NFL Successfully Flipped the Script on Deflategate

[Biggs1221]

The "crime" the Patriots are being hit for appears to be the Patriots tampering with balls after inspection.

What happened to the crime of the balls being under 12.5 PSI?

Who cares if they "tampered" with them if they werent out of regulation? Isnt that the point of the tampering rule - to prevent you from doing something that would make the balls unacceptable for play?

The NFL has successfully replaced their argument here from right under the public's nose, because the 12.5 -13.5 standard without more, is pretty meaningless, arbitrary standard.

Im waiting for the NFL to define what the conditions must be when this measurement takes place, what kind of leeway is given for gauge inaccuracies, if the Pats balls were in compliance under these standards at half time, if not, by how much, and if the officials approved the Patriots balls without them complying to these standards.

The league has hung them out to dry in the court of public opinion on a rule that they cant explain or say was violated. It then punished them under the guise of another rule ("dont tamper with balls after inspection") which, if not for a PSI violation, is a petty violation that, alone, doesnt implicate fair play.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Confused
The only tampering after inspections done by colts, Kensil, the refs themselves re-inflating balls. Not the Patriots.

 

[eom]

I'd probably want to see some tampered with balls before I believe there was tampering

 

[rochrist]

Confused
The only tampering after inspections done by colts, Kensil, the refs themselves re-inflating balls. Not the Patriots.

Not according to Wells and the league. The contention is that tampering occurred when McNally took the balls into the bathroom.

 

[RayClay]

Yeah, but according to the jets punishment, there's hardly any penalty for tampering.

 

[TomPatriot]

Confused
The only tampering after inspections done by colts, Kensil, the refs themselves re-inflating balls. Not the Patriots.

You're right. No direct evidence of tampering by Patriots' personnel. None. Zero. Nada. Rien.

Plenty of direct evidence of tampering by the rest.

 

[NashuaPats]

Confused
The only tampering after inspections done by colts, Kensil, the refs themselves re-inflating balls. Not the Patriots.

Yes, they absolutey tampered with the balls by overinflating the Patriots' footballs. According to the NFL's twisted mind set this would have so dramatically hindered the Patriots to the effect of massive fines, suspensions, and draft picks. Smh

The post game measurements have the Pats footballs at 13.15, 12.95, 12.95, 13.25 and the Colts balls at 12.5, 12.1, 12.45, 12.35. These are per the non logo gauge. Using the Colts balls as the control group, they are 0.65 psi on average below the starting point of 13.0. Add that to the Pats balls, to bring them back to equilibrium of room temp, and you have 13.83, 13.6, 13,6, and 13.90. So all the Pats balls were above regulation ranging from 13.6 to 3.9. This is a clear violation of the rules. The refs and NFL officials involved at half time all need to be suspended with out pay the equivalent of 4 games... which equates to 25% of their salaries and three months for the full time league officials.

One curiosty about the Colts balls is they ranges from 12.1 to 12.5 for a difference of 0.4. This I find very odd considering this is IMPOSSIBLE according to Exponents report. According to the same firm that proved smoking and asbestos does not cause cancer, rain can not affect the balls by more than 0.2 psi and it is impossible for a ball to lose any air due to play. So, the only explanation for the unexplainable 0.4 variation is that Andrew Luck must have orchestrated the balls boys to tamper with the footballs. I demand a $5 million dollar investigation into the Colts which will of course would require multiple interrogations into all involved and all of Andrew Luck's phone calls and text messages from his personal phone for the past year. Afterall, the integrity of the game is important.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

The "crime" the Patriots are being hit for appears to be the Patriots tampering with balls after inspection.

What happened to the crime of the balls being under 12.5 PSI?

Who cares if they "tampered" with them if they werent out of regulation? Isnt that the point of the tampering rule - to prevent you from doing something that would make the balls unacceptable for play?

Doing anything to the balls -- inflating, deflating, mucking with their surface, whatever -- is forbidden once the balls have been submitted to the refs pre-game. So if McNally or whoever did add/remove air post-checkin, that's illegal even if the ball was still in range.

 

[DaBruinz]

Doing anything to the balls -- inflating, deflating, mucking with their surface, whatever -- is forbidden once the balls have been submitted to the refs pre-game. So if McNally or whoever did add/remove air post-checkin, that's illegal even if the ball was still in range.

Could you show us where, in the rules, it says that the balls can't be adjusted after the referee check. Thank you.

 

[supafly]

Not according to Wells and the league. The contention is that tampering occurred when McNally took the balls into the bathroom.

Or...during the all-important mini camp that occurred during the month of May, 2014 when the "deflator" text was originally typed. Yet another example where if something did actually occur, it certainly wasn't actually during the post-inspection phase that took place prior to an NFL game.

