Wells Conclusion: Guilty

[JoeyBoy718]

Suspending a player is a lot harder than just taking a draft pick or fining a team. Players actually have more rights to appeal than a team would and they are represented by their union. I expect 1 game but anything more than 2 would be a stretch. I mean, you only get 4 games for PED's. They aren't going to give 8 games for balls being 1 PSI low.

Wasn't hard for Hardy.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

It really is. If people honestly cared about "the integrity of the game" then they would want all teams treated equally by the league instead of holding 1 team to a standard much higher than all the rest.

How can you sleep at night being a die-hard fan of two teams? Honestly. I'd ask you who you cheer for more but I don't want to know.

 

[SultanOfSix]

I haven't read through all seventeen pages, but didn't Goodell use the rebuke "ignorance is no excuse" after suspending Sean Peyton for a year? Well Mr. Bellicheat, "ignorance is no excuse."

 

[sacase]

An analogy I gave some time ago, which remains perfectly accurate, is that (like you say above) this is the equivalent of a speeding ticket. You don't send someone to jail for 10 years for doing 75 in a 65 zone just because they happened to be driving a Lamborghini while doing it.

No but if you get your 10th speeding ticket in your lambo, you will loose your license perminently.

 

[BoysFan4ever]

I haven't read through all seventeen pages, but didn't Goodell use the rebuke "ignorance is no excuse" after suspending Sean Peyton for a year? Well Mr. Bellicheat, "ignorance is no excuse."

Someone posted that that's exactly what the commish said.

 

[sacase]

Even worse, they didn't just sit there coyly saying nothing. They looked into the camera and denied it. Repeatdly. They covered it up. They lied to the public about the fact that they were cheating.

What's even funnier, I posted this article:

http://www.statementanalysis.com/deflategate/

and was told

I'll take hard facts turned up by Ted Wells before I worry about some psycho-babble, thank you very much.

Guess my psycho babble was pretty dang accurate huh? LOL

Man there are sooooo many choice comments we could pull up, it would be a thread in its own right.

 

[dogberry]

What does the appeal process look like?

 

[ConstantReboot]

This is the sort of comment that I can't help but laugh at.

Seriously. The balls were roughly 1 PSI lower than they should have been. Do you honestly see that as comparable to a team putting in place a process by which the players are systematically encouraged and rewarded for deliberately injuring rival players?

Now tell me which player was injured due to bountygate? Where on film can you show me where a Saints deliberately injured anyone because of bountygate?

 

[Rogah]

Now tell me which player was injured due to bountygate? Where on film can you show me where a Saints deliberately injured anyone because of bountygate?

I am not going to argue the facts of bountygate in this thread. They did it, they deserved to be punished, and they were.

I'd say it is apples and oranges to compare deliberately injuring opponents to balls being 1 PSI under, but "apples and oranges" isn't accurate enough. It's more like apples and elephants.

 

[muck4doo]

This is the sort of comment that I can't help but laugh at.

Seriously. The balls were roughly 1 PSI lower than they should have been. Do you honestly see that as comparable to a team putting in place a process by which the players are systematically encouraged and rewarded for deliberately injuring rival players?

 

[Tabascocat]

This only makes me wonder what other cheats that these guys have done. I know there are more.............

 

[big dog cowboy]

This only makes me wonder what other cheats that these guys have done. I know there are more.............

I've often wondered the same thing.

 

[ConstantReboot]

I am not going to argue the facts of bountygate in this thread. They did it, they deserved to be punished, and they were.

I'd say it is apples and oranges to compare deliberately injuring opponents to balls being 1 PSI under, but "apples and oranges" isn't accurate enough. It's more like apples and elephants.

I'm sticking with what I said. No one ever got hurt because of Bountygate. It was nothing more than a elaborate witch hunt that was sensationalized by the media.

But thats not my point.

Patriots got caught cheating fair and square. Tom Brady was the culprit. As with Bountygate, Vilma was the main culprit as well and was the only one that offered money to take someone out. Why then was Peyton and the entire team was punished?

Bountygate is not cheating. Trying to injure someone on the field is not considered cheating. If thats the case why wasn't Suh suspended?

What the Patriots did was cheating. They knew the rules and decided on their own accord that they were going to do something beneficial to one player. Thus the entire organization should be punished accordingly.

