#DFG: Canceling the Noise

[Saints Rest]

Since January, idiots we're going to be idiots no matter what happened. The only way for Brady to rehabilitate himself at all was to unflinchingly defend himself and a deal would have completely torpedoed that. Instead, we now have former NFL water carriers in open revolt on this issue.

That won't touch the opinion of the great unwashed masses, and man, Berman never found Brady innocent!!!1!111 and I bet those grapes are sour anyway. But who cares about those people?

Brady may be the best person in history at what he does. His integrity and honor were impugned on nothing more than the stupidity of people who came to a conclusion, had to reverse engineer reasoning in the face of evidence to the contrary, and continued to knowingly slander him throughout the process, clearly illustrating (to anyone paying attention without an agenda) their utter bankruptcy of integrity.

There's no settling on issues like that, with an opposing party like that. The NFL sought more in settlement than it could have gotten in a confirmation. When you have a bully like that challenging your very integrity, you slap him right the fuck back, no matter what the bean counters of the world urge and the immovability of those who refuse to be educated.

Defiantly losing entirely on deference to the arbitrator would have been better than settling for two games with a mealy-mouthed protestation of innocence. I'm glad Brady and the union saw that.

Can anyone think of a comparison from anywhere else in history where a person was accused of something, went to trial, was found not-guilty, and did NOT remain "guilty" in the eyes of the general public.  TO my memory, the more common scenario seems to be the one where a person was accused of something, went to trial, was found not-guilty, and yet still DOES remain "guilty" in the eyes of the general public -- e.g. OJ Simpson or Roger Clemens.

 

[PBDWake]

Is there a good canned answer to those who continue to insist that Berman made no findings on Brady's guilt or innocence, but rather, just the process.  I'm well versed in this case, and can take a stab at it myself, but wanted to know how people are responding to those assertions?  I'm talking about engaging, not just dismissing.

There's no way to engage, only dismiss. "He's legally not allowed to". If you want to try a fruitless endeavor, it's not exactly hard to read between the lines.

 

[TheoShmeo]

Is there a good canned answer to those who continue to insist that Berman made no findings on Brady's guilt or innocence, but rather, just the process.  I'm well versed in this case, and can take a stab at it myself, but wanted to know how people are responding to those assertions?  I'm talking about engaging, not just dismissing.

I think the best answer is that Berman did not make findings on Brady's guilt because neither party asked him to.  The NFL essentially said defer to the Commish under the CBA and the NFLPA essentially pointed to notice and procedural issues and the partiality of the arbitrator.  When the grounds for a decision are not guilt or innocence, but rather the kinds of issues the parties focused on in their briefs, it's no surprise that the decision does not relate to guilt or innocence.
 
The slightly more advanced point is that had Berman gone there, he would have made reversal by the Second Circuit more likely in that his opinion would have exceeded his charge and appeared as unrooted and capricious as Goodell's.

 

[Devizier]

Shit like this drives me up the wall, when people who claim to be "Pats fans" that are doing an "objective analysis" of the situation and still fuck up the story.
 
From Slate.

 
There's your problem, right there.
 
#slatepitch

 

[RedOctober3829]

 

Ryan Hannable ‏@RyanHannable  2m2 minutes ago
Also on @espnradio, Kessler says oral arguments won't be heard in the NFL's appeal of the decision until 2016.
 

 

[HomeBrew1901]

Since January, idiots we're going to be idiots no matter what happened. The only way for Brady to rehabilitate himself at all was to unflinchingly defend himself and a deal would have completely torpedoed that. Instead, we now have former NFL water carriers in open revolt on this issue.

That won't touch the opinion of the great unwashed masses, and man, Berman never found Brady innocent!!!1!111 and I bet those grapes are sour anyway. But who cares about those people?

Brady may be the best person in history at what he does. His integrity and honor were impugned on nothing more than the stupidity of people who came to a conclusion, had to reverse engineer reasoning in the face of evidence to the contrary, and continued to knowingly slander him throughout the process, clearly illustrating (to anyone paying attention without an agenda) their utter bankruptcy of integrity.

There's no settling on issues like that, with an opposing party like that. The NFL sought more in settlement than it could have gotten in a confirmation. When you have a bully like that challenging your very integrity, you slap him right the fuck back, no matter what the bean counters of the world urge and the immovability of those who refuse to be educated.

