#DeflateGate (Court of Appeals Reinstates Suspension)

[kozlodoev]

I really don't think that ESPN is out to get people.  ESPN is after one, and only one, thing: page views.  The more twists and turns the story takes, the more money they bring in.

Hanlon's Razor.

Of course, it still is irresponsible journalism. Or to be precise, it's not really journalism, it leans towards run of the mill blogging. Welcome to the BuzzFeed age.

[Eja117]

I really don't think that ESPN is out to get people.  ESPN is after one, and only one, thing: page views.  The more twists and turns the story takes, the more money they bring in.

Hanlon's Razor.

Of course, it still is irresponsible journalism. Or to be precise, it's not really journalism, it leans towards run of the mill blogging. Welcome to the BuzzFeed age.

Then they need to stop calling themselves "journalists" and "reporters" the way we all did a long time ago

[kozlodoev]

I really don't think that ESPN is out to get people.  ESPN is after one, and only one, thing: page views.  The more twists and turns the story takes, the more money they bring in.

Hanlon's Razor.

Of course, it still is irresponsible journalism. Or to be precise, it's not really journalism, it leans towards run of the mill blogging. Welcome to the BuzzFeed age.

Then they need to stop calling themselves "journalists" and "reporters" the way we all did a long time ago

Probably. But if you look carefully, even web outlets of respectable news agencies have succumbed to the BuzzFeed syndrome. CNN and Huff Post are now openly using click bait titles and post boxes with headlines "from the web". It's pretty pathetic.

[Eja117]

I really don't think that ESPN is out to get people.  ESPN is after one, and only one, thing: page views.  The more twists and turns the story takes, the more money they bring in.

Hanlon's Razor.

Of course, it still is irresponsible journalism. Or to be precise, it's not really journalism, it leans towards run of the mill blogging. Welcome to the BuzzFeed age.

Then they need to stop calling themselves "journalists" and "reporters" the way we all did a long time ago

Probably. But if you look carefully, even web outlets of respectable news agencies have succumbed to the BuzzFeed syndrome. CNN and Huff Post are now openly using click bait titles and post boxes with headlines "from the web". It's pretty pathetic.

I agree but do they constantly constantly cite anonymous sources and then mess the whole thing up? ESPN doesn't seem able to get a developing story straight with a team of futuristic engineers. Possibly because it's harder to keep track of lies and things you make up. And then when a whole team of people do that....well...you get ESPN.

[kozlodoev]

The problem with ESPN is not that they're lying. The problem is that they seemingly ignore the basic requirement to get corroboration by two independent sources before reporting anything -- presumably because they want to get ahead of the game.

Just because someone told you something knowing they'll remain anonymous doesn't make it true. ESPN doesn't care.

[Donoghus]

So according to a new report, the Pats alerted the league that there was a K ball issue after their first extra point.  Hmmm....funny that this fact never got "leaked" to the media during the two weeks between the title game & Super Bowl.  Guess it didn't quite fit the narrative that the national media was devouring hook line & sinker.

This thing is an absolute joke & circus at this point.  The seeming ineptness of the NFL right now is in full effect.  Leaks left & right which killed the public perception of team, chain of custody issues, possible conflicts of interest involving league officials,  league officials stealing balls.... 

Sure looks to me that this is a league office who can't kept their own house is order. 

From PFT: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/19/patriots-alerted-nfl-to-issue-with-special-teams-ball/

Tuesday night’s confusing report from Kelly Naqi of ESPN regarding alleged efforts by the Patriots to introduce a non-special-teams football into the AFC title game was followed by Wednesday afternoon’s confusing report from Adam Schefter of ESPN regarding the termination of a league official’s employment for removing footballs from the AFC title game for private sale.

And now comes the point where we try to un-confuse the situation.  (And quite possibly fail.)

Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, here’s what happened.  After the opening kickoff, a league employee named Scott Miller called for the football that was used.  It was the football marked “K1? by the game officials before the commencement of the contest.  According to the source, video shows Miller getting the football.

It’s not unusual for footballs to be removed from play for later sale in support of charitable endeavors.  Typically, however, the teams are informed of the fact that footballs will be removed — especially when the “K” balls will be taken out of service.  If the team is told that a “K” ball will be removed, the equipment staff prepares multiple “K” balls for use in the game during the limited time teams have to get the new, out-of-the-box footballs ready for use.

