It's a badly written piece, but it wouldn't surprise me at this point. I just hope Kraft didn't pull a muscle in the 180 to go get his shinebox.lambeau said:
#DFG: Canceling the Noise
- Thread starter nattysez
- Start date
Baloney. He deserves deference based on his entire body of work. Judging him based on one decision -- a decision with respect to which he knows a helluva lot more than we do -- is foolhardy. And we have not one bit of evidence that Jonathon Kraft would have handled this differently.Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
Kraft didn't roll into town yesterday. He has been making decisions about the Patriots on a daily basis since he bought the team. And while he of course isn't perfect and has made his share of mistakes (like all of us), the sum total of those decisions has lead to a lot of incredibly good stuff. The Pats have been the most successful team in the NFL during his run, and it's not even close.
And utter BS that he chose the NFL over his team. He made a calculated decision that it was better for the Patriots to not fight the NFL in this case. If Kraft didn't think -- regardless of what you think -- that it was in the Pats enlightened self-interest to take the medicine, he simply would not have done it. You have no evidence that he has suddenly stopped caring first about the Patriots. That he cloaked his decision in terms of the NFL was undoubtedly done because he thought saying that would most advantage his team.
And what's your answer for the fact that that the Patriots could not have won this fight? Or do you think they could have? Please elaborate on your silver bullet, if so. Because if you can't win a fight, spending time and money and political capital on it, and suffering all of the bad will from other owners and distraction that comes along with it, seems pretty silly to me. Make no mistake, if the Pats actually had a chance to overturn Goodell's decision, then I would hate his actions as much as you do.
But anyone damning Kraft must be glossing over his dim chances of success in a challenge. Fighting to appease the fans or make yourself feel better or send a message, when you cannot win, is indefensible in my book.
The point wasn't just to win the fight. The point was to stand up to Goodell. That was the end game here, to reel an out of control commissioner in and to finally say no mas. THAT would have been the fucking point.
Instead he turtled. When presented with a chance to change the league for the better, he didn't have the courage to follow through.
Others have made the excellent points about the Dallas/Washington penalties during the uncapped year, which were complete bullshit as well. At the time I didnt care because LOL Snyder, but that's my problem because they got screwed. Kraft didn't say shit then either. Another example of Goodell being allowed to run uncontrolled.
Of course by and large his ownership of the team has been a good one for the fans. I mean, fucking DUH. Doesn't mean we can't kill him for his enormously damaging mistake yesterday. People are like nuanced and shit.
Instead he turtled. When presented with a chance to change the league for the better, he didn't have the courage to follow through.
Others have made the excellent points about the Dallas/Washington penalties during the uncapped year, which were complete bullshit as well. At the time I didnt care because LOL Snyder, but that's my problem because they got screwed. Kraft didn't say shit then either. Another example of Goodell being allowed to run uncontrolled.
Of course by and large his ownership of the team has been a good one for the fans. I mean, fucking DUH. Doesn't mean we can't kill him for his enormously damaging mistake yesterday. People are like nuanced and shit.
What!? Appeasing the fans, who are your paying customers, is a bad move? Kraft has been a Shield guy and Goodell supporter from the beginning and what did it get him? The Pats have now been on the receiving end of two of the league's bigger penalties, and the team's legacy outside of New England is questioned by most fans.TheoShmeo said:
I am disappointed though not completely surprised that Kraft decided to stand down on resisting the NFL's punishment. That being said, I would have really have liked to have seen Kraft, in his press conference yesterday accepting the punishment, make one last clear and unequivocal statement about what bullcrap he thought this all was, something like:
I am here to announce that the Patriots will not appeal the punishment that has been handed down by the NFL. I want to make it perfectly clear that I do not agree with the methodology or conclusions that were used by the NFL in this case. I also maintain that the punishment handed down by the league is unprecedented, disproportionate, and unfair. Nevertheless, I have decided to accept the punishment as-is in the interest of the greater common good of the NFL and all 32 member teams.
All that being said, I wish to re-state the following points:
This will be our last public statement on this matter.
I am here to announce that the Patriots will not appeal the punishment that has been handed down by the NFL. I want to make it perfectly clear that I do not agree with the methodology or conclusions that were used by the NFL in this case. I also maintain that the punishment handed down by the league is unprecedented, disproportionate, and unfair. Nevertheless, I have decided to accept the punishment as-is in the interest of the greater common good of the NFL and all 32 member teams.
All that being said, I wish to re-state the following points:
- No member of Patriots organization engaged in any improper or illegal activity in any way shape or form.
