparently 6 months into a 7 month investigation they hadn't interviewed Manning.

 

[ausbacker]

I stopped caring for Schefter's opinion/tweets/information the moment it became obvious he was the NFL's errand boy and was trading integrity for exclusives.

 

[ivanvamp]

That is all true, but it was before Goodell's reign of error, and no team had ever had as high as a 2nd round pick confiscated for disciplinary reasons, let alone a 1st.

So many people were pointing out how the severity of the punishment was a true indicator of the severity of the crime, and that might be true in the absence of one man being judge, jury, and Omissicutioner, as well as having strong ties to a team that can't get past the Pats without help, and usually not even then.

Good point. I think that now we see that it wasn't the severity of the Spygate crime that was the issue. Rather, it was the biased and capricious nature of Roger Goodell that led to that penalty for that "crime".