Defiantly losing entirely on deference to the arbitrator would have been better than settling for two games with a mealy-mouthed protestation of innocence. I'm glad Brady and the union saw that.

I want to make sweet sweet love to this post.

 

[( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)]

Is there a good canned answer to those who continue to insist that Berman made no findings on Brady's guilt or innocence, but rather, just the process.  I'm well versed in this case, and can take a stab at it myself, but wanted to know how people are responding to those assertions?  I'm talking about engaging, not just dismissing.

 
For the people that are 100% sure that it's obvious that Brady and the Patriots did something, I like to ask them why then did the NFL not allow Pash to testify or give the NFLPA the notes from Well's interviews?  Everyone agrees that these lawyers are not dumb people.  If someone thinks this case was rock solid, then why did the NFL go out of their way to hide things while knowing full well that their actions could and did come back to bite them in the ass.  Basically you are turning the Brady cellphone issue around on them. 

 

[singaporesoxfan]

Can anyone think of a comparison from anywhere else in history where a person was accused of something, went to trial, was found not-guilty, and did NOT remain "guilty" in the eyes of the general public.  TO my memory, the more common scenario seems to be the one where a person was accused of something, went to trial, was found not-guilty, and yet still DOES remain "guilty" in the eyes of the general public -- e.g. OJ Simpson or Roger Clemens.

This is Brady's "what office do I go to to get my reputation back?" moment.

 

[HomeBrew1901]

Is there a good canned answer to those who continue to insist that Berman made no findings on Brady's guilt or innocence, but rather, just the process.  I'm well versed in this case, and can take a stab at it myself, but wanted to know how people are responding to those assertions?  I'm talking about engaging, not just dismissing.

Your tears, they taste delicious. 
 
I've been using that on Facebook for 24 hours now and it shuts most up.

 

[joe dokes]

Is there a good canned answer to those who continue to insist that Berman made no findings on Brady's guilt or innocence, but rather, just the process.  I'm well versed in this case, and can take a stab at it myself, but wanted to know how people are responding to those assertions?  I'm talking about engaging, not just dismissing
 

.
 -- If the process is so flawed, then the result is, at best, unreliable, and at worst, fictitious. (A jury of Klan members sitting on the trial of a black man accused of murdering a white child.  Conviction is overturned.  Is he innocent? Hell if I know.)
 
-- No American tribunal I can think of, fair or otherwise, decides that the defending party is "innocent."
 
--And all the ones above pointing out that "innocence" was not in Berman's mandate.  The theory is, that *if* done correctly (notice aside), that Brady would be allowed to have more evidence, cross examine witnesses, etc, AND that a fair arbiter could come to a different conclusion.
 
EDIT: .....a few upthread have mentioned, "if the NFL had the goods, why did they hide the ball and conduct such an unfair proceeding?"

 

[TFP]

Is there a good canned answer to those who continue to insist that Berman made no findings on Brady's guilt or innocence, but rather, just the process.  I'm well versed in this case, and can take a stab at it myself, but wanted to know how people are responding to those assertions?  I'm talking about engaging, not just dismissing.

My basic response is "If Brady cheated, why did the NFL have to so blatantly skirt the law to try to prove it?" Haven't gotten a good response to that yet, it usually shuts everyone up.

 

[HomeBrew1901]

My basic response is "If Brady cheated, why did the NFL have to so blatantly skirt the law to try to prove it?" Haven't gotten a good response to that yet, it usually shuts everyone up.

Well I suppose if you want to go the mature route this would work.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

My basic response is "If Brady cheated, why did the NFL have to so blatantly skirt the law to try to prove it?" Haven't gotten a good response to that yet, it usually shuts everyone up.

 
Ooh, this is a good one. I'm stealing it.

 

[bankshot1]

Is there a good canned answer to those who continue to insist that Berman made no findings on Brady's guilt or innocence, but rather, just the process.  I'm well versed in this case, and can take a stab at it myself, but wanted to know how people are responding to those assertions?  I'm talking about engaging, not just dismissing.

He eviscerated the Wells Report in his court, asking the NFL what direct evidence that the NFL had,  And they had none.. But Berman couldn't refer to it in his decision, for legal reasons regarding a potential NFL appeal..
 
