Cheating in the NFL has neglible consequences

tony20009 · 05-11-2015, 07:03 PM

So I learned that the NFL has decided what penalties to levy against members of the NE Patriots football team in connection with "inflate-gate:"

Tom Brady --> four game suspension in 2015
NE Patriots -- > $1,000,000

The NFL, last I heard, haven't doled out the penalty to the individual(s) who actually deflated the balls.

Four game suspension and $1M? Really? That's it?

Sure, to individuals who don't measure their net worth in the hundreds of millions or more, even most likely to Tom Brady, $1M is a huge sum. To a $2.6 billion team, it's "chump change," at least when it's the sum levied as a penalty for cheating. After all, for a $2B+ organization/company, $1M is a small enough sum to just count it as part of the cost of doing business. (http://www.ibtimes.com/tom-brady-sta...triots-1799880)

The NFL, Robert Kraft, and Mr. Brady should all be ashamed of themselves!

The NFL for tacitly sending the message that if one can afford it, cheating is okay. Also for not, upon discovering the irregularity, having stripped the Patriots of their conference win and denying them the right to play in the Superbowl. There is simply no way the balls, 11 of 12 of them, could have have all been accidentally two pounds under-inflated.
Mr. Kraft for establishing a "tone at the top" that fails to create a culture of high enough integrity that nobody in the organization would cheat to advance his organization's fortunes.
Mr. Brady for not reporting that there was an irregularity the instant he noticed his grip on the ball was better than it would have been were the balls filled with two pounds more pressure. That man throws footballs for a living; there's no way he couldn't have noticed.

This is a sad day for professional football. It's not sad because there was cheating. Cheating is nothing new and individuals will attempt to cheat if they think they can get away with it. It's sad, because for all intents and purposes, the people who are the stars of the Patriots organization -- the owner and the lead quarterback -- have effectively gotten away with it in spite of it being clear that cheating happened.

All the best.

Edit:
FWIW, I am not an NFL football fan of any sort. I root for the Redskins if they are doing well or appear to be. That said, for the past 20+ years, the Skins have done so poorly that I haven't watched them or any other team play. I don't know if that makes a diehard Skins fan or a sometimey fan, but either way, for me, it's the Skins or nobody. I did not watch the 2015 Super Bowl.
- T

rr006rbc · 05-11-2015, 07:08 PM

I agree with everything stated above. The punishment was nowhere near what it should have been after investigation. Stripping the Patriots of their superbowl title would have sufficed. The millions of revenue the team came up with for winning the championship dwarfs the $1M they just lost off the fine.

1MOREMOD · 05-11-2015, 07:13 PM

Not pretty but way of the world. Don't get to the top cleanly.

tony20009 · 05-11-2015, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rr006rbc

I agree with everything stated above. The punishment was nowhere near what it should have been after investigation. Stripping the Patriots of their superbowl title would have sufficed. The millions of revenue the team came up with for winning the championship dwarfs the $1M they just lost off the fine.

Frankly, were I part of the group that determined the penalties, I would have suspended the Patriots from playing in the 2016 season. Unfortunately, the team owners in the NFL are a chums and nothing can be done that they don't approve of. I would bet money that the penalty is so light because every one of those other owners wouldn't want super stiff sanctions levied upon them were their teams found to have cheated. I wonder therefor if the under-inflated balls aren't the only form of dishonesty going on.

It's a damn shame that what is supposed to be a game is more about money and business than it is about sport.

All the best.

infamousdiz · 05-11-2015, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rr006rbc

I agree with everything stated above. The punishment was nowhere near what it should have been after investigation. Stripping the Patriots of their superbowl title would have sufficed. The millions of revenue the team came up with for winning the championship dwarfs the $1M they just lost off the fine.

2blu · 05-11-2015, 10:20 PM

Im a Giants fan, hate the pats and Tom Brady and I think the penalty imposed fits the crime. I mean it's not like they were caught bribing referees or doing anything that could significantly alter the course of a game. An under inflated football doesn't win you a game. Does it help ? Sure. But it doesn't win you a game or a championship.

They lost their starting QB for 1/4 of the season and lost a first round and fourth round pick. That's significant in today's the NFL.

Aaron Rodgers has said he bends the rules about football inflation, preferring them as close or over the maximum limit, yet no investigation has been launched or have penalties been imposed.

True honesty is rare in sports at any level, let alone the pros where millions of dollars are at stake, teams will try to get any edge they can get. The Pats got caught and they were accordingly penalized, end of story.

