Question regarding the end of the investigation.

[Slagathor]

Aside from the fact that the league probably wanted to get the incident behind them, does anyone think that the leak of the video tape prompted Goodell to end the investigation sooner than he would have?

I was thinking the leaked video ticked him off not only because it made HIM look bad, portraying him as having lack of control over his office, but also making it obvious that this was turning into a smear campaign by Pat's rivals.

It seems to me that any other claims of improprieties, such as those recently claimed by the Rams and Raiders have all fallen on deaf ears.

 

[tdw777]

......but also making it obvious that this was turning into a smear campaign by Pat's rivals......

we have bingo!!!!!

 

[marty]

Add the fact that once people got a chance to see the tape, many reactions of "so whats the big deal?" made the whole matter look silly.

 

[DarrylS]

not sure when this started that anyone could have envisioned it having this big and this long a shelf life, not only was BB integrity questioned but the so called, sacred integrity of the league came into focus as well. Rather than risking any more leaks and possible embarassment, Goodell decided that it was time to move on.

 

[Stop Being A Jerk]

I think the tape made it even more obvious to our mentally-challenged adversaries that this truly was the single most overblown event in the history of professional sports.

 

[desi-patsfan]

best part of the end of the investigation....The "number of people viewing" is finally going down. We are now down to 600. yay for a non-slow server.

 

[nowayback]

i think what reallly bothered him was that iwas leaked to fox where his wife works...and she put her foot down! was all fun till it got personal

 

[He Ban Me]

Add the fact that once people got a chance to see the tape, many reactions of "so whats the big deal?" made the whole matter look silly.

On the contrary. The tape was a clear indication that NE was doing the EXACT thing that the league told it not to. Certainly, some wanted to SEE what was actually being recorded. Did your jaw not drop when FOX actually HAD the footage. Plain as day, focus on coaches, pan to scoreboard, repeat. It was right there for all to see. Definitive proof.

The end to this was incredibly abrupt. There will certainly be questions on the Pregames this Sunday as to WTF happened. And more ripping of the way in which Goodell "swept it under the rug".

 

[Deus Irae]

On the contrary. The tape was a clear indication that NE was doing the EXACT thing that the league told it not to. Certainly, some wanted to SEE what was actually being recorded. Did your jaw not drop when FOX actually HAD the footage. Plain as day, focus on coaches, pan to scoreboard, repeat. It was right there for all to see. Definitive proof.

The end to this was incredibly abrupt. There will certainly be questions on the Pregames this Sunday as to WTF happened. And more ripping of the way in which Goodell "swept it under the rug".

You go with that.....

 

[Bella*chick]

On the contrary. The tape was a clear indication that NE was doing the EXACT thing that the league told it not to. Certainly, some wanted to SEE what was actually being recorded. Did your jaw not drop when FOX actually HAD the footage. Plain as day, focus on coaches, pan to scoreboard, repeat. It was right there for all to see. Definitive proof.

The end to this was incredibly abrupt. There will certainly be questions on the Pregames this Sunday as to WTF happened. And more ripping of the way in which Goodell "swept it under the rug".

Well, since the "Pregames" are the authority on everything, I'll be shaking in my boots, I guess.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

Several posters have nailed it. The leak was very bad for Goodell (nevermind that his spouse works for Fox). The media, except for deadenders in New York and a few others, were beginning to turn and we were only a few articles away from people starting to call this a witchhunt. Also, never forget the weight that Bob Kraft swings on Park Avenue and the fact that he has built a billion dollar franchise from the dust of prior owners as well as the fact that he singlehandely rescued the CBA last time and could doom it next year when the "opt out" option is available to the owners and players.

If no one does anything really dumb in the next few months, this is essentially over. By next season it will be rarely mentioned and ultimately it will be a footnote to NFL history along the lines of "The Commissioner cracked down on widespread sideline and in-game rules violations by making an example of the league's premier franchise."

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

The end to this was incredibly abrupt. There will certainly be questions on the Pregames this Sunday as to WTF happened..

Nope. They are onto the next story, Donovan and his HBO interview.......

 

[tdw777]

".[/QUOTE]The tape was a clear indication that NE was doing the EXACT thing that the league told it not to.".[/QUOTE]. We know..no one is disputing this.

".[/QUOTE]The end to this was incredibly abrupt".[/QUOTE]. The end to this was Goodell fining BB and the Pats $750K and a 1st round pick, confirming that the taping had no bearing on the outcome of the game, directing the Pats to hand over all video recordings and notes of opposing team coaches hand signals..which they did.

 

[Bostonian1962]

On the contrary. The tape was a clear indication that NE was doing the EXACT thing that the league told it not to. Certainly, some wanted to SEE what was actually being recorded. Did your jaw not drop when FOX actually HAD the footage. Plain as day, focus on coaches, pan to scoreboard, repeat. It was right there for all to see. Definitive proof.

The end to this was incredibly abrupt. There will certainly be questions on the Pregames this Sunday as to WTF happened. And more ripping of the way in which Goodell "swept it under the rug".

It tells us everything we already knew, when you see other team's fans hate that nothing more was found, or done to the Patriots.

 

[spacecrime]

Add the fact that once people got a chance to see the tape, many reactions of "so whats the big deal?" made the whole matter look silly.

That was my thought. Whoever leaked the tape did the Pats a favor, IMO.

 

[spacecrime]

On the contrary. The tape was a clear indication that NE was doing the EXACT thing that the league told it not to.

It certainly was proof that the Pats did what they were told not to do, but it also showed that the Pats received nothing from the camera that they could not have gotten legally with a pair of binoculars.

That was the key. A sideline shot that often is shown on network TV, and a view of the scoreboard. That is supposed to account for the Pats winning three superbowls? No, I think the leaking helped the Patriots image a lot.