From Spygate to Deflategate

[dogunwo]

Very interesting OTL article on espn. Definitely provides more insight to both scandals. It might make you hate the Patriots and the Commissioner more though.



Don Van Natta Jr.Seth Wickersham
This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's Sept. 28 Transactions Issue. Subscribe today!

His bosses were furious. Roger Goodell knew it. So on April 1, 2008, the NFL commissioner convened an emergency session of the league's spring meeting at The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach, Florida. Attendance was limited to each team's owner and head coach. A palpable anger and frustration had rumbled inside club front offices since the opening Sunday of the 2007 season. During the first half of the New England Patriots' game against the New York Jets at Giants Stadium, a 26-year-old Patriots video assistant named Matt Estrella had been caught on the sideline, illegally videotaping Jets coaches' defensive signals, beginning the scandal known as Spygate.

AMONG THE FINDINGS
• Deflategate is seen by some owners as a "makeup call" over Spygate.

• From 2000 to 2007, the Patriots videotaped the signals of opposing coaches in 40 games.

• Goodell's handling of Deflategate turned around owners still simmering over Spygate; some say he is now more secure in his job.
Behind closed doors, Goodell addressed what he called "the elephant in the room" and, according to sources at the meeting, turned over the floor to Robert Kraft. Then 66, the billionaire Patriots owner stood and apologized for the damage his team had done to the league and the public's confidence in pro football. Kraft talked about the deep respect he had for his 31 fellow owners and their shared interest in protecting the NFL's shield. Witnesses would later say Kraft's remarks were heartfelt, his demeanor chastened. For a moment, he seemed to well up.

Then the Patriots' coach, Bill Belichick, the cheating program's mastermind, spoke. He said he had merely misinterpreted a league rule, explaining that he thought it was legal to videotape opposing teams' signals as long as the material wasn't used in real time. Few in the room bought it. Belichick said he had made a mistake -- "my mistake."


http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/13533995/split-nfl-new-england-patriots-apart

 

[visionary]

It would not surprise me in the least if even with deflategate the whole punishment and it's over turning were a sham, an under the table deal between Goodall and Kraft and Pats

These 2 are in bed together and have been for a long time

Watch Kraft now come out in defense of Goodell (the great guy that he is ) and support his staying in office

 

[DallasEast]

Then the Patriots' coach, Bill Belichick, the cheating program's mastermind, spoke. He said he had merely misinterpreted a league rule, explaining that he thought it was legal to videotape opposing teams' signals as long as the material wasn't used in real time.

If true, Belichick's statement is laced with as much bull as Brady's claim that he could not sense the difference in pressure contained in footballs.

The countdown begins for the appearance of the New England Patriots Defense League in 3... 2... 1...

 

[EST_1986]

If true, Belichick's statement is laced with as much bull as Brady's claim that he could not sense the difference in pressure contained in footballs.

The countdown begins for the appearance of the New England Patriots Defense League in 3... 2... 1...

He will be here soon let him brew his coffee

 

[burmafrd]

that is what makes Berman's BS even more that. When you have ownership and management and coaching all saying no rule is exempt from breaking what do you think is going to happen? Talk about a criminal atmosphere.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

The Patriots are simply above the law.

And the other 31 owners have nobody to blame but themselves.

They could have forced Goodell to nip this in the bud and instead helped him cover it up.

I can understand some of the apprehension given the Tim Donaghy situation in the NBA which many thought was going to destroy the NBA.

But as the say, the coverup is always worse than the actual crime itself. They could have suspended Belichick from the league for at least 1 year, take away all of their draft picks. Make it so that teams will think "if we cheat, we could win a Super Bowl. But if we don't win the Super Bowl, cheating won't be worth it because of the penalties involved and there's no guarantee in winning a Super Bowl."

So if Jerry Jones knew about how bad SpyGate was, I hold him just as responsible as Goodell for covering it up. The same with the Steelers, the Packers and whatever organization everybody paints in a positive light.

And now they have created this mess where the Patriots should feel free to cheat as much as they can because nothing will be done about it.

Great job, geniuses.





YR

 

[Crown Royal]

The political nature of NFL Ownership is so intriguing. It reads like Game of Thrones - you have a King holding to gether a slew of 32 Houses with varying degrees of influence, prosperity and resource.

Goodell is currently playing the part of the mad king.

"Burn it. Burn it ALL."

 

[DallasEast]

The political nature of NFL Ownership is so intriguing. It reads like Game of Thrones - you have a King holding to gether a slew of 32 Houses with varying degrees of influence, prosperity and resource.

Goodell is currently playing the part of the mad king.

"Burn it. Burn it ALL."

I like this analogy. Can we envision Robert Kraft as Eddard Stark and Tom Brady as Robb Stark also?

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

If true, Belichick's statement is laced with as much bull as Brady's claim that he could not sense the difference in pressure contained in footballs.

The countdown begins for the appearance of the New England Patriots Defense League in 3... 2... 1...

