[sek929]

Kraft has very limited options for going about doing that, and none of them are pretty.

[The Final Dakar]

https://twitter.com/ESPNNFL/status/6...rc=twsrc%5Etfw

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by sek929 

Kraft has very limited options for going about doing that, and none of them are pretty.

I think he'll probably take a pass on it, but obviously I'm in it for the entertainment value.

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by sek929 

...how's Palmers knee doing?

Better than the gaping hole where his soul should be.

[The Final Dakar]

YES! ITS NOT OVER!!!

[sek929]

The appeal will be an abject failure and waste yet more of the league's money, all for an alleged ball violation that is written in the rulebook as a small fine.

[Cap'n Tightpants]

Of course it's not over, and ultimately, the NFL can ignore the judge's ruling, if it chooses to.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Cap'n Tightpants 

Of course it's not over, and ultimately, the NFL can ignore the judge's ruling, if it chooses to.

Oh god I don't think I could take the drama. I might pee my pants.

[Cap'n Tightpants]

It would be hilarious, the manic news commentary alone would have me chuckling for days.

Judge: "I'm vacating the suspension."
NFL: "We don't care, suck it!"

[Jawbone54]

The NFL won't be holding Brady out of any games during the appeal.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Cap'n Tightpants 

Judge: "I'm vacating the suspension."
NFL: "We don't care, suck it!"

That's be playing with fire. Though to be fair to you, Goodell has been playing with matches so far.

[Chongo]

Originally Posted by sek929 

That's not very christian of you, also, how's Palmers knee doing?

Good enough to hold up until Philip Sims can take the reigns.

[OAW]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

His suspension was BS under the labor agreement. Most they could do was fine him for an equipment violation.

Edit: And that's not factoring in the quality of their 'science' or the objectivity of the 'independent' report. If you think the facts really support Brady's guilt, blame Goodell for botching the entire thing.

As for the judge's ruling, how would people explain the difference between his conclusion and their own?

I think you hit the nail right on the head. Goodell botched the entire thing. Hence why the suspensions of Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson were overturned as well. Along with the punishments of Greg Hardy and Ndamukong Suh being reduced.

OAW

[sek929]

Originally Posted by Chongo 

Good enough to hold up until Philip Sims can take the reigns.

Injuries aside, I though Palmer was an excellent fit for Arian's offensive scheme, before he went down last season the Cardinals were steaming.

[OAW]

This pretty much sums up my thinking on the situation at this stage in the game ...

Maybe now Roger Goodell and the NFL owners will finally get that they're not running a dictatorship.

In tossing out Tom Brady's four-game suspension Thursday, a federal judge essentially told Goodell and the NFL that their discipline process is out of whack. That there has to be some element of fairness no matter who's in charge, and that they can't change the rules to suit their purposes.

It's not a hard concept, but it sure has seemed to be for the NFL, which is appealing nonetheless.

Every other major sports league has neutral arbitration for disciplinary issues. It doesn't matter if the commissioner makes the final say, there's a collaborative process that makes everyone involved feel as if they've gotten a fair shake.

That's not the case in the NFL, where Goodell is the judge, jury and executioner. It's a system that's inherently flawed, even when Goodell is in the right. Instead of actual justice, or even punishments that have some meaning, it leads to court wranglings where the actual issue becomes an afterthought.

Take Deflategate. I still believe the Patriots were doing something fishy with the footballs, and there's no way that's happening without the knowledge and approval of a future Hall of Fame quarterback.

But Goodell didn't punish Brady for that. No, six months into all this nonsense, he slapped Brady with a four-game suspension for being uncooperative.

Now, Brady may been stupid for destroying his cell phone during the middle of an investigation. His Golden Boy reputation will forever carry some tarnish after he claimed that he always destroys old phones only to have two others surface.

But being shady wasn't the issue at hand. That didn't stop Goodell from pulling a bait and switch, and you can't do that. Not in this country, at least.

Before the New England Patriots and their fans get all self-righteous, remember that Goodell is acting at the behest of the owners — Robert Kraft, included. He helped create the dysfunctional system that left his franchise in limbo these last eight months.

Armour: Deflategate ruling more evidence NFL dictatorship is failing

OAW

[P]

Originally Posted by Cap'n Tightpants 

It would be hilarious, the manic news commentary alone would have me chuckling for days.

Judge: "I'm vacating the suspension."
NFL: "We don't care, suck it!"

IANAL, but can't the judge simply order Goodell to not do that, and hold him in contempt if he refuses?