Patriots have cheated before. I think they deserve worst punishment than the Saints. I hope they get what they deserve.

 

[Nightman]

I'm sticking with what I said. No one ever got hurt because of Bountygate. It was nothing more than a elaborate witch hunt that was sensationalized by the media.

But thats not my point.

Patriots got caught cheating fair and square. Tom Brady was the culprit. As with Bountygate, Vilma was the main culprit as well and was the only one that offered money to take someone out. Why then was Peyton and the entire team was punished?

Bountygate is not cheating. Trying to injure someone on the field is not considered cheating. If thats the case why wasn't Suh suspended?

What the Patriots did was cheating. They knew the rules and decided on their own accord that they were going to do something beneficial to one player. Thus the entire organization should be punished accordingly.

Patriots have cheated before. I think they deserve worst punishment than the Saints. I hope they get what they deserve.

Just for liability's sake they had to come down hard on Bountygate. If someone got hurt and the NFL had looked the other way it would be 10s to 100s of millions in a lawsuit.

 

[Rogah]

Just for liability's sake they had to come down hard on Bountygate. If someone got hurt and the NFL had looked the other way it would be 10s to 100s of millions in a lawsuit.

It would probably be even more than that. The NFL at that time was being sued for billions. They know that if they ever turned a blind eye to systematic attempts to injure players, then they might have to explain it in court one day.

 

[BringBackThatOleTimeBoys]

What is a cheater?

A workable definition is someone that will do anything for an advantage. Make up stuff - ignore other stuff.

Some of the most vitriolic Patriot detractors do just that on their posts - they break the rules of common discussion.

Choose you enemies carefully....you tend to resemble your worst enemy.

The morality of the members taking a stand against cheating is underwhelming - I saw a thread here recently: "Single wanting to see Married Woman" If you have been here recently, you know which thread.

Then there are other threads urging the Cowboys to sign/reinstate players that have hurt or killed others. It's happened so often this appeared in The Onion > http://www.theonion.com/article/dallas-cowboys-honored-for-helping-reintegrate-cri-38303

My issue with this hate is not if the Patriots have broken rules, but why no screaming at teams that have done worse (plenty), or rage as if this is a divisional rival?

This is not like steroids abuse, or even the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. Seriously, the Patriots success the past 15 years is simply systematic cheating? If he was on the market there would not be a B-line to hire Belichick or Brady? I definitely remember members (not me or Rogah) wishing they were here instead of Garrett or Romo.

In the 103 days Ted Wells investigated the Patriots, don't you think he could have talked to people all over the league and come up with a list of dozens of cheating incidents? Why not? Come on - some of you have sworn it's so. Why didn't Wells come up with the goods? Yeah, some of you will weasel out of this one with the NFL is corrupt....some of you have said Hardy got suspended so long because Mara has bought Goodell....the owner of the team that beat the Patriots twice the last five years. Denial is the stiffest drink of all.

I get being a fan of the Cowboys or any other team win or lose, but cheating with the facts?

Steelers used steroids, Broncos, Commanders, and Cowboys broke the salary cap in ways more seriously than deflating footballs. Johnson knew some of his players were using drugs at some of the parties and took a blind eye. I know - I know....dismiss these facts because you don't like them. Then make up whatever you want.

 

[DallasCowboys2080]

WELL WELL WELL! Look at what we have here! Deflectgate in Deflategate

 

[BringBackThatOleTimeBoys]

I fully expect to be misquoted as always

 

[ConstantReboot]

Just for liability's sake they had to come down hard on Bountygate. If someone got hurt and the NFL had looked the other way it would be 10s to 100s of millions in a lawsuit.

But nothing came of it. There was talk that the coaches wanted to hurt players. But thats about it. The media took it to another level saying a lot of things that weren't true. I still remember when Brees tweeted about this whole thing as a witch hunt. I think he was right.

But thats besides the point. I say they should be giving the same or worst punishment to the Patriots. Of course Payton didn't know and I believe him. I'm not so sure that Bellicheat knew or not. I'm betting that he knows a lot more cheating going on and it doesn't only pertain to deflated balls.

 

[muck4doo]

I fully expect to be misquoted as always

Your quote speaks enough for itself. When did the Cowboys ever get caught cheating the cap? Don't you ever equate my team with known cheaters just because, "oh we must be as bad..." Admins, can you make a dislike button?