In this specific case, the Patriots weren’t told that the ball marked K1 would be removed from play.  After the Patriots scored the first touchdown of the game, the Patriots noticed on the extra-point attempt that the ball had not been prepped the same way that K1 had been prepped.  So the Patriots raised the issue with the game officials, and the process commenced of trying to track down the K1 ball.

In-stadium video, according to the source, shows Miller later bringing the ball back toward the playing area.  In-stadium video also shows Patriots part-time, game-day employee Jim McNally giving a football to the game officials.  Video does not exist of Miller giving the football he had taken to McNally, but it’s possible to infer that Miller gave the same football to McNally that McNally then tried to give to the game officials.

Scott Miller, per the source, is the employee who was fired.  It’s unclear whether the termination arose solely from the incident during the AFC title game, or whether investigation by the league unearthed other evidence of Miller removing footballs from play and selling them on the side.  Predictably, the league declined PFT’s request for comment on Miller’s termination or the reasons for it.

So what does all of this mean?  As it relates to the question of whether footballs intentionally were deflated by the Patriots, nothing.  As it relates to whether the NFL will be able to generate sufficient proof of tampering, plenty.

As we gradually learn more about the manner in which footballs are handled, it’s becoming more clear that the NFL doesn’t secure footballs in the kind of way that would allow a presumptive finding that deflated footballs necessarily means a team employee intentionally deflated them.  Apart from potential atmospheric conditions, too many people have too much access in too many different ways to the footballs to ever conclude that evidence of deflation is per se evidence of tampering.

Absent a confession or other smoking-gun evidence of tampering, the challenge for the NFL will be explaining this in a way that seems at least plausible to those inclined to believe the league office will simply brush the entire matter under the rug.  Then again, some will always believe that the Patriots tampered with footballs no matter what the evidence indicates.  Which means that maybe the league should have considered how hard it would be to prove tampering before pulling the pin out of the integrity-of-the-game grenade.

[Boris Badenov]

So according to a new report, the Pats alerted the league that there was a K ball issue after their first extra point.  Hmmm....funny that this fact never got "leaked" to the media during the two weeks between the title game & Super Bowl.  Guess it didn't quite fit the narrative that the national media was devouring hook line & sinker.

This thing is an absolute joke & circus at this point.  The seeming ineptness of the NFL right now is in full effect.  Leaks left & right which killed the public perception of team, chain of custody issues, possible conflicts of interest involving league officials,  league officials stealing balls.... 

Sure looks to me that this is a league office who can't kept their own house is order. 

From PFT: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/19/patriots-alerted-nfl-to-issue-with-special-teams-ball/

Tuesday night’s confusing report from Kelly Naqi of ESPN regarding alleged efforts by the Patriots to introduce a non-special-teams football into the AFC title game was followed by Wednesday afternoon’s confusing report from Adam Schefter of ESPN regarding the termination of a league official’s employment for removing footballs from the AFC title game for private sale.

And now comes the point where we try to un-confuse the situation.  (And quite possibly fail.)

Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, here’s what happened.  After the opening kickoff, a league employee named Scott Miller called for the football that was used.  It was the football marked “K1? by the game officials before the commencement of the contest.  According to the source, video shows Miller getting the football.

It’s not unusual for footballs to be removed from play for later sale in support of charitable endeavors.  Typically, however, the teams are informed of the fact that footballs will be removed — especially when the “K” balls will be taken out of service.  If the team is told that a “K” ball will be removed, the equipment staff prepares multiple “K” balls for use in the game during the limited time teams have to get the new, out-of-the-box footballs ready for use.

In this specific case, the Patriots weren’t told that the ball marked K1 would be removed from play.  After the Patriots scored the first touchdown of the game, the Patriots noticed on the extra-point attempt that the ball had not been prepped the same way that K1 had been prepped.  So the Patriots raised the issue with the game officials, and the process commenced of trying to track down the K1 ball.

In-stadium video, according to the source, shows Miller later bringing the ball back toward the playing area.  In-stadium video also shows Patriots part-time, game-day employee Jim McNally giving a football to the game officials.  Video does not exist of Miller giving the football he had taken to McNally, but it’s possible to infer that Miller gave the same football to McNally that McNally then tried to give to the game officials.

Scott Miller, per the source, is the employee who was fired.  It’s unclear whether the termination arose solely from the incident during the AFC title game, or whether investigation by the league unearthed other evidence of Miller removing footballs from play and selling them on the side.  Predictably, the league declined PFT’s request for comment on Miller’s termination or the reasons for it.