So, there's that one--and then there's the other comment about "deflate and give someone that jkt," which also did not occur during an NFL game at Gillette stadium and was written when McNally saw JJ walk past Revis during the telecast from Green Bay.

That's a whole lot of nothing as it pertains to having proof of wrongdoing, at least in the context of breaking the actual NFL rules.

 

[nowayback]

Could you show us where, in the rules, it says that the balls can't be adjusted after the referee check. Thank you.

Gulp ! Exactly , the only thing it says is "balls shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until they are delivered to the ball attendant just prior to the start of the game" But i wonder if there are any amendments to rule that dont appear in rulebook. so the only theoretical violation would be the under inflated balls which we now know is normal. It doesnt say ball boy must go directly to field and "do not pass go" !
http://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/2014-nfl-rulebook/#rule2

If anyone has another link that says anything else then this>> please post

Ok found this >The league's game operations manual notes: "If any individual alters the footballs, or if a non-approved ball is used in the game, the person responsible and, if appropriate, the head coach or other club personnel will be subject to discipline, including but not limited to, a fine of $25,000."

Unless you are the colts, which we know can stick needles in other teams balls on sidlines w/o any repercutions .

 

[DarrylS]

The NFL underestimated the traction and sensationalism of what they wrought.. the leaking of info to Bob Kravitz in the middle of the night and then releasing information(false) in subsequent nights to select sports scribes unleashed an unexpected beast.

The NFL lost control of what they were trying to achieve and created a firestorm of BS.. there is no statistical difference between Brady's numbers on the road(balls controlled by the other team) and the numbers at home(balls controlled by Pats).. on the biggest stage of the NFL #12 went 12/15, 125 yards and 2 TD in the 4th quarter to win that game.. PSI in footballs is no big deal.. but the NFL has allowed it to become a huge deal.. a perverse result of unintended consequences.

 

[DaBruinz]

Gulp ! Exactly , the only thing it says is "balls shall remain under the supervision of the Referee until they are delivered to the ball attendant just prior to the start of the game" But i wonder if there are any amendments to rule that dont appear in rulebook. so the only theoretical violation would be the under inflated balls which we now know is normal. It doesnt say ball boy must go directly to field and "do not pass go" !
http://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/2014-nfl-rulebook/#rule2

If anyone has another link that says anything else then this>> please post

Ok found this >The league's game operations manual notes: "If any individual alters the footballs, or if a non-approved ball is used in the game, the person responsible and, if appropriate, the head coach or other club personnel will be subject to discipline, including but not limited to, a fine of $25,000."

Unless you are the colts, which we know can stick needles in other teams balls on sidlines w/o any repercutions .

Thank you..

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Could you show us where, in the rules, it says that the balls can't be adjusted after the referee check. Thank you.

The Official Playing Rules aren't the only rules that need to be obeyed. Among other things, the NFL Game Operations Manual has to be obeyed, and it says:

Once the balls have left the locker room, no one, including players, equipment managers, ball boys, and coaches, is allowed to alter the footballs in any way. If any individual alters the footballs, or if a non-approved ball is used in the game, the person responsible and, if appropriate, the head coach or other club personnel will be subject to discipline, including but not limited to, a fine of $25,000.

http://www.csnne.com/new-england-pa...egate-reaction-now-race-to-be-most-ridiculous

 

[DaBruinz]

The Official Playing Rules aren't the only rules that need to be obeyed. Among other things, the NFL Game Operations Manual has to be obeyed, and it says:



http://www.csnne.com/new-england-pa...egate-reaction-now-race-to-be-most-ridiculous

You're a day late and a dollar short there, sherlock.. Nowayback bailed you out.. If you're going to dislike a post for honestly asking a question, then you've got some serious issues..

 

[IllegalContact]

Curran's article makes the most sense.......basically, the goodell minions are a bunch of pats haters who filled the early airwaves with a bunch of garbage, the front office went 'AHA' with zero veracity and when the dust settles will appear to not only be incompetent, but completely corrupt

http://www.csnne.com/new-england-pa...-eyes-thanks-to-his-guys?p=ya5nbcs&ocid=yahoo

If Roger Goodell knew his ankle-biting minions were hunting minnows with a speargun on Jan. 18, he may have appreciated their zeal. But he would have told them their time would be better spent on bigger things.

Right now, the NFL Commissioner’s face is the one on the dartboard. Even people who loathe the Patriots reserve next-level disgust for the poopshow that Goodell is presiding over. But even if this is the iceberg that sinks Goodell, it’s his crew that put him in peril.

This has to have struck Goodell at some point. He is in for the fight of his Commissionership trying to make a four-game suspension stick to Tom Brady. All because a $5M, 103-day investigation stated two guys probably let a hiss of air out of footballs before the AFC Championship Game.