TB's options...

[QuantumMechanic]

So, the question becomes, would eight other Owners support Kraft in a showdown if the Pats forfeited a game in protest?

Eight, actually. Kraft doesn't count (the accused team's owner doesn't get to vote). So there would be 31 voters. He'd need to peel off eight of them so Goodell could only get to 23.

Also, even without the owners he can unilaterally void the contracts of people he accuses. (Though players get extra rights (hah) via the CBA). So he could have terminated Belichick's contract if he decided Belichick was guilty. See 8.13(A)(4): "...cancel any contract or agreement of any such person with the League or with any member thereof"

("such person" is defined in 8.13(A) and is "an owner, shareholder, partner or holder of an interest in a member club, or any player, coach, officer, director, or employee thereof, or any officer, employee or official of the League").

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Eight, actually. Kraft doesn't count (the accused team's owner doesn't get to vote). So there would be 31 voters. He'd need to peel off eight of them so Goodell could only get to 23.

Also, even without the owners he can unilaterally void the contracts of people he accuses. (Though players get extra rights (hah) via the CBA). So he could have terminated Belichick's contract if he decided Belichick was guilty. See 8.13(A)(4): "...cancel any contract or agreement of any such person with the League or with any member thereof"

("such person" is defined in 8.13(A) and is "an owner, shareholder, partner or holder of an interest in a member club, or any player, coach, officer, director, or employee thereof, or any officer, employee or official of the League").

So, basically it's a Plantation, where non-player staff are essentially indentured workers who can get paid a lot of money but have no real rights as commonly defined in our society. Interesting. Thanks.

 

[Ivan]

Thanks. So, the question becomes, would eight other Owners support Kraft in a showdown if the Pats forfeited a game in protest?

He can't get one to support him publicly when it's clear the league is lying and railroading them and Brady, if they forfeited a game as protest I believe all 31 of his good buddies would vote to take the team.

 

[Tony2046]

He can't get one to support him publicly when it's clear the league is lying and railroading them and Brady, if they forfeited a game as protest I believe all 31 of his good buddies would vote to take the team.

Imagine the court battle over that. Everything would be in play if they tried to take the team from him. Government, Senators, Lawyers etc etc....

I don't think that would happen but what do I know? I would imagine another hefty fine and draft picks would be their initial course of action.

 

[Froob]

Eight, actually. Kraft doesn't count (the accused team's owner doesn't get to vote). So there would be 31 voters. He'd need to peel off eight of them so Goodell could only get to 23.

Also, even without the owners he can unilaterally void the contracts of people he accuses. (Though players get extra rights (hah) via the CBA). So he could have terminated Belichick's contract if he decided Belichick was guilty. See 8.13(A)(4): "...cancel any contract or agreement of any such person with the League or with any member thereof"

("such person" is defined in 8.13(A) and is "an owner, shareholder, partner or holder of an interest in a member club, or any player, coach, officer, director, or employee thereof, or any officer, employee or official of the League").

Thank god Kraft doesn't count, he'd vote against us.

 

[upstater1]

All these owners that want to win games by dinging the Patriots, man. Who is going to bring them together when they are at each others' throats next CBA?

The worst thing that could happen for the NFL is for the Cowboys to keep losing, because if Jerruh doesn't see much progress on that front, he's going to kill revenue-sharing. And good old lackey Bob doesn't have the conciliatory pull that he had last time. Terry Pegula is going to get a good lesson in how the NFL works. He's going to learn that he bought in to something that doesn't work.

And forget about squabbles with the NFLPA. That will be a sideshow to the main event.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

All these owners that want to win games by dinging the Patriots, man. Who is going to bring them together when they are at each others' throats next CBA?

The worst thing that could happen for the NFL is for the Cowboys to keep losing, because if Jerruh doesn't see much progress on that front, he's going to kill revenue-sharing. And good old lackey Bob doesn't have the conciliatory pull that he had last time. Terry Pegula is going to get a good lesson in how the NFL works. He's going to learn that he bought in to something that doesn't work.

And forget about squabbles with the NFLPA. That will be a sideshow to the main event.

Good point.

The story line that Buffalo and Jacksonville and Green Bay and Charlotte (etc) are as important to the NFL as Dallas, Metropolitan New York, Metropolitan Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore/Washington, Miami, Phoenix, San Francisco, etc, etc, etc is a bunch of baloney. Even Pittsburgh isn't in the league with those cities (no pun intended). St. Louis is a prime example. Bye-bye!

