Specter: Goodell's explanations don't pass scrutiny

[upstater1]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

Thank you upstater. I think I understand now that from a Patriot fan pov the means may have been wrong but the result wasn't. Ipso facto there should have been no punishment. Since they were "stealing" signals, a time honored craft in football and other sports, and not gaining any other competitive advantage it should not have been made into a big deal. Is that about right?

pao

Well, they did break a rule. The rule against filming.

But when the Jets broke the same rule this year, the NFL didn't care. When the Dolphins broke it last year, the NFL didn't care. Do you know why? Because the Jets got a FBI agent to apprehend the Patriots' cameraman, and so the NFL had to go through with viewing the tape.

There is no rule against stealing signals because the NFL probably finds it impossible to police. This is exactly what Goodell said to Costas. However, in the memo of 2006, the NFL seemed to tie in filming with opposition sideline for the first time. Before that, no mention was made of what was being filmed. There was just a blanket statement against filming from non-enclosed spaces. The 2006 memo added opponents' sideline.

For me, this is what the Patriots did wrong. The memo prohibited filming toward the opponents sideline. Note however that the NFL again made no mention of stealing signals even though it could be inferred that that's what they meant in the memo.

The NFL simply doesn't want to go there when it comes to policing the stealing of signals. This would be a pandora's box, and it would be keystone cops every week.

The only reason the Patriots were singled out is because Mangini--instead of doing what other teams had done in the past--decided to get law enforcement involved, and after that, Goodell felt as though he had no choice.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

pao

We are already convinced you are a moron. Please stop making it so obvious

 

[SDMan]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

pao

We are already convinced you are a moron. Please stop making it so obvious

Funny, of the two of us you look more moronic than me with a post like that. Have a nice night though.

pao

 

[Chuck.U.Farley]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

The above post is one of the funniest I have ever read.

1) Population of a politically gerrymandered city line means nothing.
- There are far more people living within 10 miles of downtown Boston than downtown Indianapolis.
- Those people are, per capita, FAR more wealthy than the gomers and goobers living in and around India-no-place.
- I'll spare you and not even comment on the intellectual and economic power disparities between the two populations.

2) What does BOSTON have to do with the comparison? Gillette Stadium is in Foxboro, MA. These are the New England Patriots. Your state has far more encroachment of Bears, Packers and Browns fans than the 6 states of New England have to put up with concerning the southern half of Connecticut for the NY teams.

3) Actually, Lucas Oil Field is owned by several lending institutions (many of them partially owned by the governments of China and the United Arab Emirates). When the STATE of Indiana finally pays off the bonds floated to finance the extortion perpetrated by Irsay (funny, "Boston" and Massachusetts never had that same knife to its throat taken seriously - - perhaps it was known that no franchise in it's right mind would leave?) then the STATE of Indiana will own their own paid for stadium.

Meanwhile, the man who built Gillette stadium in an undesirable place in Massachusetts is now building A 1.3 MILLION SQUARE FOOT mini city around it. So in summation, Massachusetts gives little ($73 million for roads and infrastructure) to vastly improve a hinterland area of its state, while Indiana pays through the nose and gives up prime downtown land in its largest city to stave of Irsay's team from moving. Yeah, Gomer, sounds like "advantage Indiana" to me!!!!!

4) Come to us with an argument when you can compare Indianapolis to Boston economically, intellectually, culturally, historically, architecturally, etc. But hey, you DO have NASCAR. Congrats. That puts you up there with Daytona, Florida and Biloxi, Mississippi.

You really are stupid the tax payers here in the 7 surrounding counties paid for lucas oil field. And i have been on this project for over a year im a Ironworker local 22 so tell me more about my place of employment. And another thing yeah your television viewing area may be bigger but there is more people in massachusetts then indiana we are ranked 14 you 13 not by much. And your population has decreased over the last few years. The reason your t.v viewing area is so big is because it takes how many states combined to make New England yeah thats what i thought. And i do not see a patriots franchise in every new england state only massachusetts. So quit leaching on to all those other states to make yourself look bigger then you really are.

 

[DW Toys]

Re: Breaking "Spygate" news

"The loss of the antitrust exemption, which certainly appears unlikely, would prohibit the NFL from bargaining for all 32 of its member teams.

Under such a scenario, teams would negotiate their own broadcast contracts, and some franchises clearly would command much larger rights fees than others. Currently, all of the league's teams share the rights fees equally, and that is the cornerstone of the NFL revenue-sharing model."

Patriots. Cowboys. New York teams say "Great". Piss ant little towns like Jacksonville and Indy say "Crap".

How much good has Mangini started for the league? How ironic that he had a cameo on the Sopranos. If the b.s. goes any further, Mangini will be having his wife start his car in the mornings from now on. It was a non-issue that got made big as life because of pure jealously. It will backfire on the league, Godell (who should have done this privately), all the teams as they are not innocent through the years (and lets have our draft pick back please after BB is forced to play the hand he was dealt), and finally Mangini! No way does the league want to see BB testify. Heads shall role!
I say, hey bring it on. Goodell (smoooth move tough guy), and all you pious sports media will have H.L.H. (heavy lip hang).
DW Toys

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Yah. Well, speaking of draft picks...

If Good{f}ell{a} (hey just noticed that!) decides to roll on the Pats, and the Pats tap Sphincter on the shoulder about "other teams that did the same thing," well then Sphincter gets what he wants.

That is, the NFL is weaker, it gets distracted by its internal problems, Cable kicks NFL in the nuts.

But what's the Sword of Damocles hanging over the league? Yep, the antitrust exemption.

Well, losing that would have immediate effects as mentioned, i.e., revenue sharing is out the window, and labor peace quickly is affected. But at the end of the day... and maybe after a strike or 2... players want to play, everybody wants a product. After the disruption, labor copes.

The really big effect for a team like the Pats or the Cowboys or the NY teams (none of whom immediately go belly-up or shuffle off to Toronto,) is... wait for it...

THE DRAFT GOES AWAY!

The kids coming out become free agents, if collusion outside of normal business practices no longer applies.

LOL... so the ultimate sword of damocles hanging over the league, would completely obviate the league's penalty vis a vis the Pats.

All of this is myopic speculation, but it's just funny to think that through.

PFnV

 

[Maroney's Dreads]

So why did this Congressional investigation never get through:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2006-08-30-steroids-panthers-waxman_x.htm

CHARLOTTE (AP) — A Democratic congressman is urging the NFL to reopen its internal investigation of steroid use by former Carolina Panthers players.

The call by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., came following a story in Sunday's Charlotte Observer that detailed multiple, refillable steroid prescriptions given to team members during the Panthers' 2003 Super Bowl season by a South Carolina doctor.

Since none of the players involved ever tested positive for steroid use, Waxman said the report indicates serious flaws in the NFL's testing program.

 

[BPF]

Maybe Specter can re-investigate this again (new JFK assasination items found):
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=6492585&ch=4226713&src=news