Atlanta Falcons lose 2016 pick

[waving monkey]

The Atlanta Falcons have been punished for pumping in crowd noise to their stadium.

The NFL fined the Falcons $350,000 and the franchise will forfeit their fifth-round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, the league announced Monday. President Rich McKay will also be suspended for at least three months from the Competition Committee beginning April 1.

As the chairman of the Competition Committee, McKay is one of the most influential executives in the NFL -- as evidenced by his large role in the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix. The suspension serves notice to any other teams trying to use crowd noise to their advantage.

The NFL found former Falcons director of event marketing, Roddy White, directly responsible for the violation. According to the league, McKay was unaware of the team piping in crowd noise:

link/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...falcons-lose-2016-pick-for-pumping-fake-noise

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

 

[Bungarian]

Didn't the skins do this all the time?

 

[AzorAhai]

Browns also fined, yet nothing on the Patriots, who directly affected the playing conditions on the field. If that's not playing favorites, what is?

 

[MonsterD]

Roddy White is their director of event marketing?

Ah so he was

Yes, he is a real person. Yes, there were two Roddy Whites who worked for the Falcons. Yes, that is odd.

http://********.com/falcons-get-fined-lose-pick-fire-guy-named-roddy-whit-1694545934
above says D EADSPIN

 

[Seven]

Un-*****-beleiveable. And the patriots can kick the NFL in the stones time and time again with zero retribution?

This whole "league" is getting laughable.

What's next.....Brady gets a Caddy and Tony gets his knee caps busted?

 

[Hoofbite]

So, basically no fine at all?

$350K and a 5th rounder?

Taking late round picks is a waste of time. They should move a higher pick to the end of the round. Not that it will really deter that much more, but having a 1st or 2nd round pick lose 20-some slots is a hell of a lot more painful than losing a 5th round pick.

 

[AdamJT13]

I'm convinced the Vikings did the same thing during the 1998-99 NFC Championship Game at the Metrodome.

 

[AdamJT13]

So, basically no fine at all?

$350K and a 5th rounder?

Taking late round picks is a waste of time. They should move a higher pick to the end of the round. Not that it will really deter that much more, but having a 1st or 2nd round pick lose 20-some slots is a **** of a lot more painful than losing a 5th round pick.

They have the eighth overall pick. Dropping them from eighth to ninth would be more of a penalty than losing their fifth-round pick.

 

[MRV52]

What about the Patriots. Nothing?

 

[Rogah]

Browns also fined, yet nothing on the Patriots, who directly affected the playing conditions on the field. If that's not playing favorites, what is?

How is that playing favorites? The Falcons were guilty and they even admitted it. The Patriots, meanwhile, have a 2+ month independent investigation ongoing just to find out what in the heck happened.

BTW, how is pumped in crowd noise *not* considered "affecting playing conditions on the field" in your book?

 

[Longboysfan]

Didn't the skins do this all the time?

No. They pay fans to come in and cheer for the team each week.

 

[AzorAhai]

How is that playing favorites? The Falcons were guilty and they even admitted it. The Patriots, meanwhile, have a 2+ month independent investigation ongoing just to find out what in the heck happened.

BTW, how is pumped in crowd noise *not* considered "affecting playing conditions on the field" in your book?

Lol an independent investigation huh? What kind of investigation is needed? The Patriots own personal balls were under inflated. The Colts weren't. Who cares who was behind it, they cheated and were caught. As far as playing conditions, the Patriots altered the most important tool in the game, directly affecting the play on the field. You know, the one the entire game is built around? I don't know how altering a football is even comparable to extra noise.

 

[DallasDW00ds0n]

Wow and the pats just keep cheating away

 

[BoysFan4ever]

Lol an independent investigation huh? What kind of investigation is needed? The Patriots own personal balls were under inflated. The Colts weren't. Who cares who was behind it, they cheated and were caught. As far as playing conditions, the Patriots altered the most important tool in the game, directly affecting the play on the field. You know, the one the entire game is built around? I don't know how altering a football is even comparable to extra noise.

It's not..

 

[Rogah]

Lol an independent investigation huh? What kind of investigation is needed?

An independent investigation is needed because I doubt any of us trust the tools in the NFL front office.

Please don't tell me you have faith that the NFL Front Office could have conducted a thorough, fair, and well-run investigation all on their own. I'd like to think there is no one so foolish on this board.

The Patriots own personal balls were under inflated. The Colts weren't. Who cares who was behind it, they cheated and were caught.

You don't know that. If the only thing behind the Patriots footballs being underinflated by a tick is the laws of physics, then they did nothing wrong.

As far as playing conditions, the Patriots altered the most important tool in the game, directly affecting the play on the field.

Again, you don't know that.

You know, the one the entire game is built around? I don't know how altering a football is even comparable to extra noise.

Yeah. Sure. Because crowd noise never impacts an opposing team. You never see false starts or anything like that as a result of crowd noise.

 

[AzorAhai]

An independent investigation is needed because I doubt any of us trust the tools in the NFL front office.

Please don't tell me you have faith that the NFL Front Office could have conducted a thorough, fair, and well-run investigation all on their own. I'd like to think there is no one so foolish on this board.
You don't know that. If the only thing behind the Patriots footballs being underinflated by a tick is the laws of physics, then they did nothing wrong.
Again, you don't know that.
Yeah. Sure. Because crowd noise never impacts an opposing team. You never see false starts or anything like that as a result of crowd noise.

So trust a team who is well known to push the limits to investigate themselves? Ok. By a tick? What reports have you been reading because from what I've seen, it was a lot more than a tick and more than physics would account for, especially when it wasn't even that cold. Crowd noise is played through every road game. How is something they prepare for the same as a team altering the most important piece of equipment for a competitive advantage even remotely close. Maybe it didn't affect the results of that game, but the fumble studies I've seen in regards to the Patriots tell a different story. There's no telling how long they did this without being caught and should be punished severely and swiftly.

 

[jimmy40]

The jealousy of the Patriots is just mind boggling.

 

[BoysFan4ever]

The jealousy of the Patriots is just mind boggling.

You confuse jealousy with dislike.

Like a few others on here.

I dislike them. Jealous? Nope.

I dislike the Giants too. Jealous? Nope.

See how that works?

 

[Rogah]

So trust a team who is well known to push the limits to investigate themselves?

Whuh huh? Where did I say that? I like having an independent investigator with no agenda.

I certainly trust an independent investigator a helluva lot more than the boobs in the NFL front office, don't you?

Ok. By a tick? What reports have you been reading because from what I've seen, it was a lot more than a tick and more than physics would account for, especially when it wasn't even that cold.

The most recent reports say it was "a few ticks" to 1 PSI under, which is certainly something that is low enough to be the result of the laws of physics.

Crowd noise is played through every road game. How is something they prepare for the same as a team altering the most important piece of equipment for a competitive advantage even remotely close. Maybe it didn't affect the results of that game, but the fumble studies I've seen in regards to the Patriots tell a different story. There's no telling how long they did this without being caught and should be punished severely and swiftly.

If the Falcons were accused of deflating footballs and the Patriots were accused of pumping in crowd noise, you would be talking about how silly football air pressure is, but how horrible, egregious an massive of an offense the crowd noise thing is.

You know I'm right. You won't admit it, but you know I'm right.