- We maintain that the Wells report is deeply flawed, contains numerous factual and scientific errors, and shows evidence of at least incompetence and at worst premeditated bias against the Patriots. We stand by everything that we said in our Wells context report. We would highly recommend that the NFL review its process for conducting these sorts of investigations, and conduct a thorough review of the competence and conduct of the investigators that were hired in this case.
- We maintain that that the Patriots cooperated fully and in good faith during this process, and in no way obstructed the investigation, despite claims to the contrary.
- We are disappointed that the investigation completely failed to address certain key elements of this process, such as the numerous media leaks containing erroneous information that were extremely prejudicial and damaging to the Patriots reputation, and the league's failure to correct such misinformation in a prompt and fair manner. We are also disappointed that the questionable conduct of certain league officials during this affair was not adequately reviewed or explained. We would hope that the NFL will take prompt action to address these issues, in the interest of fairness and maintaining the integrity and public confidence of the league and its operations.
This will be our last public statement on this matter.
Kraft would have saved some face with his fanbase if he had said just that, and not talked about goosebumps from being part of the Old Boys Club and, worst of all, defending Roger yet again. As big a football fan as I am, I'm not sure I have another Deflategate in me, and nothing has been done to alleviate fears that this will just happen again. Know you're gonna get your ass kicked pre-game? Contact Kensil/Vincent, write up an email, let the league handle the rest. Were they even guilty? The PSI numbers suggest they weren't, the texts combined with the awful excuses suggest they were, so we'll really never know. That's not even the point to me. The rest of this gigantic circus, the way the league lied and let the Pats twist in the wind and get destroyed by world media, the absurd punishment over a rule nobody has ever cared about that the refs likely routinely ignored, it's all bullshit. And if they keep winning, it's probably going to happen again.lexrageorge said:
I don't think I've ever really understood Belichick's "it's a player's game" perspective in full context until now. The owners are doing their best to ruin one of the country's best products, and Kraft is playing a lead role.
Like trying to strong arm a stadium into South Boston, threatening to move the Patriots, using and lying to Hartford, backing an incompetent, power drunk commissioner, and trying to glom onto the Boston2024 Olympics movement to get a stadium in the city now?TheoShmeo said:
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc.
He cared most about himself.
You're too sophisticated a party to try to limit the conversation with this silliness. People fight battles they can't technically win all the time for perfectly rational reasons.
More to the point, they don't suck up to the man who just kneecapped their "son" while his own appeal is still perfectly viable.
I don't buy the theory that Goodell has something else because I find it impossible to believe that whatever scandalous hypothetical piece of evidence - This-Gate or otherwise - would not have been leaked by 345 Park Ave. months, if not years, ago.
That would have been nice but I'm sure part of the agreement between Kraft and Goodell was that you can't say you were innocent, he didn't have to say they were guilty but you sure as hell can't say you weren't.
Edit:This was in reply to the Gorton Fisherman.
Edit:This was in reply to the Gorton Fisherman.
What "agreement between Kraft and Goodell"? Did I miss something?
Edit: If you're referring to the rumored "quid pro quo" that alleges that Goodell and Kraft met behind closed doors and that Kraft agreed to accept the punishment in exchange for Goodell lifting/reducing Brady's suspension, it seems to me that these rumors have been pretty well shot down by now.
Also: I am aware that Kraft making the above statement would no doubt have violated the bylaws prohibiting clubs from publicly criticizing the league. However 1) that ship has already sailed at this point (what with the context report and all) and 2) if I were Kraft I would have been happy to take whatever heat that could have resulted from making this statement in exchange for getting one last full broadside in against the league, and entering one last strong and unequivocal statement of innocence into the public record. The team's historical legacy and reputation is at stake. I'd be willing to take that hit seven days a week and twice on Sunday if I were Kraft.
As a smaller side benefit, Kraft making such a statement would possibly preclude trolls such as Felger, CHB, etc from immediately concluding "See?!? Kraft is tacitly acknowledging the team's guilt!!!"
Edit: If you're referring to the rumored "quid pro quo" that alleges that Goodell and Kraft met behind closed doors and that Kraft agreed to accept the punishment in exchange for Goodell lifting/reducing Brady's suspension, it seems to me that these rumors have been pretty well shot down by now.
Also: I am aware that Kraft making the above statement would no doubt have violated the bylaws prohibiting clubs from publicly criticizing the league. However 1) that ship has already sailed at this point (what with the context report and all) and 2) if I were Kraft I would have been happy to take whatever heat that could have resulted from making this statement in exchange for getting one last full broadside in against the league, and entering one last strong and unequivocal statement of innocence into the public record. The team's historical legacy and reputation is at stake. I'd be willing to take that hit seven days a week and twice on Sunday if I were Kraft.