ShocknAwe · 05-11-2015, 10:37 PM

"Excuse me. Excuse me. I believe this ball is slightly deflated."

Said no quarterback ever. Get the ball, play the ball.

What a whiney bitch.

Want to get on someone for not noticing and rectifying the situation? Get on the referees. Get on the equipment crews. Oh no, lets blame the Evil Empire of the NE Pats. Mastermind cheaters at sports with a slight pressure drop on balls handled literally hundreds of times by referees through the game. F off.

tony20009 · 05-11-2015, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

"Excuse me. Excuse me. I believe this ball is slightly deflated."

Said no quarterback ever. Get the ball, play the ball.

What a whiney bitch.

Want to get on someone for not noticing and rectifying the situation? Get on the referees. Get on the equipment crews. Oh no, lets blame the Evil Empire of the NE Pats. Mastermind cheaters at sports with a slight pressure drop on balls handled literally hundreds of times by referees through the game. F off.

Red:
Well, has there been evidence before that a clear reason to have done so existed?

Blue:
Fair enough, to a point. That they all may have had opportunity to have said and done something isn't beyond plausibility. Indeed, the most plausible explanation of who deflated the balls would be, IMO, someone on the equipment crew, so I hardly think they would have come forward. Yet, I suppose a member of that crew other than the one or two who partook in the deflation may have been in a position to have noticed. Be that as it may, the QB without a doubt would have noticed and, noticing, honor would dictate that he speak up.

All the best.

tony20009 · 05-12-2015, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2blu

Im a Giants fan, hate the pats and Tom Brady and I think the penalty imposed fits the crime. I mean it's not like they were caught bribing referees or doing anything that could significantly alter the course of a game. An under inflated football doesn't win you a game. Does it help ? Sure. But it doesn't win you a game or a championship.

They lost their starting QB for 1/4 of the season and lost a first round and fourth round pick. That's significant in today's the NFL.

Aaron Rodgers has said he bends the rules about football inflation, preferring them as close or over the maximum limit, yet no investigation has been launched or have penalties been imposed.

True honesty is rare in sports at any level, let alone the pros where millions of dollars are at stake, teams will try to get any edge they can get. The Pats got caught and they were accordingly penalized, end of story.

Perhaps it is. Can you point to anything that quantifies the cost of those two additional penalties? I can't. I also cannot help but wonder just how significant those two things might be to a team that won the Superbowl. Do they not have a strong enough team to weather those two things?

After all, next season, NE need only make it to the playoffs. I think that so long as they do that, having their star QB back in the lineup at that time along with being the prior year's Bowl-winning team, they will nonetheless have a very fine chance at winning their conference and advancing to the 2016 Bowl.

All the best.

infamousdiz · 05-12-2015, 07:21 AM

Since my other post was deleted

.....Tom Brady is a hero and in celebration of being a fan of watching the best to ever do it I am buying my kids more TB12 gear.

Vacate a super bowl, ( because they didn't play with regular balls in that game?) ( its all about the money (of course it is)

Give me a break! Most who want to punish the patriots are blinded by hate for a franchise who has the blue print to wining. A real NFL fan would cut their leg off for TB to be their QB.

infamousdiz · 05-12-2015, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2blu

Im a Giants fan, hate the pats and Tom Brady and I think the penalty imposed fits the crime. .

You "hate" the pats but you are okay with the penalty.....You sound very unbiased and I am sure you are looking at this fair, diplomatically.

there is no real competitive advantage with a .5 less psi ball.... He broke a silly rule... A rule non the less it should be one game only and just a Fine for the pats.. A first round pick is huge blow, way over the top

Delta0311 · 05-12-2015, 08:03 AM

We should have a congressional inquiry. Kind of like they did when they went after baseball players for juicing because some how a bunch of guys shooting roids and swinging a bat became a matter of national security.

ShocknAwe · 05-12-2015, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tony20009

Red:
Well, has there been evidence before that a clear reason to have done so existed?

Blue:
Fair enough, to a point. That they all may have had opportunity to have said and done something isn't beyond plausibility. Indeed, the most plausible explanation of who deflated the balls would be, IMO, someone on the equipment crew, so I hardly think they would have come forward. Yet, I suppose a member of that crew other than the one or two who partook in the deflation may have been in a position to have noticed. Be that as it may, the QB without a doubt would have noticed and, noticing, honor would dictate that he speak up.

All the best.

Point is lots of people came in contact with it and no one said anything.

