#DeflateGate (Court of Appeals Reinstates Suspension)

[celticsclay]

Did you guys read the text messages in the report? It actually seems pretty close to a smoking gun. I am a pats fan and thought this was all nonsense and was dead until I read this. I actually think Brady will get suspended.

A smoking gun for what?  Sounds like the refs overinflated the balls one week, and Brady got angry and got up the equipment managers' ass for it.  McNally sounds like a bit of a **** based on his texts, but some whiny texts about his boss is far from proof of intentional wrongdoing.

Well giving the equipment manager autographed game jerseys seems very strange. He also flat out lied to the investigators about his relationship to the guy. So I think refusing to cooperate with NFL investigators is a punishable offense. To be one hundred percent clear, I am a pats fan. You can even go back to my statements earlier in this thread to see what i thought about it. I mocked the earlier reports about people thinking an elderly man in the restroom for 40 seconds was a problem. However, these texts and the full report have changed my opinion. Like others said, the stuff in the report is a lot more crazy than just the conclusions that were drawn.

[PhoSita]

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/596006501635981312

Suspensions for the equipment guys and fines for Brady, Patriots.  That's my guess.

[Atzar]

Did you guys read the text messages in the report? It actually seems pretty close to a smoking gun. I am a pats fan and thought this was all nonsense and was dead until I read this. I actually think Brady will get suspended.

A smoking gun for what?  Sounds like the refs overinflated the balls one week, and Brady got angry and got up the equipment managers' ass for it.  McNally sounds like a bit of a **** based on his texts, but some whiny texts about his boss is far from proof of intentional wrongdoing.

While it is entirely plausible that the whole discussion is re: making sure the balls are not overinflated, it is at least indicative that Brady is more particular about the inflation level of game balls than he let on during the investigation...

Well, yeah, but if the bit about the ball being near 16 is true and not just an exaggeration, then I don't think you'd have to be particular to notice that difference.

[KGs Knee]

So Brady is a cheater?

No kidding!

I wonder when Pats fans will take their heads out of the sand?

What a disgrace.

[kozlodoev]

Did you guys read the text messages in the report? It actually seems pretty close to a smoking gun. I am a pats fan and thought this was all nonsense and was dead until I read this. I actually think Brady will get suspended.

A smoking gun for what?  Sounds like the refs overinflated the balls one week, and Brady got angry and got up the equipment managers' ass for it.  McNally sounds like a bit of a **** based on his texts, but some whiny texts about his boss is far from proof of intentional wrongdoing.

While it is entirely plausible that the whole discussion is re: making sure the balls are not overinflated, it is at least indicative that Brady is more particular about the inflation level of game balls than he let on during the investigation...

Well, yeah, but if the bit about the ball being near 16 is true and not just an exaggeration, then I don't think you'd have to be particular to notice that difference.

Multiple messages about this, so it seems factual.

[PhoSita]

So Brady is a cheater?

No kidding!

I wonder when Pats fans will take their heads out of the sand?

What a disgrace.

Thanks for providing such a concise demonstration of what the reflexive anti-Patriots reaction will be.

[KG Living Legend]

For those folks without legal training or knowledge, "more probable than not" means nothing beyond "at least 50.00000000000000001%" likelihood.

It's a very low bar of proof.  To spend weeks and weeks and thousands of dollars in an investigation and come forward with "more probable than not," and nothing more specific than that, is pretty weak.

Especially, "more probable than not" that Brady was "at least generally aware" (itself an extremely vague description) is essentially meaningless.

 It's utterly pathetic,  More probable than not? Why didn't he just say the pats Kinda sorta new what was going on. What  a joke.

[mef730]

Did you guys read the text messages in the report? It actually seems pretty close to a smoking gun. I am a pats fan and thought this was all nonsense and was dead until I read this. I actually think Brady will get suspended.

A smoking gun for what?  Sounds like the refs overinflated the balls one week, and Brady got angry and got up the equipment managers' ass for it.  McNally sounds like a bit of a **** based on his texts, but some whiny texts about his boss is far from proof of intentional wrongdoing.

No kidding.  I complain about my boss's overinflated balls all the time and nobody cares.  And in my case, it's definitely true.

If, however, the NFL decides to suspend Brady, I think it's also fair to look at admitted cheaters, such as this guy:

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/2015/02/06/jerry-rice-admits-cheating-but-still-wants-asterisk-the-patriots-for-deflategate/o7W2mlXRRpWnbczSixdNLI/story.html

Mike

[KGs Knee]

So Brady is a cheater?

No kidding!

I wonder when Pats fans will take their heads out of the sand?

What a disgrace.

Thanks for providing such a concise demonstration of what the reflexive anti-Patriots reaction will be.

Hey, I'm just calling it as it is.

Brady and his ball boy cheated and lied about it.

Deflating balls in a bathroom-lol!

[Csfan1984]

No proof but plenty of reasons to believe it happened is basically the report.

I expect fine for the balls that were not at regulation per rule book. Patriots balls for a year are supplied by the league at Patriot cost and are not to be dockered.

[kozlodoev]

I checked some of the balls this morn... The refs Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.ed us...a few
of then were at almost 16

So there's a suggestion that the officials intentionally overinflated Patriots game balls? Where's the investigation in that?

[Eja117]

Why oh why can't the Patriots just get players that rape and knock out women like everyone else? Why?

[Atzar]

I just read some of the report (pages 75-90) and this actually does sound pretty suspicious.  The excerpts that Deadspin chose to include in its article aren't really the most convincing parts, though.

After reading more, I do think they deflated the balls beneath the limit, and I do believe they did it at Brady's request.  Having said that, I also think this whole case is still too flimsy to attach any meaningful punishment to it.  I don't see anything in here that would qualify as 'proof' (and if there was, the headlines would be different right now).  Just an apparent lie by Brady regarding his acquaintanceship with McNally, a series of suspicious-but-not-incriminating texts, and a lot of attempts to read between the lines. 

So we'll see what happens next. 

[kozlodoev]

In addition, we believe that it was not inappropriate for the game officials to
disallow a ball of questionable authenticity into the game. We also note that the use of K-Ball #2
in the second half had no apparent adverse effect.

Very convenient argument when it suits the league. How about noting that using underinflated footballs had no apparent advantages?

[Eja117]

Let me see if I understand.  Balls were overinflated and Tom got mad. The equipment managers joked for months they would OVERINFLATE balls to punish Tom. Tom didn't talk to them for 6 months. Then the Colts cried so Tom talked to them a lot.....and this is evidence that these two guys under inflated balls and that Tom knew about it and then lied to the whole world about it?

Dear NFL....we get it. Signed Patriots fans.