So what does all of this mean?  As it relates to the question of whether footballs intentionally were deflated by the Patriots, nothing.  As it relates to whether the NFL will be able to generate sufficient proof of tampering, plenty.

As we gradually learn more about the manner in which footballs are handled, it’s becoming more clear that the NFL doesn’t secure footballs in the kind of way that would allow a presumptive finding that deflated footballs necessarily means a team employee intentionally deflated them.  Apart from potential atmospheric conditions, too many people have too much access in too many different ways to the footballs to ever conclude that evidence of deflation is per se evidence of tampering.

Absent a confession or other smoking-gun evidence of tampering, the challenge for the NFL will be explaining this in a way that seems at least plausible to those inclined to believe the league office will simply brush the entire matter under the rug.  Then again, some will always believe that the Patriots tampered with footballs no matter what the evidence indicates.  Which means that maybe the league should have considered how hard it would be to prove tampering before pulling the pin out of the integrity-of-the-game grenade.

I really, really wish that more than 1% of football fans (all of whom are Patriots fans) had been watching all of this unfold.

Even if this ends up being a case where zero blame falls on the Pats in the Wells report, I will still be hearing nonsense about cheating, for years to come, from all my friends who are fans of other teams - because the minute the first allegations came out, they said "cheaters!" and stuck their heads in the sand.

[Smokeeye123]

So according to a new report, the Pats alerted the league that there was a K ball issue after their first extra point.  Hmmm....funny that this fact never got "leaked" to the media during the two weeks between the title game & Super Bowl.  Guess it didn't quite fit the narrative that the national media was devouring hook line & sinker.

This thing is an absolute joke & circus at this point.  The seeming ineptness of the NFL right now is in full effect.  Leaks left & right which killed the public perception of team, chain of custody issues, possible conflicts of interest involving league officials,  league officials stealing balls.... 

Sure looks to me that this is a league office who can't kept their own house is order. 

From PFT: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/19/patriots-alerted-nfl-to-issue-with-special-teams-ball/

Tuesday night’s confusing report from Kelly Naqi of ESPN regarding alleged efforts by the Patriots to introduce a non-special-teams football into the AFC title game was followed by Wednesday afternoon’s confusing report from Adam Schefter of ESPN regarding the termination of a league official’s employment for removing footballs from the AFC title game for private sale.

And now comes the point where we try to un-confuse the situation.  (And quite possibly fail.)

Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, here’s what happened.  After the opening kickoff, a league employee named Scott Miller called for the football that was used.  It was the football marked “K1? by the game officials before the commencement of the contest.  According to the source, video shows Miller getting the football.

It’s not unusual for footballs to be removed from play for later sale in support of charitable endeavors.  Typically, however, the teams are informed of the fact that footballs will be removed — especially when the “K” balls will be taken out of service.  If the team is told that a “K” ball will be removed, the equipment staff prepares multiple “K” balls for use in the game during the limited time teams have to get the new, out-of-the-box footballs ready for use.

In this specific case, the Patriots weren’t told that the ball marked K1 would be removed from play.  After the Patriots scored the first touchdown of the game, the Patriots noticed on the extra-point attempt that the ball had not been prepped the same way that K1 had been prepped.  So the Patriots raised the issue with the game officials, and the process commenced of trying to track down the K1 ball.

In-stadium video, according to the source, shows Miller later bringing the ball back toward the playing area.  In-stadium video also shows Patriots part-time, game-day employee Jim McNally giving a football to the game officials.  Video does not exist of Miller giving the football he had taken to McNally, but it’s possible to infer that Miller gave the same football to McNally that McNally then tried to give to the game officials.

Scott Miller, per the source, is the employee who was fired.  It’s unclear whether the termination arose solely from the incident during the AFC title game, or whether investigation by the league unearthed other evidence of Miller removing footballs from play and selling them on the side.  Predictably, the league declined PFT’s request for comment on Miller’s termination or the reasons for it.

So what does all of this mean?  As it relates to the question of whether footballs intentionally were deflated by the Patriots, nothing.  As it relates to whether the NFL will be able to generate sufficient proof of tampering, plenty.

As we gradually learn more about the manner in which footballs are handled, it’s becoming more clear that the NFL doesn’t secure footballs in the kind of way that would allow a presumptive finding that deflated footballs necessarily means a team employee intentionally deflated them.  Apart from potential atmospheric conditions, too many people have too much access in too many different ways to the footballs to ever conclude that evidence of deflation is per se evidence of tampering.