If that doesn't work, go with "suck it we're on to #5"
 
I used both last night in my bar in suburban NJ.

 

[wiffleballhero]

He eviscerated the Wells Report in his court, asking the NFL what direct evidence that the NFL had,  And they had none.. But Berman couldn't refer to it in his decision, for legal reasons regarding a potential NFL appeal..
 
If that doesn't work, go with "suck it we're on to #5"
 
I used both last night in my bar in suburban NJ.

Right, in particular, Berman's critique of Brady's right to investigate Pash undermines the legitimacy of the Wells Report, even if it is not a direct element of Berman's concern. The whole section there is about Pash's role as 'co-lead investigator.'

 

[OCST]

Since January, idiots were going to be idiots no matter what happened. The only way for Brady to rehabilitate himself at all was to unflinchingly defend himself and a deal would have completely torpedoed that. Instead, we now have former NFL water carriers in open revolt on this issue.

That won't touch the opinion of the great unwashed masses, and man, Berman never found Brady innocent!!!1!111 and I bet those grapes are sour anyway. But who cares about those people?

Brady may be the best person in history at what he does. His integrity and honor were impugned on nothing more than the stupidity of people who came to a conclusion, had to reverse engineer reasoning in the face of evidence to the contrary, and continued to knowingly slander him throughout the process, clearly illustrating (to anyone paying attention without an agenda) their utter bankruptcy of integrity.

There's no settling on issues like that, with an opposing party like that. The NFL sought more in settlement than it could have gotten in a confirmation. When you have a bully like that challenging your very integrity, you slap him right the fuck back, no matter what the bean counters of the world urge and the immovability of those who refuse to be educated.

Defiantly losing entirely on deference to the arbitrator would have been better than settling for two games with a mealy-mouthed protestation of innocence. I'm glad Brady and the union saw that.

I love this post fervently

 

[SamK]

I didn't own any Pats gear, so this summer I bought a cap with the flying Elvis in all black.It just seemed to express how I felt.
Some fool in the store decided to comment: "Ooh. Don't buy Patriots stuff. They're cheaters. Ha ha ha." 
I told him, "That's right. That's why this logo is black now. We're the bad guys. When we play your team hide your gold. Hide your women. We are not just beating you any more. We're going to take everything you have."

 

[OCST]

BTW, I was not a Patriots fan before l'affaire degonfle, but I am now. I am looking forward to 10/18 like it was my parole date.

 

[mwonow]

Is there a good canned answer to those who continue to insist that Berman made no findings on Brady's guilt or innocence, but rather, just the process.  I'm well versed in this case, and can take a stab at it myself, but wanted to know how people are responding to those assertions?  I'm talking about engaging, not just dismissing.

 
"If he had been guilty, the judge would have said so. But the judge cleared him instead" doesn't really address the details and nuance of the case, but anyone who starts off with the "technicality" thing probably doesn't care about that stuff anyway. Also, "The appeal is just a way for the NFL to save face, they know they've already lost, and they'll drop it when nobody is looking" mashes up some pseudo-truth in a similarly hard to rebut manner...at least, I haven't had anyone try to rebut it yet! 

 

[Eddie Jurak]

My basic response is "If Brady cheated, why did the NFL have to so blatantly skirt the law to try to prove it?" Haven't gotten a good response to that yet, it usually shuts everyone up.

That is THE best answer, hands down. Lock the thread.

 

[PedraMartina]

Is there a good canned answer to those who continue to insist that Berman made no findings on Brady's guilt or innocence, but rather, just the process.  I'm well versed in this case, and can take a stab at it myself, but wanted to know how people are responding to those assertions?  I'm talking about engaging, not just dismissing.

 
My advice is to skip the "Berman wasn't allowed to" or "The parties didn't ask him" stuff, which sounds like an excuse. It's really much simpler: "A federal court found that the entire process by which the NFL supposedly found Brady guilty was, from start to finish, a sham. In America, that's what we call an exoneration." If you're talking to someone who won't know what "exoneration" means, adjust as necessary.

 

[snowmanny]

He eviscerated the Wells Report in his court, asking the NFL what direct evidence that the NFL had,  And they had none.. But Berman couldn't refer to it in his decision, for legal reasons regarding a potential NFL appeal..
 
