Florio: Source Says that Wells Report takings so long because investigation turned to the NFL

[RecoveringCowboy]

More rubbish: detractors saying conspiracy because it will not be released until after the draft.

 

[RecoveringCowboy]

 

[PatsFanInVa]

Just looked around and caught up.

Whoever made the point that the investigation isn't costing "Goodell" a penny should probably clarify that the NFL has brought in Wells as a consultant. So yeah, although I have not determined whether it's pro bono or paid work, I'm thinking it's the latter.

They've gotten away with calling Wells "independent" (or having him called that in the media) but yes, it is a "joint effort" with pash. So independence is not the case here. If the Shield chooses to "investigate themselves" it would be more surprising given this set-up.

 

[RecoveringCowboy]

 

[PatsFanInVa]

And the league just decided not to be tax exempt on April 28 (there's a thread on that.) Huh. Coincidence? Or do they just not feel like having senators banging shoes on their desks demanding that they lose the exemption?

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Wells has no obligation to do anything with the results aside from not lying about them. They don't have to be in the report at all if Wells chooses not to put them in. Or he could simply say "We engaged a consultant from Columbia University to investigate the weather effects and the consultant concluded that under the conditions present at the AFC Championship Game it could be possible for the pressures in the balls to drop to the measured levels without human intervention."

What I meant by signing off was just that Wells would not be able to lie about the results. Otherwise the press would find the prof and he'd have to say "No, this is what really happened...."

 

[Froob]

And the league just decided not to be tax exempt on April 28 (there's a thread on that.) Huh. Coincidence? Or do they just not feel like having senators banging shoes on their desks demanding that they lose the exemption?

Hmm, and Kraft is a heavy influence. Patriots cheating again. Goody in Kraft's pocket and rah rah rah **************** amirite?

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Just looked around and caught up.

Whoever made the point that the investigation isn't costing "Goodell" a penny should probably clarify that the NFL has brought in Wells as a consultant. So yeah, although I have not determined whether it's pro bono or paid work, I'm thinking it's the latter.

Of course it's paid. BTW, the NFL paid Wells's firm about $9 million in 2012. (You can find that on the NFL's 2012 IRS Form 990 -- which of course we won't be getting in the future now that they've given up their tax exemption.)

 

[shmessy]

And the league just decided not to be tax exempt on April 28 (there's a thread on that.) Huh. Coincidence? Or do they just not feel like having senators banging shoes on their desks demanding that they lose the exemption?

That's exactly what I wrote about a couple of days ago. You hit the nail on the head right there with the BIG PICTURE story. The relinquishing of the tax-exempt status just bought the NFL the cover to pull whatever they want from now on. It is as if Hernandez actually turned OFF his security cameras the night he offed Odin Lloyd. That is a very BAD sign for the Patriots.

 

[Ring 6]

That's exactly what I wrote about a couple of days ago. You hit the nail on the head right there with the BIG PICTURE story. The relinquishing of the tax-exempt status just bought the NFL the cover to pull whatever they want from now on. It is as if Hernandez actually turned OFF his security cameras the night he offed Odin Lloyd. That is a very BAD sign for the Patriots.

How is it bad for the Patriots?
Is your point of view that the NFL intends to do everything it can to treat the Patriots unfairly and punish them just for the fun of it, even if they have done nothing wrong?

 

[Huckleberry1]

Just looked around and caught up.

Whoever made the point that the investigation isn't costing "Goodell" a penny should probably clarify that the NFL has brought in Wells as a consultant. So yeah, although I have not determined whether it's pro bono or paid work, I'm thinking it's the latter.

They've gotten away with calling Wells "independent" (or having him called that in the media) but yes, it is a "joint effort" with pash. So independence is not the case here. If the Shield chooses to "investigate themselves" it would be more surprising given this set-up.

I'm the one who said that Goodell isn't paying Wells, the league, I.e.. The owners are the ones footing the bill. This originally came up when another poster claimed that Wells Report wouldn't matter because Goodell was just going take it and alter however he wants and then issue it, and my response was that the owners were the ones paying for the report and any one of them so wants full access to an unedited report will get because ultimately they are the ones paying for it. Basically I think the idea that Goodell can take the original report and rewrite it to his satisfaction and then issue it to support sanctions against the Patriots is rubbish, the report will stand on its own and Goodell won't be adding or redacting anything. IMO the report is going to fully exonerate the Patriots because I don't think they can manufacture wrongdoing when there is no evidence to support it.