Absent a confession or other smoking-gun evidence of tampering, the challenge for the NFL will be explaining this in a way that seems at least plausible to those inclined to believe the league office will simply brush the entire matter under the rug.  Then again, some will always believe that the Patriots tampered with footballs no matter what the evidence indicates.  Which means that maybe the league should have considered how hard it would be to prove tampering before pulling the pin out of the integrity-of-the-game grenade.

I really, really wish that more than 1% of football fans (all of whom are Patriots fans) had been watching all of this unfold.

Even if this ends up being a case where zero blame falls on the Pats in the Wells report, I will still be hearing nonsense about cheating, for years to come, from all my friends who are fans of other teams - because the minute the first allegations came out, they said "cheaters!" and stuck their heads in the sand.

Just remind them that we are the Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.n world champions and anything they say is crocodile tears

[Jonny CC]

The problem with ESPN is not that they're lying. The problem is that they seemingly ignore the basic requirement to get corroboration by two independent sources before reporting anything -- presumably because they want to get ahead of the game.

Just because someone told you something knowing they'll remain anonymous doesn't make it true. ESPN doesn't care.

Right.
The other problem with ESPN is that they are openly biased for and against certain teams for ratings.  They are anti-Patriots because they know that the Pats are not liked so they post/print scandalous "articles" because they know it will cause a stir.  Deflategate was totally blown out of proportion and ESPN was a big part of it.  Funny how they buried the story of Brad Johnson bribing league employees to doctor the balls before the Tampa super bowl, and the story of Jerry Rice openly admitting that he bended the rules.  Personally, I don't care about either story and I don't think that they are particularly news-worthy, or cheating, or anything else.  BUT, it's interesting to see how those stories are treated vs how the Patriots stories are handled.   
On the flip side, it was pretty crazy that they had a separate "Heat Index" for Miami after Lebron made his decision to go to South Beach.  The can't kiss Lebron's ass enough and it's sickening.  But, again, they do whatever they think will generate buzz, ratings, site hits, whatever.   
Overall, I just think that they should be more responsible for what they report.  I don't expect Walter Cronkite, but I also don't expect accusations that are not based on any facts. 

[D.o.s.]

You really think ESPN are anti-Pats?


ESPN loves the Patriots for the same reason they loved the LeBron-led version of the Heat -- because they win while inviting controversy.

[Boris Badenov]

So according to a new report, the Pats alerted the league that there was a K ball issue after their first extra point.  Hmmm....funny that this fact never got "leaked" to the media during the two weeks between the title game & Super Bowl.  Guess it didn't quite fit the narrative that the national media was devouring hook line & sinker.

This thing is an absolute joke & circus at this point.  The seeming ineptness of the NFL right now is in full effect.  Leaks left & right which killed the public perception of team, chain of custody issues, possible conflicts of interest involving league officials,  league officials stealing balls.... 

Sure looks to me that this is a league office who can't kept their own house is order. 

From PFT: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/19/patriots-alerted-nfl-to-issue-with-special-teams-ball/

Tuesday night’s confusing report from Kelly Naqi of ESPN regarding alleged efforts by the Patriots to introduce a non-special-teams football into the AFC title game was followed by Wednesday afternoon’s confusing report from Adam Schefter of ESPN regarding the termination of a league official’s employment for removing footballs from the AFC title game for private sale.

And now comes the point where we try to un-confuse the situation.  (And quite possibly fail.)

Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, here’s what happened.  After the opening kickoff, a league employee named Scott Miller called for the football that was used.  It was the football marked “K1? by the game officials before the commencement of the contest.  According to the source, video shows Miller getting the football.

It’s not unusual for footballs to be removed from play for later sale in support of charitable endeavors.  Typically, however, the teams are informed of the fact that footballs will be removed — especially when the “K” balls will be taken out of service.  If the team is told that a “K” ball will be removed, the equipment staff prepares multiple “K” balls for use in the game during the limited time teams have to get the new, out-of-the-box footballs ready for use.

In this specific case, the Patriots weren’t told that the ball marked K1 would be removed from play.  After the Patriots scored the first touchdown of the game, the Patriots noticed on the extra-point attempt that the ball had not been prepped the same way that K1 had been prepped.  So the Patriots raised the issue with the game officials, and the process commenced of trying to track down the K1 ball.

In-stadium video, according to the source, shows Miller later bringing the ball back toward the playing area.  In-stadium video also shows Patriots part-time, game-day employee Jim McNally giving a football to the game officials.  Video does not exist of Miller giving the football he had taken to McNally, but it’s possible to infer that Miller gave the same football to McNally that McNally then tried to give to the game officials.