As a smaller side benefit, Kraft making such a statement would possibly preclude trolls such as Felger, CHB, etc from immediately concluding "See?!? Kraft is tacitly acknowledging the team's guilt!!!"
The irrational fan side of me wanted Kraft to go to the ends of the earth to defend the team because this report is so faulty. However, Robert Kraft is no Al Davis. He is too media-savvy, too worried about what others think of him, and has too much respect for the shield. Kraft's brand would not have turned around to the general public because of an all-out assault on the league. However, just because he has dropped the public battle does not mean he admitted guilt. He is just choosing not to fight this anymore. Kraft appealing and eventually suing the league wasn't going to get their penalties reduced or taken away as much as we wanted it to be true.
I understand if fans don't feel this way because it is everybody's right to feel how they want to feel. I just don't think bashing Kraft's decision to stand down was the wrong one when you look at it rationally.
I understand if fans don't feel this way because it is everybody's right to feel how they want to feel. I just don't think bashing Kraft's decision to stand down was the wrong one when you look at it rationally.
You didn't miss an announcement no but there were many reports that Kraft and Goodell met in NY and in SF and they ended up hugging.Gorton Fisherman said:
They came to some sort of an agreement that resulted in this statement and speculation regarding what if anything Kraft got in return.
I'm speculating in my post but the fact that he didn't even hint that the Pats didn't do it, nevermind what was in your post, leads me to believe that Kraft had to play it down the middle in his statement.
Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
But that would *not* have happened. It would have been Smiling Joe "standing up" to Mike Tyson, c. 1985. He saw that he had no chance to "change the league for the better" with the crusade you are suggesting.
Everything that has been said about his support for Goodell and chickens comming home to roost make sense. But I think it's a mistake to conflate that support with the idea that he somehow had a reasonable alternative to yesterday's move and just surrendered anyway. No one has yet explained what the practical versions of "keep fighting" "scorched earth" and all those other heroic acts really are. Lawsuits? Hit men? Just what are we talking about here? A lawsuit that would get dismissed in 15 seconds because Kraft agreed not to file one when he signed up to be in the club? (This isn't some antitrust thing like Davis trying to move his team. That implicated other laws. This doesn't.)
twibnotes said:
Other than fielding a team of complete misanthropes, his obligation to the fans is what happens on the field, and, I suppose, in the relative comfort of seeing a game. "The team's legacy outside New England" is something he cannot control or change nor should it be very high on the to-do list.
The NFL is the most centralized league. No local TV money. Merch $$ is centralized, etc. I think Kraft realizes that the NFL -- or at least its owners -- needs a powerful commissioner to keep 32 billionaires from pulling in 32 directions. But if weakening this one means weakening the office so that the basic centralized revenue structure is threatened by the BIG teams throwing their weight around like NCAA power conferences, then Kraft is probably loathe to do it. Maybe that's his long game. Of course that doesn't mean having a shitty Commish. And maybe Kraft regrets that support. But those are separate issues. "I'm gonna fuck this guy up because he sucks even if it means fucking up the way the league has worked successfully" is not the approach a smart guy takes.
It's a business. Kraft is probably a less-shitty-asshole than most NFL owners. But just because that same media that we hate because they wont make the effort to understand balls or taping has woven a "story" about Kraft the Fan or "The Patriot Way" (which they are now gleefully happy to tear down) doesn't mean there is such a thing beyond fielding winning teams.
Exactly.Mugsy's Walk-Off Bunt said:
The only thing that would make sense at all would be that McNally or Jastremski felt betrayed and decided to contact Goodell sometime last week, but that would be a real stretch.
More likely is that they either threatened him with more sanctions for speaking out against the NFL, or he and Arthur Blank shared memories of hunting black rhino over a glass of caviar juice on a beanbag of money and Kraft got emotional and decided to get back in line.
You're too smart not to realize that everything Kraft did yesterday was based on his assessment of what he thought was in the Pats' best interests. It's naive to think that Kraft was ONLY about warm fuzzies about the NFL owners club. If that was his only driver, he would not have come out swinging in the week before the SB, snubbed Goodell at the podium, indicated his outrage at the severity of the penalty when it came down or issued the Context Report.Myt1 said:
As to the items you mentioned in the first line, I did not say or claim that Kraft is perfect. I may differ on aspects of those various events, but in the end I judge Kraft on the whole and give him deference in THIS decision based on his overall record. Hell, I hate that Foxboro was built in a way to minimize crowd noise, yet that remains one decision and not a driver of the whole either.