The thesis has been that "the 32" provide a national franchise that brings viewers. The reality is more like "the folks in Buffalo, etc., would watch the NFL anyway." There's no reason that a team in a major media market should receive the same from the TV contract as a team that has trouble filling its stadium and is in a minor media market, whose newspapers are basically reprints of AP wire stories. The rational way to do this would be to apportion revenues based on the size of the market within a specific radius of the city within which the team is located.

If Kraft helps Jones and Snyder lead a rebellion, Roger will be ****ed but good.

 

[upstater1]

Good point.

The story line that Buffalo and Jacksonville and Green Bay and Charlotte (etc) are as important to the NFL as Dallas, Metropolitan New York, Metropolitan Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore/Washington, Miami, Phoenix, San Francisco, etc, etc, etc is a bunch of baloney. Even Pittsburgh isn't in the league with those cities (no pun intended). St. Louis is a prime example. Bye-bye!

The thesis has been that "the 32" provide a national franchise that brings viewers. The reality is more like "the folks in Buffalo, etc., would watch the NFL anyway." There's no reason that a team in a major media market should receive the same from the TV contract as a team that has trouble filling its stadium and is in a minor media market, whose newspapers are basically reprints of AP wire stories. The rational way to do this would be to apportion revenues based on the size of the market within a specific radius of the city within which the team is located.

If Kraft helps Jones and Snyder lead a rebellion, Roger will be ****ed but good.

Kraft is the guy that brought the two sides (of owners) together last time.

Make no mistake, the 10 small market guys are cooked now. Indianapolis, Buffalo, DONE. Even Baltimore. And Miami too. Miami should be considered a small market team for NFL purposes.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Kraft is the guy that brought the two sides (of owners) together last time.

Make no mistake, the 10 small market guys are cooked now. Indianapolis, Buffalo, DONE. Even Baltimore. And Miami too. Miami should be considered a small market team for NFL purposes.

Good. The swift sword of death to all of them. Like the lawyer joke punchlines go, "it's a good start".

 

[BelichicksBlackEye]

I keep hearing on the radio and news that Brady no longer has any leverage however, wouldn't the threat of a multi hundred million $ defamation lawsuit be some sort of leverage?

 

[IllegalContact]

I've been saying this since spygate

a long time ago, the league implemented a salary cap in order to create parity. it actually worked until Kraft grabbed Belichick and then Belichick grabbed Brady.

Since then, the one thing that created parity has become the one thing that prevents it....the Pats have the recipe that nobody can spend enough to beat. then there's the players who played for less here.

the Pats rose in 2001 and in 2005, they appeared to be done (mind you this is when owners like Bisciotti and Blank became owners.....Woody Johnson and bob McNair were pretty new

problem is, the Pats weren't done....2006 AFCC and then they went crazy in the offseason and i think this is the first time people must have decided 'this is indefinite, we need to slow the train down'....spygate, the pats went on to the SB and the next year Brady got hurt.....people are now happy again.....pats miss the playoffs, a couple of early exits in the playoffs, and nobody's taking them seriously........and then gronk shows up and the run of AFCC/SB starts again. and brady is rockin and manning is falling apart

the day of the 4th consecutive AFCC appearance, which should have been the Broncos, you have the colts and the whole world fully knowing the pats are going to kick the **** out of them.......now is the time to act again and they did.

in retrospect, there's nothing anyone could have done to have the pats anywhere other than with the penalties they have now....yeah, Kraft could make noise, but it's pointless......the appeals court basically said just now 'yeah, goodell can do this'

I think this is 100% about jealousy and the fact that the owners are pissed that there isn't a legitimate thing anyone can do to remove this impediment to parity......teams go up, teams go down......The Giants, Steelers, Ravens, Packers, Saints, Seahawks, 9ers, Colts (a couple of times), Texans......have surged and then fallen back........but not the Pats.....the stability in their front office, the stability at quarterback.......in the age of the salary cap, it's impossible to defeat that recipe

and even with brady out for 4 games and the loss of the 1st round pick, who's tha favority to win it all?

the books now say Seattle, but New England is 2nd and was in 1st with a sizeable difference to Seattle before the suspension was upheld.

they're still there