Haywood · 05-12-2015, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infamousdiz

Since my other post was deleted

.....Tom Brady is a hero and in celebration of being a fan of watching the best to ever do it I am buying my kids more TB12 gear.

Vacate a super bowl, ( because they didn't play with regular balls in that game?) ( its all about the money (of course it is)

Give me a break! Most who want to punish the patriots are blinded by hate for a franchise who has the blue print to wining. A real NFL fan would cut their leg off for TB to be their QB.

It's a typical Pats fan response. Nobody questions the talent of Brady and the genius of Belicheck. But, the culture that has been built is one of arrogance and win at all cost. They broke the rules now twice (that we know of) in the playoffs to gain a competitive advantage. Would the Colts won the game? No, I don't think so. But, why cheat to win? And then, to make it worse, he covers up the incident, doesn't turn over evidence to the NFL, and makes 2 guys take the fall for his actions. It's cowardly and beyond despicable.

It is a joke that they are allowed to keep all the wins after being caught cheating. This is a slap in a wrist and nobody will care after the season starts. I do hope this tarnishes Brady's reputation like to did to A-Rod and others in baseball. But, Pats fan can't ever be objective and stop looking through rose colored glasses.

2blu · 05-12-2015, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infamousdiz

You "hate" the pats but you are okay with the penalty.....You sound very unbiased and I am sure you are looking at this fair, diplomatically.

there is no real competitive advantage with a .5 less psi ball.... He broke a silly rule... A rule non the less it should be one game only and just a Fine for the pats.. A first round pick is huge blow, way over the top

People that hate the pats are kicking and screaming that the penalties weren't harsh enough. Whether I hate the pats or not, and no matter which other team would have been caught doing the same, I would think that this punishment fits the crime.

2blu · 05-12-2015, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tony20009

Perhaps it is. Can you point to anything that quantifies the cost of those two additional penalties? I can't. I also cannot help but wonder just how significant those two things might be to a team that won the Superbowl. Do they not have a strong enough team to weather those two things?

After all, next season, NE need only make it to the playoffs. I think that so long as they do that, having their star QB back in the lineup at that time along with being the prior year's Bowl-winning team, they will nonetheless have a very fine chance at winning their conference and advancing to the 2016 Bowl.

All the best.

It is hard to quantify the loss of draft picks, just as hard as it is to quantify the effects of an under inflated football on the outcome of a game. The Patriots are contenders and all this does is make it harder for them to make it to the post season.

Brady refused to cooperate with the investigation and broke the rules to have an edge, he sits for 4 games. The Patriots were seemingly aware that the balls were under inflated, they get a fine and the loss of two draft picks. It's hard to agree on what a fair punishment might be, as we can see. Some claim that no punishment was needed while others are asking for bans, suspensions and vacating super bowls.

Franchises and players alike try to get an edge in all professional sports, some get caught, most don't.

carzaddict · 05-12-2015, 10:11 AM

the penalty is bullshit as stated before....$1mil is NOTHING.

honestly i wouldnt be surprised if they knew about this from before the superbowl but wanted to keep the show going for monetary reasons

what would have been a more realistic punishment? disqualify NE from the superbowl and have someone else play. what hurts more than losing a superbowl? NOT BEING IN ONE........that'll teach them a lesson

E90SLAM · 05-12-2015, 10:51 AM

I'm not a football fan, can someone explain why the teams get to possess the gaming balls for the entire season?

Why not the NFL and referee govern all the gaming balls and supply them at kick-off? Like most other sports do?

If any ball is "deflated", then both teams gets the same benefit.

UncleWede · 05-12-2015, 10:59 AM

How did Belichik get out totally unscathed?

"A Liar, a murderer, and a cheater walk into a bar. . .

The Patriots must be in town"

finaloption · 05-12-2015, 11:03 AM

man, I hope they reduce it to 3 games so the Cowboys still gotta face him LOL

suspenceful · 05-12-2015, 11:19 AM

Haven't combed through every response, but I wanted to comment.

The two ballhandlers that were in control of the ball pressure were suspended indefinitely. Last I read, there were text messages between Tom Brady and the official ballhandlers that suggested he knew very well what was going on. In the end, the $1M penalty isn't enough for the team.

eric@helix · 05-12-2015, 11:38 AM

The New England guy defends the cheating and all of the rest are outraged. Surprised? The NFL has no integrity, so what did you expect? Goodell and NFL corporate are stooges for the owners, and Kraft is the alpha owner, Brady is the biggest brand within the league. I was actually impressed with the severity of the penalty based upon who cheated. Can you imagine what the punishment would be if it had been Michael Vick who was caught cheating?