Overall, Kraft has been pretty freaking good, and shows a level of acumen that deserves deference, especially when the fight cannot be won and there are undoubtedly facts I am unaware of.
And duh yourself, SJH. I get the righteous indignation thing. But please, if I agreed that yesterday was a huge mistake, I would also kill him for not fighting the fight. But I think you don't fight fights just to stand up to the bad guy. You have to weigh everything -- chances of success, impacts on the Patriots by fighting and going against the league, distraction, fostering the media circus, impact on the Brady appeal, and MANY other factors -- before you do something because it makes you feel good or your fans feel good.
Again, his prior bravado -- especially before the SB -- served a purpose unrelated to yesterday.twibnotes said:
He capitulated when it became clear to him that he had no support. Changing course based on facts on the ground...smart.
He'd have gotten criticized for whatever statement he said. The funny thing is that he got criticized for fighting the penalties in the first place. Now, he gets criticized for standing down and how he delivered the message. He's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. In this situation, he can't win no matter what he does.twibnotes said:
Theo, he could have well made the decision to not sue, yet still not gotten up in front of the podium and slobbered over Goodell. His speech was about as tone deaf to a blue collar city like Boston as was possible. It makes me wonder if the guy's just too old for this.
I think he is in part being criticized for not fighting, but it's more that not. His communication strategy is totally disjointed. A couple weeks ago he's pushing back, gearing up for a fight. Then yesterday he's practically kissing Goddell's feet.RedOctober3829 said:
This sums up this whole sordid affair perfectly. Appreciating what Kraft has done to put together a championship team while being colossally disappointed in the way in which he capitulated don't have to be mutually exclusive. If he had said he disagreed with the process and the punishment but the deck was stacked against him and it was time to move on I believe the reaction by fans would be different. At some point you have to be pragmatic.Ed Hillel said:
The comments that he respects the commissioner and got chills becoming an NFL owner however are nauseating and a slap in the face to a fan base that has demonstrated incredible support in him and his team and as such was clearly vested in this. It's not the capitulation-- it's the way he did it that pisses people off. The one hope perhaps we can hold out is that the deal is RG steps aside for an independent arbiter. Goodell reducing to nothing even stil leaves a bad taste. An overwhelmingly pro Brady ruling that results from an independent arbiter who is appointed as a result of a back doors deal is the only way that type of pathetic groveling makes sense.
Based on what has transpired thus far I wouldn't bet 5 cents on it.
Kraft has obviously done good things as an owner. Most importantly hiring Belichick and staying out of his way. 7 super bowl appearances is remarkable.
That doesn't mean fans can't be upset with his actions.
He dropped this by talking about his partnerships with other owners and how Goodell is doing his best for all teams.
This team has been docked two first round picks and a fourth plus the fines in 8 years. Fans should be upset about that. Maybe Kraft couldn't have done anything about it but he's the owner and the one in the organization who deals with the league office the most.
If Kraft was influential as some make him out to be this never would have gotten this far.
He made this bed by continually supporting Goodell and this league office.
And yes let's not give him credit for not moving the team to Hartford.
That doesn't mean fans can't be upset with his actions.
He dropped this by talking about his partnerships with other owners and how Goodell is doing his best for all teams.
This team has been docked two first round picks and a fourth plus the fines in 8 years. Fans should be upset about that. Maybe Kraft couldn't have done anything about it but he's the owner and the one in the organization who deals with the league office the most.
If Kraft was influential as some make him out to be this never would have gotten this far.
He made this bed by continually supporting Goodell and this league office.
And yes let's not give him credit for not moving the team to Hartford.
Schefter on ESPN Radio this morning. I didn't hear all of it, so if there's other things, I hope someone will jump in. But he said:
1--The rebuttal stands on it's own and the team wants that out there "forever". They do not agree with the findings and maintain they did nothing wrong.
2--Kraft simply decided he was not going to win against the league and the team needs this to go away as soon as possible.
1--The rebuttal stands on it's own and the team wants that out there "forever". They do not agree with the findings and maintain they did nothing wrong.
2--Kraft simply decided he was not going to win against the league and the team needs this to go away as soon as possible.
TheoShmeo said:
Kraft the owner's interests. But how has Kraft's influence benefited the Patriots and their fans? Their successes have been on the field. Off the field they have received two huge penalties. Yesterday's statement was about continued influence in the league.
In both Deflategate and Spygate, it's arguable that the Kraft/Goodell relationship caused the Patriots a bigger penalty; at a minimum it didn't help. I understand why Kraft wants influence, its just not clear that the influence helps the Patriots.