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

The Patriots are simply above the law.

And the other 31 owners have nobody to blame but themselves.

They could have forced Goodell to nip this in the bud and instead helped him cover it up.

I can understand some of the apprehension given the Tim Donaghy situation in the NBA which many thought was going to destroy the NBA.

But as the say, the coverup is always worse than the actual crime itself. They could have suspended Belichick from the league for at least 1 year, take away all of their draft picks. Make it so that teams will think "if we cheat, we could win a Super Bowl. But if we don't win the Super Bowl, cheating won't be worth it because of the penalties involved and there's no guarantee in winning a Super Bowl."

So if Jerry Jones knew about how bad SpyGate was, I hold him just as responsible as Goodell for covering it up. The same with the Steelers, the Packers and whatever organization everybody paints in a positive light.

And now they have created this mess where the Patriots should feel free to cheat as much as they can because nothing will be done about it.

Great job, geniuses.





YR

I agree with most. Not the jerry part though.

 

[Crown Royal]

I like this analogy. Can we envision Robert Kraft as Eddard Stark and Tom Brady as Robb Stark also?

No. The Starks are the good guys. Belichek is Tywin Lannister, Kraft is the Kingslayer (since he is now stabbing the Mad King) and Brady is Cersei.

Shame

Shame

Shame

 

[Crown Royal]

Also, the League's desire to protect itself has come up other times. The "punishment" against the Cowboys & Commanders was absolutely without cause, but neither Jones nor Snyder could do anything about it without exposing the entire league to collusion and anti-trust issues. The league losing its antitrust example would be a disaster.

The league office is currently designed to protect the financial interests of the aristocracy, or owners. And it will lead to consequences.

 

[Crown Royal]

It didn't matter that Berman only ruled on whether the league had followed the collective bargaining agreement, not on Brady's guilt or innocence. It didn't matter that the Patriots had accepted the league's punishment in May. For the second time in a less than a decade, in the eyes of some owners and executives, Goodell had the Patriots in his hands, and let them go. The league lost, again. The Patriots won, again. "In 20 years," says a coach of another team, "nobody will remember Deflategate."

It isn't completely accurate to say that they were let go the first time. The Pats were punished for Spygate - Belichick got fined half a million dollars, the team 250k and they lost a first round draft pick. The key is that the investigation was overly clandestine and had it been better the punishment could have been worse. But let's not pretend that there was any absolution - the Pats were guilty and admitted it. It's just the degree to how egregious their actions were.

I almost pity Goodell after reading this. It never really sunk in to me how his job is not to protect and grow football, or even the NFL, but that his job is to the 32 owners and to protect THEIR interests. When the league's premiere franchise is under investigation, I now do see that he was trying to do the right thing for the owners. But by embarassing himself and not holding that owner accountable, he will have fallen in his own political intrigue. That Kraft lifted him up was his blind spot, and everything since then he has been trying to make up for it. This crap is almost Shakesperean tragedy.

 

[visionary]

I like this analogy. Can we envision Robert Kraft as Eddard Stark and Tom Brady as Robb Stark also?

No way, Eddard Stark was a "good and honorable man". Kraft is a crook and a weasel

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I agree with most. Not the jerry part though.

He sat idly by and supported Goodell when he ordered the evidence destroyed. I hold all 31 owners responsible like accomplices after the fact.

It's embarrassing that the owners could be fooled by Kraft. Yeah...he feels real 'sorry' when his team had won 3 Super Bowls in that time. I'm certain Kraft got out of that meeting and had a good laugh over it.

I guess you have to give kudos for him being such a skillful con man.




YR

 

[burmafrd]

I AM wondering how the owners are now feeling about this- the other 31. Does Kraft realize that if they want to they can make him really regret all this?

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

He sat idly by and supported Goodell when he ordered the evidence destroyed. I hold all 31 owners responsible like accomplices after the fact.

It's embarrassing that the owners could be fooled by Kraft. Yeah...he feels real 'sorry' when his team had won 3 Super Bowls in that time. I'm certain Kraft got out of that meeting and had a good laugh over it.

I guess you have to give kudos for him being such a skillful con man.




YR

I hear ya... I just think it was a concerted "product" decision.

 

[erod]

Wow.

Disguising team employees to sneak into opposing locker rooms to steal the playsheets?

Seriously? And game tape shows New England's defense playing better early in games than later on as a result. That's interesting.

There's a storm gathering here.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I hear ya... I just think it was a concerted "product" decision.

Yeah, and look where it got them.

The Patriots cheated again and now the integrity of the product takes another big hit.

Harris Interactive Polls have asked over the last five years what was the most important thing for NFL fans and the winning answer has been the integrity of the product.

Not ticket prices, not player off the field issues, not concussions. Integrity of the product.

And each owner has played a role in hurting the integrity of the product.

I hate to say it, but this DeflateGate fiasco was deserved.





YR

 

[erod]

Interesting sidenote.

The guy that wrote this story is the same guy that wrote the Jerry story last summer.