 

[shmessy]

How is it bad for the Patriots?
Is your point of view that the NFL intends to do everything it can to treat the Patriots unfairly and punish them just for the fun of it, even if they have done nothing wrong?

I honestly don't know.

There are people who claim that no matter what, the NFL has it out for the Patriots. If Mehta's "source" is real, then that inappropriate quote from a couple of days ago is very troubling when looking at possible bias.

There are others who are fans of other teams who are just as convinced that the NFL has bent over backwards to protect the Patriots.

I am in neither camp. However, what the NFL has done to other teams regardign punishments and what they have done to the Patriots regarding Spygate makes me a bit more sympathetic to the first camp.

A few days before the release of the Deflategate report, having the NFL take off their tax-exemption (there is only ONE reason for them to do that - - to escape the added government oversight) does not make me comfortable regarding how they will handle the Wells report.

 

[VectorPrime]

That's exactly what I wrote about a couple of days ago. You hit the nail on the head right there with the BIG PICTURE story. The relinquishing of the tax-exempt status just bought the NFL the cover to pull whatever they want from now on. It is as if Hernandez actually turned OFF his security cameras the night he offed Odin Lloyd. That is a very BAD sign for the Patriots.

All it does is allow the NFL to more covertly fudge and fiddle with their financial numbers for the purposes of making slightly more money. I don't see how this is going to affect the Pats in any way except helping Kraft buy a new boat.

 

[YOUGOTMOSSED]

How is it bad for the Patriots?
Is your point of view that the NFL intends to do everything it can to treat the Patriots unfairly and punish them just for the fun of it, even if they have done nothing wrong?

Of course not! The Patriots beat the team THEY like and thus MUST be punished. Just ask all those rival fans posting on the internet and those talking heads on TV.

You're trivializing their righteous vengeance by suggesting it's just "for the fun of it."

 

[Ring 6]

I honestly don't know.

There are people who claim that no matter what, the NFL has it out for the Patriots. If Mehta's "source" is real, then that inappropriate quote from a couple of days ago is very troubling when looking at possible bias.

Maybe I missed it but I don't think Mehta ever attributed that comment to a source, and it seemed like it was him trying to be cute.

There are others who are fans of other teams who are just as convinced that the NFL has bent over backwards to protect the Patriots.

I am in neither camp. However, what the NFL has done to other teams regardign punishments and what they have done to the Patriots regarding Spygate makes me a bit more sympathetic to the first camp.

What about the Saints? Look, we can as Patriot fans say Spygate was nothing, but the league absolutely viewed it as an attempt to cheat. While their conclusion was wrong, from the perspective of how serious they thought it was, the punsihment was not out of line with any other punishments they have given.
I'm not defending how they handled it, I'm saying its naive to think they saw it as no big deal but took the opportunity to screw the Patriots because they have it out for them.
Its the same as saying a bad call on the field was the ref hating the Patriots and trying to make them lose.

A few days before the release of the Deflategate report, having the NFL take off their tax-exemption (there is only ONE reason for them to do that - - to escape the added government oversight) does not make me comfortable regarding how they will handle the Wells report.

What does Government oversight have to do with Deflategate?
First, the NFL did not have a tax exemption. They were organized as a not for profit. There rules were no different than any of the 1000s of other not for profits in the country, and does not come with Government oversight.
It is the Anti-Trust exemption that subjects them to Government oversight. So this move did nothing to affect Government oversight.
The purported reason to give up the not for profit status is that there isn't a lot of benefit in it to them, and it has created a lot of negative commentary from people who do not understand it. People on this board have made comments that the NFL 'earns billions and pays no tax' without understanding that the clubs pay it. You yourself are saying they had a tax exemption which is not correct.

There is no relation between changing their tax classification and Deflategate on any level, because it changes absolutely nothing in that regard.

 

[RecoveringCowboy]

And the league just decided not to be tax exempt on April 28 (there's a thread on that.) Huh. Coincidence? Or do they just not feel like having senators banging shoes on their desks demanding that they lose the exemption?