If that doesn't work, go with "suck it we're on to #5"
 
I used both last night in my bar in suburban NJ.

Right. It was very early on in the process that Berman established that the NFL had zero actual evidence against Brady and he went from there.  Anyone who thinks this was entirely about the "process not the facts" wasn't paying attention.  I mean, he followed the law in his decision, but first he sniffed out what was actually going on.

 

[Leather]

There's no way to engage, only dismiss. "He's legally not allowed to". If you want to try a fruitless endeavor, it's not exactly hard to read between the lines.

 
Ya.  I think the response is:
 
"He wasn't allowed to, because he had to take the facts as Goodell told them.  But, even still, he referred to it as an "alleged" deflation scheme, and deliberately pointed out that Brady did better with fully inflated balls in the 2nd half of the game.  Why would he have done that if he didn't suspect that the entire thing was built on bullshit?"
 
Seriously:  there's no plausible reason why Berman referred to the AFC game stats unless he wanted to somehow highlight how absurd the NFL's underlying argument was.

 

[Norm loves Vera]

Not to hijack or side track discussion, but my biggest fear going into this season is that TB and the Patriots are still guilty in the eyes of the NFL (who are embarrassed and pissed off) and will be overly scrutinized by officials, not the stripes per say but the Suits from Park Ave in the stands.  I just re read the new football procedure Troy Vincent released recently and I was surprised by section "d".  I thought all balls would be measured at half and after the game, but unless I read this wrong, that is not the case.  It will be random.
 
"At designated games, selected at random, the game balls used in the first half will be collected by the KBC at halftime, and the League’s Security Representative will escort the KBC with the footballs to the Officials’ Locker room. During halftime, each game ball for both teams will be inspected in the locker room by designated members of the officiating and security crews, and the PSI results will be measured and recorded.  Once measured, those game balls will then be secured and removed from play."
http://operations.nfl.com/updates/the-game/preparing-the-footballs-for-nfl-games
 
So they will not be compiling data on psi during and after games ... or did I read this wrong?

 

[GBrushTWood]

Is there a good canned answer to those who continue to insist that Berman made no findings on Brady's guilt or innocence, but rather, just the process.  I'm well versed in this case, and can take a stab at it myself, but wanted to know how people are responding to those assertions?  I'm talking about engaging, not just dismissing.

 
How about "Do you agree the AFC championship was played on planet Earth? Yes? Then there is no proof the football were deflated beyond what the laws of planet Earth explain."
 
That one is pithy and should leave most mouth breathers scratching their heads. You may get a "but, but...balls in duh bathroom!!" retort. If so, reference fines, and not suspensions.
 
To be honest, the case is so incredibly strong in the Patriots favor now, these responses should be a layup. Nearly every fact favors Brady and the Pats.

 

[TheoShmeo]

 
Ya.  I think the response is:
 
"He wasn't allowed to, because he had to take the facts as Goodell told them.  But, even still, he referred to it as an "alleged" deflation scheme, and deliberately pointed out that Brady did better with fully inflated balls in the 2nd half of the game.  Why would he have done that if he didn't suspect that the entire thing was built on bullshit?"
 
Seriously:  there's no plausible reason why Berman referred to the AFC game stats unless he wanted to somehow highlight how absurd the NFL's underlying argument was.

I violently agree but also think that any answer that is along the lines of "this WAS exoneration" is likely to be processed by a person who would ask the question in the first place as unconvincing because Berman was not explicit.  "Well why didn't he just say that?"
 
Said differently,  I think those kinds of answers are too advanced for the types who would ask the question.  The 4 Peters' reply is elegant and simple, and likely better.  I also think something like "simple, the Judge wasn't asked to decide it and would have risked reversal had he exceeded what was before him" works, but I get that it looks like a dodge.

 

[soxhop411]

http://www.denverpost.com/kiszla/ci_28755919/broncos-safety-t-j-ward-victim-latest-nfl

 

[dcmissle]

Norm -- I am not going to breathe more easily until Pash and Kensil are gone.

One of the big problems is that RG never replaced himself when he became Commissioner. That gave a long leash to Pash and others.

Now he has replaced himself, and perhaps not coincidentally the PR director will be leaving.