05-11-2015, 07:03 PM	#1
tony20009 Major General 1073 Rep 5,660 Posts Drives: BMW 335i - Coupe Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Washington, DC iTrader: (0)	Cheating in the NFL has neglible consequences So I learned that the NFL has decided what penalties to levy against members of the NE Patriots football team in connection with "inflate-gate:" Tom Brady --> four game suspension in 2015 NE Patriots -- > $1,000,000 The NFL, last I heard, haven't doled out the penalty to the individual(s) who actually deflated the balls. Four game suspension and $1M? Really? That's it? Sure, to individuals who don't measure their net worth in the hundreds of millions or more, even most likely to Tom Brady, $1M is a huge sum. To a $2.6 billion team, it's "chump change," at least when it's the sum levied as a penalty for cheating. After all, for a $2B+ organization/company, $1M is a small enough sum to just count it as part of the cost of doing business. (http://www.ibtimes.com/tom-brady-sta...triots-1799880) The NFL, Robert Kraft, and Mr. Brady should all be ashamed of themselves! The NFL for tacitly sending the message that if one can afford it, cheating is okay. Also for not, upon discovering the irregularity, having stripped the Patriots of their conference win and denying them the right to play in the Superbowl. There is simply no way the balls, 11 of 12 of them, could have have all been accidentally two pounds under-inflated. Mr. Kraft for establishing a "tone at the top" that fails to create a culture of high enough integrity that nobody in the organization would cheat to advance his organization's fortunes. Mr. Brady for not reporting that there was an irregularity the instant he noticed his grip on the ball was better than it would have been were the balls filled with two pounds more pressure. That man throws footballs for a living; there's no way he couldn't have noticed. This is a sad day for professional football. It's not sad because there was cheating. Cheating is nothing new and individuals will attempt to cheat if they think they can get away with it. It's sad, because for all intents and purposes, the people who are the stars of the Patriots organization -- the owner and the lead quarterback -- have effectively gotten away with it in spite of it being clear that cheating happened. All the best. Edit: FWIW, I am not an NFL football fan of any sort. I root for the Redskins if they are doing well or appear to be. That said, for the past 20+ years, the Skins have done so poorly that I haven't watched them or any other team play. I don't know if that makes a diehard Skins fan or a sometimey fan, but either way, for me, it's the Skins or nobody. I did not watch the 2015 Super Bowl. - T __________________ Cheers, Tony ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ '07, e92 335i, *Sparkling Graphite, Coral Leather, Aluminum, 6-speed* Last edited by tony20009; 05-12-2015 at 12:21 AM..
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05-11-2015, 07:08 PM	#2
rr006rbc Colonel 1205 Rep 2,818 Posts Drives: '23 M440i GC Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: California iTrader: (38)	I agree with everything stated above. The punishment was nowhere near what it should have been after investigation. Stripping the Patriots of their superbowl title would have sufficed. The millions of revenue the team came up with for winning the championship dwarfs the $1M they just lost off the fine.
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05-11-2015, 07:13 PM	#3
1MOREMOD - 11818 Rep 23,186 Posts Drives: Race car-> Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: check your mirrors iTrader: (5)	Not pretty but way of the world. Don't get to the top cleanly.
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05-11-2015, 10:20 PM	#6
2blu Captain 201 Rep 923 Posts Drives: 540i XDrive ///M Sport Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Montreal iTrader: (1)	Im a Giants fan, hate the pats and Tom Brady and I think the penalty imposed fits the crime. I mean it's not like they were caught bribing referees or doing anything that could significantly alter the course of a game. An under inflated football doesn't win you a game. Does it help ? Sure. But it doesn't win you a game or a championship. They lost their starting QB for 1/4 of the season and lost a first round and fourth round pick. That's significant in today's the NFL. Aaron Rodgers has said he bends the rules about football inflation, preferring them as close or over the maximum limit, yet no investigation has been launched or have penalties been imposed. True honesty is rare in sports at any level, let alone the pros where millions of dollars are at stake, teams will try to get any edge they can get. The Pats got caught and they were accordingly penalized, end of story.
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05-11-2015, 10:37 PM	#7