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/how-the-nfl-fleeces-taxpayers/309448/

 

[JarOfMayo51]

I actually think the retroactive investigation works in the Patriots favor because it will demonstrate that not only did the Patriots not tamper with game balls on the AFCCG but that after extensive investigation they found absolutely no evidence that they have ever conspired to alter game balls in any way. Belichick laid down the gauntlet when he said that the Patriots follow league protocol regarding game balls to the t and I believe he said that with absolute confidence that it was true, and the internal investigation they did verified that. I believe the Patriots are coming from a position of strength on this and that the investigation will show not only that the Patriots have never screwed with game balls but that the weather is the clearest explanation for the changes in game balls during the game. I am completely confident that the Patriots will be exonerated completely by the report and will be fascinated to see how the league office deals with it.

I got some blood flow in my pants reading this. I hope you're right!

 

[QuantumMechanic]

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/how-the-nfl-fleeces-taxpayers/309448/

Greggggggg Easterbrook, unlike his brother Frank, is a blithering moronic idiot.

For example, he gibbers about how the NFL is tax-exempt and either disingenuously or ignorantly (or maybe both!) believes that tax isn't paid on the billions of TV, merchandising, etc. revenues. Which is blatantly 100% false.

 

[JoeSixPat]

Paralysis by overanalysis...everybody is looking behind every hedge and under every rock for clues to the crime. The culprit is OBVIOUS, as in 99% of all crimes. Kensil is the cause of all this drama and has been since 2006. People just refuse to SEE the obvious.

This is the central point I'm hopeful everyone will make on any general NFL forum or article comment

I think if there's any penalty to the Patriots in this it's because Belichick is ultimately "guilty" of jilting Mike Kensil at the altar back in 2000, and then winning 4 Lombardis and attending the Super Bowl on average every other year

Just sucks that Kensil left the Jets to go to a place where he could harass Belichick and attempt to tarnish his name and the Patriots as well- the twisted and biased information Kensil likely leaked to the media in this investigation, even when Goodell had himself called for a gag order, is proof enough of that!

Spygate, Deflategate and the entire unfair perception that the Patriots are "cheaters" all could very well shown to stem from Kensil at the very least

So let's not lose sight of the overall context of whatever findings they issue about Kensil

Once again - I'm hopeful we'll see the wonderful irony of Kensil and hopefully Goodell losing their job because it was THEY who undermined the integrity of the NFL , starting when they made a biased mountain out of a molehill of camera placement in Spygate to SUPPOSEDLY to protect the "integrity of the game"

 

[The Gr8est]

This is the central point I'm hopeful everyone will make on any general NFL forum or article comment

I think if there's any penalty to the Patriots in this it's because Belichick is ultimately "guilty" of jilting Mike Kensil at the altar back in 2000, and then winning 4 Lombardis and attending the Super Bowl on average every other year

Just sucks that Kensil left the Jets to go to a place where he could harass Belichick and attempt to tarnish his name and the Patriots as well- the twisted and biased information Kensil likely leaked to the media in this investigation, even when Goodell had himself called for a gag order, is proof enough of that!

Spygate, Deflategate and the entire unfair perception that the Patriots are "cheaters" all could very well shown to stem from Kensil at the very least

So let's not lose sight of the overall context of whatever findings they issue about Kensil

Once again - I'm hopeful we'll see the wonderful irony of Kensil and hopefully Goodell losing their job because it was THEY who undermined the integrity of the NFL , starting when they made a biased mountain out of a molehill of camera placement in Spygate to SUPPOSEDLY to protect the "integrity of the game"

It is also exasperating that it doesn't get mentioned nearly often enough that the reasons the Rats had BB on their staff in the first place is because they tampered with, and subsequently stole, Bill Parcells in 1997 as the Pats were getting ready to play, and try to win, their first Superbowl ever.

All of the bad blood between the two franchises was caused by the Rats, it has never been a two-way street.

Even when the Pats requested to talk to BB about their HC opening, the Rats refused it and then finagled a way to keep BB from taking the Pats job, even though the Rats HC position wasn't open yet.

Purely out of spite, I believe

The Rats are not the victims in the border wars regardless of how the Rat-led NFL offices rule. They are the antagonists.