Pash needs to be severely contained at least, and Kensil needs to be gone or moved to a place where he cannot do us harm.

 

[soxhop411]

 

[Average Reds]

http://www.denverpost.com/kiszla/ci_28755919/broncos-safety-t-j-ward-victim-latest-nfl

 
Anything published by the Denver Post should be treated similarly to the proverbial tree falling in the wilderness.

 

[JimBoSox9]

Norm -- I am not going to breathe more easily until Pash and Kensil are gone.

One of the big problems is that RG never replaced himself when he became Commissioner. That gave a long leash to Pash and others.

No he has replaced himself, and perhaps not coincidentally the RP director will be leaving.

Pash needs to be severely contained at least, and Kensil needs to be gone or moved to a place where he cannot do us harm.

 
Don't forget Vincent, dunno about the Pats angle but dude's just got to go.

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

Yeah, it's infuriating.  Anyone reading the opinion shouldn't have much doubt that Berman was highly skeptical of the underlying findings.  But he played it straight -- he resolved the issues that the NFLPA asked him to resolve.
 
Kessler made some very difficult decisions at the beginning of the case -- he didn't ask for discovery or go hog wild on Mike Kensil conspiracy theories or any of the red meat that we maybe would have liked to have seen a month ago.  He was precise, focused on process, and included just enough to get the judge skeptical about the merits -- the now somewhat famous "grandma on wheels" colloquy being a good example of how he did this -- without making it the centerpiece.
 
It's hard to overstate how amazingly well developed that strategy was and how hard what he did really is.  The case came to him as a blank slate.  Well, that's not entirely true, to the extent he was a participant in the case that led to the record he was challenging. But the range of options he had in terms of how to structure his case and fight was virtually infinite.  He chose judiciously.  He perhaps could have chosen a route where, if he had won, there would have been more exoneration type arguments to be made.  And he maybe could have even chosen a course where winning would be easier to defend on appeal.  (Mostly I'm thinking here of trying to bring in evidence to show actual bias, which, if he could have pulled off, would have been tough to ever get overturned.)
 
But he decided that winning the war was far more important than trying to win every battle, and often where guys truly earn their $1,000/hour is not in the hours they churn away writing or arguing or anything else, but those first few hours where they exercise the judgment to decide what not to argue.  If he'd chosen the more high-flying, high-wire act maybe he hits a home run and ends up with some findings that sound like exoneration that makes it harder for the haters to say this was a "technicality."  But he was smart enough to know that's a losing game -- those folks will never run out of ways to adhere to the narrative they prefer and wish to be true.  

 

[Omar's Wacky Neighbor]

Is there a good canned answer to those who continue to insist that Berman made no findings on Brady's guilt or innocence, but rather, just the process.  I'm well versed in this case, and can take a stab at it myself, but wanted to know how people are responding to those assertions?  I'm talking about engaging, not just dismissing.

Granted it's dismissive, but it gets to the meat of the issue:  because that's not what Berman was asked (to do), so it simply wasnt his place to comment or pass that judgement.

 

[geoduck no quahog]

Is there a good canned answer to those who continue to insist that Berman made no findings on Brady's guilt or innocence, but rather, just the process.  I'm well versed in this case, and can take a stab at it myself, but wanted to know how people are responding to those assertions?  I'm talking about engaging, not just dismissing.

 
Playing devil's advocate, there is no good answer.
 
The NFL's position in this case was to affirm that the Commissioner has unlimited power to investigate, assign blame, punish and then arbitrate any event that the Commissioner deems to impact the integrity of the game. It's not about the NFL "skirting the rules" or even "making shit up". The NFL was convinced that they could skirt any rule and come to any conclusion they wanted to - based on the CBA. 
 
As flawed as the entire investigation was, right from the get go (starting with whispers that the Patriots had a habit of under-inflating footballs through to the Interception and everything else that followed) - we need to accept that while the investigation didn't prove footballs were deflated, it also didn't prove that they weren't deflated. PV=nRT only works under controlled conditions. Original conclusions and counter-conclusion rely way to much on "average" pressures, inaccurate gauges, unknown environmental conditions and assumptions. The Wells Report even states that (in a way). 
 