ShocknAwe 1Addict 3552 Rep 8,121 Posts Drives: E82, E70, 991.1 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charleston iTrader: (22)	"Excuse me. Excuse me. I believe this ball is slightly deflated." Said no quarterback ever. Get the ball, play the ball. What a whiney bitch. Want to get on someone for not noticing and rectifying the situation? Get on the referees. Get on the equipment crews. Oh no, lets blame the Evil Empire of the NE Pats. Mastermind cheaters at sports with a slight pressure drop on balls handled literally hundreds of times by referees through the game. F off. __________________ Build: 1er Project8 Hauler: M57 Truck Daily: 991.1 GTS
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05-12-2015, 07:21 AM	#10
infamousdiz Major 608 Rep 1,206 Posts Drives: (17 X5M)gone 2018M3CS HERE Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Connecticut iTrader: (1)	Since my other post was deleted .....Tom Brady is a hero and in celebration of being a fan of watching the best to ever do it I am buying my kids more TB12 gear. Vacate a super bowl, ( because they didn't play with regular balls in that game?) ( its all about the money (of course it is) Give me a break! Most who want to punish the patriots are blinded by hate for a franchise who has the blue print to wining. A real NFL fan would cut their leg off for TB to be their QB. __________________ I didn't know I couldn't do that. But I did know I couldn't do that.
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05-12-2015, 08:03 AM	#12
Delta0311 Banned 7484 Rep 10,119 Posts Drives: 2011 BMW 335xi E92 2016 228xi Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: NJ iTrader: (1)	We should have a congressional inquiry. Kind of like they did when they went after baseball players for juicing because some how a bunch of guys shooting roids and swinging a bat became a matter of national security.
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05-12-2015, 10:11 AM	#17
carzaddict Lieutenant Colonel 162 Rep 1,574 Posts Drives: 2015 Cadillac Escalade ESV Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: NJ iTrader: (0)	the penalty is bullshit as stated before....$1mil is NOTHING. honestly i wouldnt be surprised if they knew about this from before the superbowl but wanted to keep the show going for monetary reasons what would have been a more realistic punishment? disqualify NE from the superbowl and have someone else play. what hurts more than losing a superbowl? NOT BEING IN ONE........that'll teach them a lesson __________________ 2015i Cadillac Escalade ESV
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05-12-2015, 10:51 AM	#18
E90SLAM Supreme Allied Commander 2002 Rep 61,781 Posts Drives: A BBS WHORE Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: . iTrader: (6) Garage List 2022 BMW X3 sDrive30i [0.00]	I'm not a football fan, can someone explain why the teams get to possess the gaming balls for the entire season? Why not the NFL and referee govern all the gaming balls and supply them at kick-off? Like most other sports do? If any ball is "deflated", then both teams gets the same benefit. __________________
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05-12-2015, 10:59 AM	#19
UncleWede Long Time Admirer, First Time Owner 18404 Rep 9,420 Posts Drives: G01 X3 M40i Dark Graphite Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Oxnard, CA iTrader: (0)	How did Belichik get out totally unscathed? "A Liar, a murderer, and a cheater walk into a bar. . . The Patriots must be in town"
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05-12-2015, 11:03 AM	#20
finaloption Captain 189 Rep 632 Posts Drives: '13 f30 n26 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: NYC iTrader: (0)	man, I hope they reduce it to 3 games so the Cowboys still gotta face him LOL
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05-12-2015, 11:19 AM	#21
suspenceful Major 1053 Rep 1,264 Posts Drives: 2015 M3, 2008 135i, 2009 335i Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: WI iTrader: (9)	Haven't combed through every response, but I wanted to comment. The two ballhandlers that were in control of the ball pressure were suspended indefinitely. Last I read, there were text messages between Tom Brady and the official ballhandlers that suggested he knew very well what was going on. In the end, the $1M penalty isn't enough for the team. __________________ 750whp 135i Build \| Budget 335i Build \| F80 M3 Build 🎬 YouTube channel (35K+ subs): youtube.com/jakespence135 📷 Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/jakespence 🏁 Shop BMW merchandise: bimmerstreet.com
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05-12-2015, 11:38 AM	#22
eric@helix 213 Rep 1,161 Posts Drives: 01 M Coupe, 08 135i, '12 328i Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Philadelphia iTrader: (0)	The New England guy defends the cheating and all of the rest are outraged. Surprised? The NFL has no integrity, so what did you expect? Goodell and NFL corporate are stooges for the owners, and Kraft is the alpha owner, Brady is the biggest brand within the league. I was actually impressed with the severity of the penalty based upon who cheated. Can you imagine what the punishment would be if it had been Michael Vick who was caught cheating?
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