Skimming the judgement, I think the NFL should give up now, and get rid of Goodell as soon as it can. The judge basically says that a) Goodell is a biased arbitrator, b) Brady had no way of knowing that not cooperating or even actively tampering with the balls himself would lead to a suspension, and every reason to believe the most he could get would be a fine, and c) Brady was denied due process by not being given access to documentation, witnesses etc. Any one of those is reason to vacate the suspension, and the judge further lists a number of potential complaints that he simply did not get to consider. For the NFL to triumph on appeal, they would have to win on every single one of these points, and that seems supremely unlikely.

Also: the judgement consistently speaks about the "independent" investigation - in scare quotes.

[OAW]

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has always indicated that being the NFL Commissioner would be her "dream job". If Roger Goodell gets the boot she might finally have a shot at it.

OAW

[sek929]

Ballghazi condensed:

The tip was from a team that can't beat the Pats, the investigation was not independent, the leaks were false, the science was junk and all the conclusions were baseless. Then Goodell got ahold of it and mangled the process even further by constantly shifting the goal-posts and outright lying about Brady's testimony.

Anyone with half a brain who has digested all this nonsense could only come to the same conclusion as Berman did.

Did Brady instruct that dude to check the balls post-inspection and make sure they weren't over-inflated? I guess it's more probable than not. Was all the outrage that happened and continues to happen anything more than sour grapes and mountains of salt? Nope.

I guess all that's left is to watch with baited breath to see if the Patriots start fumbling the ball a hell of a lot more because the footballs are at 12.6 instead of 11.65

[Cap'n Tightpants]

Originally Posted by P 

IANAL, but can't the judge simply order Goodell to not do that, and hold him in contempt if he refuses?

Sure, he can declare him in contempt, but he can still keep Brady from playing. They can fine Goodell, but he doesn't have to back down. Automatically doing what a court orders isn't always the correct thing to do.

[P]

Originally Posted by OAW 

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has always indicated that being the NFL Commissioner would be her "dream job". If Roger Goodell gets the boot she might finally have a shot at it.

OAW

That seems like an excellent choice. She's smart, she's a diplomat, and she's well connected.

Originally Posted by Cap'n Tightpants 

Sure, he can declare him in contempt, but he can still keep Brady from playing. They can fine Goodell, but he doesn't have to back down. Automatically doing what a court orders isn't always the correct thing to do.

No, but that opens him up to a civil lawsuit, and the sums involved are huge.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by OAW 

This pretty much sums up my thinking on the situation at this stage in the game ...



Armour: Deflategate ruling more evidence NFL dictatorship is failing

OAW

Yup, that's why I wasn't surprised his actions got shitcanned. He's just bumbling around without any thought.

[Cap'n Tightpants]

Originally Posted by P 

No, but that opens him up to a civil lawsuit, and the sums involved are huge.

Something like $250k /day in fines, which I believe is the max and a possible suit, unless Brady has a binding arbitration clause (surely he does). There are worse things, maybe Goodell will consider it.

[The Final Dakar]

It's also worth noting that the NFL preemptively filed this suit in NY because it was supposed to be the friendly venue for them. Maybe that'll come through on appeal.

[P]

Originally Posted by Cap'n Tightpants 

Something like $250k /day in fines, which I believe is the max and a possible suit, unless Brady has a binding arbitration clause (surely he does). There are worse things, maybe Goodell will consider it.

Well, you may disagree, but IMHO, $250k/day becomes serious money rather quickly. Also, he will look like a spoiled child.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by P 

Also, he will look like a spoiled child.

Too late

[The Final Dakar]

So this unexpectedly dropped. Bombshell ESPN Report: The Patriots Were Huge Cheaters And Roger Goodell Covered It Up
On one hand, it's hard to find the timing coincidental. Or the source, considering ESPN has been quiet about Goodell as he got overturned in Federal court.

On the other hand, Goodell ****ing up and then overcorrecting on his next chance? Completely believable.

[P]

And here I thought Goodell looked bad before.

Also: it seems clear Kraft knew what was going down, since he did not appeal the judgement against the Ptriots as a team (the lost draft picks), so basically he sold out Brady to protect Belicheck. Wouldn't it be hilarious if Brady decided to retire now?

[sek929]

What is Spygate? A Definitive Guide - Your Team Cheats - The Definitive Guide to NFL Cheating

ESPN is pathetic.

[The Final Dakar]

Si dropped a similar article as well, reinforcing my notion that this is a coordinated effort.

Oh yeah, see this? The NFL casually left out Tom Brady in a photo of potential Super Bowl quarterbacks | For The Win
NFL seems real salty.

[sek929]

The QBS they left out (Eli, Flacco, Brady) have more SB rings (7) than everyone they included (6).

Carson f**king Palmer is up there but not Brady.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by sek929 

They QBS they left out (Eli, Flacco, Brady) have more SB rings (7) than everyone they included (6).