For me, the best response is to cite the other examples of tampering...and the determination that the acknowledged equipment tampering (balls, gloves, jerseys, etc.) never rose to the standard of "integrity of the game" and that after the footballs were adjusted (probably over-inflated) Brady went on to perform even better - the conclusion being that, for some forever unknown reason (actually it is known - sour grapes), the League had a compulsion to go after the Patriots in any manner they could concoct, for any possible infringement, using Kensil as a tool to that end. In this case, the "League" could be defined as a specific group of Owners and executives. There's also the possibility that the NFL, for P.R. reasons, was desperate to show they could discipline a white, golden boy, hall of famer and not just guys who raise pit bulls.
 
There's no good response because the response involves nuance and an ability to recognize all possibilities. I'd just stick with "Goodell Sucks".

 

[Bergs]

Since January, idiots were going to be idiots no matter what happened. The only way for Brady to rehabilitate himself at all was to unflinchingly defend himself and a deal would have completely torpedoed that. Instead, we now have former NFL water carriers in open revolt on this issue.

That won't touch the opinion of the great unwashed masses, and man, Berman never found Brady innocent!!!1!111 and I bet those grapes are sour anyway. But who cares about those people?

Brady may be the best person in history at what he does. His integrity and honor were impugned on nothing more than the stupidity of people who came to a conclusion, had to reverse engineer reasoning in the face of evidence to the contrary, and continued to knowingly slander him throughout the process, clearly illustrating (to anyone paying attention without an agenda) their utter bankruptcy of integrity.

There's no settling on issues like that, with an opposing party like that. The NFL sought more in settlement than it could have gotten in a confirmation. When you have a bully like that challenging your very integrity, you slap him right the fuck back, no matter what the bean counters of the world urge and the immovability of those who refuse to be educated.

Defiantly losing entirely on deference to the arbitrator would have been better than settling for two games with a mealy-mouthed protestation of innocence. I'm glad Brady and the union saw that.

 
I'm totally cribbing this. Great post.

 

[Leather]

 
Oh. That's rich, coming from Peyton-land, especially.

 

[Myt1]

Kessler did exactly what you want an appellate ninja to do. Strongest arguments that could be linked together without narrative dissonance, made reasonable concessions where he had to, and he made masterful use of the procedural crowbar to get in despite the general arbitral discretion. Even his weak arguments strengthened the narrative, and he gave Berman plenty of hooks to hang his hat on.

My personal style is more in line with Berman's opinion (sarcastic quotation marks aside, being the sole province of the tribunal), but it's pretty damn sweet watching someone that good work that well.

 

[dabombdig]

 
Anything published by the Denver Post should be treated similarly to the proverbial tree falling in the wilderness.

 
Not in this case. It wasn't just a tantrum - he threw a glass mug at a female bartender.  The writer very cutely is downplaying violence against women by calling it a "tantrum" and comparing it to deflated balls.  
 
I understand your point about ignoring the Denver Post, but people Kiszla should be shamed and ridiculed for minimizing the significance of Ward's infraction and by extension violence against women.  Fuck him and the clicks he is searching for.

 

[Average Reds]

 
Not in this case. It wasn't just a tantrum - he threw a glass mug at a female bartender.  The writer very cutely is downplaying violence against women by calling it a "tantrum" and comparing it to deflated balls.  
 
I understand your point about ignoring the Denver Post, but people Kiszla should be shamed and ridiculed for minimizing the significance of Ward's infraction and by extension violence against women.  Fuck him and the clicks he is searching for.

 
I didn't read beyond the sections in soxhop's quote, so I am (or was) blissfully unaware of Ward's actions.
 
Criticize the writer at will for trivializing the issue of violence against women, but the comparison of Ward to Brady does not deserve to be dignified.

 

[BigPapiLumber Co.]

This is how I answered:
 
If the NFL had good facts on its side, it wouldn't have resorted to such an illegal process. The NFL couldn't prove that people (rather than weather) deflated footballs, so they had to resort to non-cooperation and "generally aware" to find an avenue of punishment. I'm not at all convinced Brady cheated. 
 
[Relatively reasonable reply, with question.]
 
