New England Patriots News 6-28 and Notes Around the AFC East
 Tom Brady's appeal was heard in NYC on Tuesday, now it is waiting time for him and the Patriots. (USA TODAY Images) |
Good morning, here are Sunday’s Patriots news notes and what’s happening around the division:
Brady Appeal Now In Waiting Mode for Goodell (to try to save face): The NFL finally got around to hearing the appeal for the four-game suspension for Patriots QB Tom Brady on Tuesday. Depending upon who is being asked, either Tom Brady was outstanding on the stand or was not believable. It will also depend on what side of the fence one was on to begin with. As the longer this case drags out, the less people will be swayed by any testimony.
The meeting took nearly 11 hours and after initial reports surfaced by ESPN’s Adam Schefter (that were backed up by emails from the league), that Brady’s defense team would only be granted four hours to prove their case, the league relented and both sides heard plenty of testimony before wrapping things up.
Now with the waiting game, Brady will probably not hear anything from the league until training camp opens.
Of course that was the last thing that the NFL and Goodell needed as they desperately try to save face in this fiasco as more and more it becomes increasingly apparent that the league was “Much More Probable Than Not” intent on finding guilt in the Deflate-gate case against New England.
After a shoddy investigation by Ted Wells and his scientific proof by Exponent was “deflated” by American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the league still hasn’t proved that either the Patriots or anyone else has tampered with the footballs or that Tom Brady had any wrongdoing in this entire overblown affair.
A four-game suspension on such flimsy evidence is unprecedented and harsh. Coupled with some out and out lies by VP in charge of Officiating Dean Blandino as to when the league first heard of the Colts suspicions make the New England charges of a sting seem more believable. Comments by Mike Kensil drive the point home.
Goodell was asked to recuse himself but denied the request by the NFLPA. Now he’s painted into a corner. If he upholds the suspension, this case is likely headed to court and a bigger black eye for the league. If he reduces it significantly, he admits that the league didn’t have much to stand on to begin with. Chalk it up to you reap what you sow.
Brady Has Hilarious Cameo in Ted2: On a light-hearted note, Brady, who has hinted he may seek out some Hollywood roles once his playing career is over has a small but outrageously funny appearance in Ted2.
In the sequel directed by Seth MacFarlane, Ted and John (played by Brady buddy Mark Wahlberg) are searching for a sperm donor so that Ted and his wife can have children. They attempt to sneak into Brady’s home in the dead of night to “get a sperm sample.”
As one can imagine, the results are typically MacFarlane-ish and hilariously funny. We found out about this last August as a close friend working on the film hinted at the Brady cameo in August around the time of the Panthers’ pre-season game. But we were sworn to secrecy and even got to visit the set and meet with some of the stars including MacFarlane, Wahlberg and Sam Jones who reprises his role as Flash Gordon.
Take the time and see the sequel as it is even funnier than the original. Brady’s cameo is bound to please Patriots fans…. Must see summer fare.
Looking For a Job, The NFL is Hiring A Legue Director of Investigations: Think the owners of the NFL were happy with Ted Wells and the Wells Report? Think again.
The league is actively hiring a new league Director of Investigations. Among the job descriptions:
- Conducts data recovery operations in order to extract artifacts of evidentiary value, to include both hardware and software based data restoration and the decryption of protected files.
•Recovers and examines data from computers and other electronic storage devices in support of internal investigations, potential criminal matters and e-discovery efforts.
•Examines data from computers and other electronic storage devices in support of internal investigations, potential criminal matters and e-discovery efforts.
•Provides detailed reporting, in verbal and written formats, in order to support investigators and key decision makers.
•Serves as subject matter expert relative to digital forensic investigation, providing consultation to management when necessary.
•Coordinate, supervise and manage detailed and complex investigations involving alleged impropriety or criminal conduct by League and Club personnel
So if you fit the bill and can be a true “independent investigator, click here for the details.
Broncos’ Sanders Latest With Memory Lapse: In case you missed it, Denver wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders thinks that the Patriots Super Bowl championship should be vacated due to the Deflate-gate controversy.
Sanders, who nearly became a Patriot in 2013 was speaking to a large group of kids at a Denver area football camp and said New England shouldn’t be recognized as legitimate Super Bowl champs.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm kind of mad. I don't think that they (New England) should be the Super Bowl champion this year."
"You aren't supposed to cheat," Sanders said. "Cheating is not good, especially when you've got guys who are working their butts off for 365 days out of the year and one person cheats -- whether it helps them win the Super Bowl or not, they still cheated and shouldn't be a champion."
It all makes for great fodder for the press in attendance but perhaps before stepping on the soapbox Sanders should recall his own fine for one of the worst examples of faking an injury on the field. Sanders and the Steelers were fined a combined $50,000 for this back in October 2012.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsM051TDvJs
Malcolm Butler OTA Snub Leads to NFLPA Charge: Malcolm Butler has had a special off-season. After getting the Super Bowl saving interception, he was the toast of many talk shows on both television and radio. But all that came to a screeching halt when he was late to the Patriots first “voluntary” OTA.
Bill Belichick, sending a message, kept Butler off the field for the first few workouts from May 28 thru June 5th. Everyone knows Belichick hates tardiness…..just ask Jonas Gray. Gray rushed for 200 yards against the Colts but overslept the next week and promptly fell off the face of the earth for the remainder of the season.
But Butler’s case is different and the NFLPA is taking up his cause. The player’s association has filed a complaint against the Patriots in this case for refusing to allow Butler to practice in a voluntary workout. In this case, other than Deflate-gate, the Patriots are clearly wrong…it is spelled out in the CBA.
Expect a ruling to come down on this sooner rather than later.
Kraft Visit to the Holy Land Ends: Patriots owner Robert Kraft wrapped up a visit with 19 NFL Hall of Famers to Israel this week as the players spread the word about the NFL to a country with a huge thirst for the game.
The players toured the country spending time at all the holy sites where three different religions find their beginnings. But the time spent on the football fields of Kraft Stadium was a highlight for many of the aspiring football players of Israel.
Kraft taped an interview for Patriots.com on the balcony of the King David Hotel overlooking the old part of the city of Jerusalem and spoke about he and his wife’s philanthropic efforts in the country and his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “My life has been enhanced by bringing people to this country,” Kraft told Patriots.com. “And in many ways, it has changed their lives so we decided to follow thru with this Hall of Fame trip.”
The Prime Minister met with the Hall of Famers and used a little football jargon in describing the efforts of Iran to procure nuclear weapons. He then used the time to practice politics as he urged the NFLers to take home with them the idea that this was a dangerous proposition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4l836NW7eE
But overall the trip was marked by some eye-opening experiences. Having worked there numerous times and even having met Netanyahu, it is a fantastic place to visit. It is chock full of religion and history. Put that down on your bucket list.
Eastbound and Down…..News from around the AFC East:
Is this the Year Someone takes Down the Patriots In the AFC East: A big topic of conversation among the other three teams in the division is the fact that the Patriots now minus Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Vince Wilfork, coupled with the possible suspension of Tom Brady are now maybe vulnerable.
With the improvement made by all three teams this season, the division will definitely be more interesting to watch in 2015. But QB issues still plague the Buffalo Bills and Geno Smith is still far from a lock.
Miami with Ryan Tannehill, flush with a new contract and an improved roster around him look to be the biggest challengers this season. But the games are played on the field not on paper and the Patriots have always found a way under Bill Belichick to adapt year in and year out.
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