Carson f**king Palmer is up there but not Brady.

Meh. There is no conspiracy.

The NFL knows FOR A FACT that Brady won't win Superbowl 50.

There.

-t

[sek929]

ESPN source confirms Bill Belichick is, in fact, a lizard person.

Also, I've never been more smug that I haven't paid a dime for cable TV in over 10 years. ESPN is like TMZ without the fact-checking.

[residentEvil]

And the Pats caught cheating again?

Pittsburgh Steelers' coach-to-coach headsets get interference from New England Patriots radio broadcast

I hate all Boston sports, and despise Brady. But this is pretty funny if it wasn't done on purpose. Ha!

[The Final Dakar]

The deadspin article on it leaves me reeling. The NFL, Steelers, and NBC all give different versions of what happened.

[residentEvil]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

The deadspin article on it leaves me reeling. The NFL, Steelers, and NBC all give different versions of what happened.

I noticed that too; but chalked it up to reading the same event on Fox News or CNN. each has something right, but not all of it.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by sek929 

I would be fine just making it a generic Sports™ mega-thread.

Someone who isn't me do this already

[sek929]

Good game, Brady had 19 completions in a row which is a new franchise record. Steelers shot themselves in the foot multiple times, less mistakes and that game goes to Pittsburg.

[sek929]

So I guess Tomlin was just fishing for excuses.

"Excuses are the tools of the incompetent." - Mike Tomlin, 2012

Didn't stop everyone in the media from tripping over themselves to report this huge scandal. From now on, the TV is on mute and I'm tuning in to the local broadcast.

I have a suggestion for Mike, tell your defense that when Gronk is out wide with zero people assigned to him, maybe think on the fly and get him at least some rudimentary cover.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

Someone who isn't me do this already

I'll send a PM to the mods.

[P]

Not a Lounge mod, but...what would you like the thread to be called? Because if you leave it to me, I'll call it Sportsball.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by sek929 

I'll send a PM to the mods.

I was under the impression we were starting a fresh thread. But whatever you like.

[sek929]

All set, sports away fellahs.

[The Final Dakar]

NBA finally got rid of division seeding. Still in that Adam Silver honeymoon phase, baby.

[starman]

Since someone decided to take a football thread and make it generic, how about that tennis match?

[OAW]

Originally Posted by starman 

Since someone decided to take a football thread and make it generic, how about that tennis match?

Just goes to show you how difficult it is to win a Grand Slam. You can be the best player in the world and still be defeated in a match. At the most inopportune moment.

OAW

[Jawbone54]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

NBA finally got rid of division seeding. Still in that Adam Silver honeymoon phase, baby.

Silver has been has been absolutely freaking amazing so far. I look forward to his first CBA negotiations to see how much bite he has.

Originally Posted by starman 

Since someone decided to take a football thread and make it generic, how about that tennis match?

Ha...

Originally Posted by OAW 

Just goes to show you how difficult it is to win a Grand Slam. You can be the best player in the world and still be defeated in a match. At the most inopportune moment.

OAW

...oh, wait, we're serious.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54 

Silver has been has been absolutely freaking amazing so far. I look forward to his first CBA negotiations to see how much bite he has.

No one could be as dickish as David Stern. As it was Billy Hunter rolled over for him, either out of incompetence or collusion. The new PA Leader is not going to go quietly into the night.

[The Final Dakar]

Oh yeah, wanted to add this piece from last week.
Is Notre Dame's President A Liar Or A Fraud?

The president rejects the notion that Notre Dame is morally obliged to share its football revenue with those playing the game. “I don’t think there’s a compulsion or some demand of justice that we do it,” he says.

He believes that the drama and popularity of college athletics are rooted in the fact that the student-athletes are amateurs. “If they make mistakes, you know, it’s not like they’re professionals,” he says.

But if a pay-to-play dynamic is applied to college sports, he suggests, something is lost. “If you go that semipro route, we’ll see,” he says. “But I’m just not sure that we’ll not end up just a second-tier, uninteresting pro league.”

[mattyb]

Very nice of you sek.

Rugby World Cup 2015 starts of Friday.

All Blacks are the favourites, although I can't help feeling England will do well with the home advantage. That is if we get out of the group of death. I actually feel sorry for Wales, two key players out just before the start. Hoping the Frogs get shat on - as usual.

Now, opening match is England vs. Fiji. And this guy is a winger - thats one of the guys that runs instead of the 'heavies'. Thats 277lbs by the way.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

NBA finally got rid of division seeding. Still in that Adam Silver honeymoon phase, baby.

My knowledge of the NBA is much like your's of the NFL, but I have heard Silver often referred to as the best commissioner in American Sports™ I can only imagine time will lessen that sentiment.