 I generally agree, but one reason the decision doesn't address the "generally aware" issue is that an arbitrator's fact-finding is given a LOT of deference. If the Judge had written that a reason for his decision was that he disagreed with that fact-finding, he would be way more likely to be overturned on appeal. As it was, I think he expressed his disdain for Wells Report by putting "independent" in quotes each of the dozen or so times he referred to it. He thinks the fact-finding (in addition to the process) was BS, but can't say that because of appeal issues.

 

[JohnnyK]

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/639846415531835392

 
Patriots do not intend to try to recoup the 1st- and 4th-round draft pick losses and $1 million that NFL took from them in Deflategate case.

Wonder what makes him say that.

 

[E5 Yaz]

I'm going to make a suggestion here:
 
Someone start a thread for all the "hater / crybaby" reactions from elsewhere, and return this thread to the actual aftermath of the ruling and what happens from this point forward.
 
That way, those of us who don't give a shit about what the anti-Patriots media, etc., have to say can be spared from wading through those posts and the multiple reactions while looking for actual things of relevance.
 
And I say this having posted the Munson and Kravitz reactions, since those two were takes immediately after the ruling ... not a day-later butt-hurt trolling from predictable sources.

 

[steveluck7]

 
Not in this case. It wasn't just a tantrum - he threw a glass mug at a female bartender.  The writer very cutely is downplaying violence against women by calling it a "tantrum" and comparing it to deflated balls.  
 
I understand your point about ignoring the Denver Post, but people Kiszla should be shamed and ridiculed for minimizing the significance of Ward's infraction and by extension violence against women.  Fuck him and the clicks he is searching for.

Not to mention the fact that the NFL punished Brady at an unprecedented level and it was a FEDERAL COURT OF LAW who overturned it. 

 

[BannedbyNYYFans.com]

http://www.denverpost.com/kiszla/ci_28755919/broncos-safety-t-j-ward-victim-latest-nfl

 
 
Sour grapes, but you gotta give the writer credit for this line...
 
 

For those of you keeping score at home, Brady beat Goodell in a big game and walked away smiling. Hey, commish, Peyton Manning knows exactly how you feel.

 

[JimD]

Time is on Brady's side (barring injury, of course).  Every game in which he performs at a high level using footballs that are under the league's new guidelines will further diminish the alleged idea that he was gaining an advantage from supposedly deflated footballs.  By the time he is inducted into Canton, I honestly believe this will be a footnote and nothing more.

 

[allstonite]

Kessler did exactly what you want an appellate ninja to do. Strongest arguments that could be linked together without narrative dissonance, made reasonable concessions where he had to, and he made masterful use of the procedural crowbar to get in despite the general arbitral discretion. Even his weak arguments strengthened the narrative, and he gave Berman plenty of hooks to hang his hat on.

IANAL or anywhere close but the rational part of me completely agrees with this that Kessler picked the right strategy. 2 days ago all I was concerned with was a win to get Brady on the field for all 16 games and be done with it, haters/idiots be damned. The fan in me, seeing how seemingly lopsided the opinion was, sort of wishes he had gone for more to see they could have shifted public opinion. Of course that's just greedy and hindsight is 20/20. I hope more damning facts about the NFL and their process come out in the aftermath.

 

[Adrian's Dome]

Any Broncos fan that brings up "cheating" can be shut the fuck up with two simple words: "salary cap."

 

[dcmissle]

I and others have been saying here since the Wells report issued that the underlying facts would NOT be retried in court, so people looking for vindication had to look elsewhere.

We're also damn fortunate Berman did not go down this road. If he had, we'd be in rough shape on appeal.

Now people are getting greedy. They want something this proess never offered, and some are pissed that Kraft is not suing to get the draft picks back.

 

[Average Reds]

I and others have been saying here since the Wells report issued that the underlying facts would NOT be retried in court, so people looking for vindication had to look elsewhere.

We're also damn fortunate Berman did not go down this road. If he had, we'd be in rough shape on appeal.

Now people are getting greedy. They want something this proess never offered, and some are pissed that Kraft is not suing to get the draft picks back.

 
Yup.
 
This was the absolute best-case outcome.  Enjoy it folks.

 

[TheoShmeo]

Are folks listening to WEEI?
 
Someone just told me that Kraft is indeed considering going after the picks.  That person may have misunderstood what he was hearing and he in fact has been pushing for that, so maybe he heard what he wanted to hear.
 
I'm posting this here to see if anyone else just heard something along those lines.