Scott Miller, per the source, is the employee who was fired.  It’s unclear whether the termination arose solely from the incident during the AFC title game, or whether investigation by the league unearthed other evidence of Miller removing footballs from play and selling them on the side.  Predictably, the league declined PFT’s request for comment on Miller’s termination or the reasons for it.

So what does all of this mean?  As it relates to the question of whether footballs intentionally were deflated by the Patriots, nothing.  As it relates to whether the NFL will be able to generate sufficient proof of tampering, plenty.

As we gradually learn more about the manner in which footballs are handled, it’s becoming more clear that the NFL doesn’t secure footballs in the kind of way that would allow a presumptive finding that deflated footballs necessarily means a team employee intentionally deflated them.  Apart from potential atmospheric conditions, too many people have too much access in too many different ways to the footballs to ever conclude that evidence of deflation is per se evidence of tampering.

Absent a confession or other smoking-gun evidence of tampering, the challenge for the NFL will be explaining this in a way that seems at least plausible to those inclined to believe the league office will simply brush the entire matter under the rug.  Then again, some will always believe that the Patriots tampered with footballs no matter what the evidence indicates.  Which means that maybe the league should have considered how hard it would be to prove tampering before pulling the pin out of the integrity-of-the-game grenade.

I really, really wish that more than 1% of football fans (all of whom are Patriots fans) had been watching all of this unfold.

Even if this ends up being a case where zero blame falls on the Pats in the Wells report, I will still be hearing nonsense about cheating, for years to come, from all my friends who are fans of other teams - because the minute the first allegations came out, they said "cheaters!" and stuck their heads in the sand.

Just remind them that we are the ****n world champions and anything they say is crocodile tears

Oh, I do. But these are otherwise reasonable people and it's maddening.

I suppose there are enough other topics I've written off discussing with some people. What's one more.

I do know one guy who works in the same office as Ted Wells. I'm hopeful he'll read the report with a reasonably neutral eye.

[Nerf DPOY]

Trying to reason with other football team's fans about the Patriots(or really any team but their's) is like trying to argue politics on a Facebook public page.

[Donoghus]

You really think ESPN are anti-Pats?


ESPN loves the Patriots for the same reason they loved the LeBron-led version of the Heat -- because they win while inviting controversy.

Not the network per se.  They love the eyeballs.  However, they do employ more than their fair share of analysts that have had an ax to grind with the organization for years.   Those voices have been, by far, the loudest throughout this whole controversy. 

[Jonny CC]

You really think ESPN are anti-Pats?


ESPN loves the Patriots for the same reason they loved the LeBron-led version of the Heat -- because they win while inviting controversy.

Correction
ESPN hates the Patriots for the same reason they loved the LeBron-led version of the Heat -- because they win while inviting controversy.

Is it really news worthy that guys like Ray Lewis or Charles Haley call the Patriots "cheaters".  Why is that an article on their site?  Answer...because they know that it will generate a reaction. 

So, to answer your first question.....YES I think that ESPN is anti-Patriots.  Deflategate is the proof of that.  That last "Outside The Lines" story was an absolute joke but they ran with it.   I don't see that type of "investigative journalism" for any other team.  If Jerry Rice was a Patriot, it would be all over ESPN.  That story was buried faster than Ray Lewis' murder victim.   
How about this...There were reports that only 1 ball was deflated and the rest were a "tick" under regulation.  Where was that on ESPN?!?!?  Funny how they neglected to report that.  Or how about a retraction on the story that D'Qwell Jackson gave the ball to the coaches because he noticed that it didn't feel right.  Jackson admitted that he couldn't tell the difference but that didn't get a sniff on the sports leader. 

I really don't want to sound like a nutty Patriots fan / conspiracy theorist, but I am really tired of all the negative press that has been generated over something as stupid as Deflategate.  Besides being a nutty Pats fan, I really enjoyed this Super Bowl Championship because it was a giant F U to all the haters.   
 

[Nerf DPOY]

The beat goes on.

http://thornography.weei.com/sports/boston/2015/02/19/colts-gm-ryan-grigson-contradicts-nfl-deflategate-was-sting-operation/

Grigson just confirms what we've suspected all along, that this was not a dispute that arose during the AFC Championship.

I just can't believe that the NFL would lie about something this small to our faces. I feel like that "Say it ain't so, Joe" little kid that's surely dead by now.