Brady Suspended 4 Games; Pats Docked 1st Round Pick

Amen brother...I'm totally with you there. It's called integrity...there's not enough of that stuff to go around.

 

Agree completely with what the NFL has done.

I think the punishment is perfect. It's an automatic 4 game suspension if a player uses performance enhancing drugs.
By intentionally deflating the balls Brady was also able to illegally enhance his performance.

The fact that members of the Patriots organization helped him enhance his performance and the Patriots refused to cooperate with investigators by allowing follow interviews with McNally.... while that shows the Patriots should also be penalized independently from Brady.

If it was proven that a member of an NFL organization assisted in a player taking PED's (re team doctor administered) then that team would certainly be penalized draft picks too (on top of player suspension).

 

Were the Panthers docked picks when their team doctor was giving PEDs the year that they went to the Super Bowl? I don't remember.

 

And if they were repeat offenders, what would the appropriate punishment be?

 

It comes off very shady that they suspended the equipment guys not fire them. I mean you would think if theyre blaming the guy who lines up the socks, jock straps and underwear in every locker is responsible for costing a first round pick, a 4th round pick, a million dollars and the franchise quarterback out four games, that is legitimate enough to fire their asses and even hire hitmen. instead Kraft is keeping them with a "suspension".

Hell modt teams would fire their equipment guys if they costed the franchise a 7th round pick.

 

IMO more sanctions should have happened from the filming during playoff practices than this deal.
That said I love them being docked a 1st round pick.

Is there a Statute of limitations for us filing a new complaint on snow plow gate?
Maybe we can get their 2nd rounder too!

 

IMO, their worst violation of the rules was having the 2nd mic in Brady's helmet, so they could talk to him anytime. Right up to the snap, and even after if they wanted to. I cannot believe that got swept under the rug.

 

Don Shula is still FURIOUS about that to this day, 33 years later. I love that man. LOL

 

They're the Patriots. Honestly, I've felt since 2001 with their "miracle run" to the Super Bowl that something fishy was going on. My friends and I talked about it then, thinking something was going on with PR, them being the Pats, after 9/11 and all of the close calls and officiating benefits they seemed to get.

Had it been a team like the Titans or Jaguars, without a powerful owner or a huge, wealthy fanbase, they'd have been hammered with epic sanctions, but Kraft has been buddy buddy with the comish's office since the 90s.

 

I've been beating this drum since day one. Even half-joked about these cheaters conducting covert operations. Which was met with some eye rolling. So years later someone finally writes this article:

Meet the ‘black ops’ man behind the Patriots’ success

Ernie Adams

"Adams has been with Patriots coach Bill Belichick since he took the Patriots job in 2000 after previously working with him with the Giants and Browns."

"He is believed to be the primary voice in Belichick’s headset on game day and is a constant presence at Patriots practice.

But even members of the Patriots are not quite sure what Adams actually does. Nor they are not willing to say."

"He does a lot, but I can’t tell you anything says offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo."
"I really don’t know what he does,” wide receiver Danny Amendola said." "I feel like deep down he might be the mad scientist behind all of this. I’d like to know."

"In Cleveland, (late)Browns owner Art Modell once said, “I’ll pay anyone here $10,000 if they can tell me what Ernie Adams does."

DeGuglielmo - "He goes back years and years in his research. Exactly what he does, I’m not at liberty to say."

http://nypost.com/2015/01/30/the-belichick-crony-who-secretly-runs-black-ops-for-patriots/

 

That entire playoff run was fueled in part by referees. From the "tuck rule" fumble that should have ended their miracle run, all the way to the missed intentional grounding in the final drive of the Superbowl that should have ended their miracle run.

 

"Research" Director.

 

That's some heavy stuff, man. Even the owner didn't know what he did? I'd never heard or read about him before.

 

It was mentioned in an article some time ago that he was suspected of being the engineer behind the helmet comms thing.

 

Heath Evans is a douche. http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-netwo...cuses-Patriots-of-foul-play-during-2008-match

 

Said anyone who has ever met Heath Evans, including his own mum.