So I'm curious about something going forward from this whole debacle. Since the report was clearly not interested in casting a wider net regarding ball preparation (how does weather affect the ball, should we adjust the range, etc.), what happens next season when someone points the finger again, and we go through the same song and dance and see that the balls are under-inflated (again, due to weather conditions, etc.). Since it seems to be the position of most people here (myself included), that there is no direct evidence of tampering but, crucially, also no direct evidence of not tampering, how does the team protect itself?
But he does deserve credit for not moving the team to St. Louis, because that is where it was headed unless Kraft bought it.BigJimEd said:
Didn't they change the procedures during the Super Bowl? I seem to recall that there were some guidelines issued about game officials needing to stay with the balls, and the balls being kept in a monitored area on the sideline during the game. I even saw a camera shot of the balls on the sideline in some sort of holding pen.semsox said:
There could still be procedure changes for next season, but they would not necessarily require changes to the rules or bylaws to implement.
When this story started to drag on I began to wonder if it would slowly kill a little piece of Patriots fans. Nearly everywhere people were just killing the Patriots reminding us about Spygate and being recidivist. Little by little pieces kept falling but while fans were losing the battle nationally they were going to win the eventual war.
Until yesterday.
Kraft can never again tell us his story about his days of being a fan and season ticket holder. He is clearly far enough removed from that time in his life to not fully grasp just how a fan today would feel about giving up the fight. As an owner I'm sure he has different views on most league issues than most ordinary fans but on THIS issue, he was supposed to be on the fans side.
That's if he was still a fan of the team instead of a fan of printing money.
Until yesterday.
Kraft can never again tell us his story about his days of being a fan and season ticket holder. He is clearly far enough removed from that time in his life to not fully grasp just how a fan today would feel about giving up the fight. As an owner I'm sure he has different views on most league issues than most ordinary fans but on THIS issue, he was supposed to be on the fans side.
That's if he was still a fan of the team instead of a fan of printing money.
The NFL seems so determined not to let this get to court that the only remaining outcome of any interest to me is one where it ends up in court.lambeau said:
This doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition. I appreciate everything Kraft has done as owner of the Patriots and wouldn’t want any other owner, but the organization’s response to this matter was about as ineptly handled from a public relations standpoint as it possibly could be. I’m not sure if he acted impulsively or if this was a calculated effort to overturn Goodell, but it’s obvious today that he badly underestimated the support he thought he’d receive from some of his fellow NFL owners. Acting like you have an answer for everything and whipping up the fanbase into a frenzy only to back down, hug Goodell and talk about how much he treasures being in the billionaire’s club? The optics are simply horrible and fans have a right to be plenty pissed off right now.
Which is why I wouldn't suggest something like that. I think he did what was best for his bottom line. Avoid throwing good money after bad and possibly getting sanctioned yet again for the effort.TheoShmeo said:
What's the list of awesome stuff that he's done?
1. Hire Parcells.
2. Hire Belichick despite the price in a sort of turnabout is fairplay circular screwjob with the Jets.
3. Seems to have been instrumental in avoiding a strike during the last labor dispute.
What else makes you feel particularly grateful? I'm not particularly disappointed in the latest turnaround (although I may have messaged the Context thing a bit differently if falling into line a week later were a likely possibility); "company man does company man things that are good for his bottom line" is hardly "man bites dog" stuff. I just don't understand the tendency toward hagiography.
kartvelo said:
You people have no imagination
The NFL has something. It's bad. It makes everyone involved look bad. They don't want it out there.
They have Wells do his more probably than not thing but not specifically lay it out there in the report.
They come down hard on the Pats because of bad thing
Kraft goes crazy
Goodell meets with Kraft at the owners meetings and tells him listen, we have this. No one wants it out there but if you keep pushing we're going to have to go public with it
Kraft backs off
Kraft tells Brady to go ahead with the appeal but accept what comes out of it because we don't want this going to court
No team has ever fought back with press conferences and a website like this, and the lack of a response from the NFL to it is kind of interesting (and telling) in itself, isn't it? That probably says more about Kraft's power and standing than anything.
I don't really believe Kraft is going to pressure Brady. I also don't believe Brady has any reason to cave. I do think the NFL has reasons to leak that Kraft is going to pressure Brady, wishful thinking as I suspect they are
I don't really believe Kraft is going to pressure Brady. I also don't believe Brady has any reason to cave. I do think the NFL has reasons to leak that Kraft is going to pressure Brady, wishful thinking as I suspect they are
semsox said:
The same thing that's happened the last 8 years:
Team not named the Patriots accused: some team gets their panties in a twist, an article will get posted on ESPN.com, NFL will yawn, maybe isue a fine (depending on which stop the wheel of justice lands), and the offense will get washed and rinsed by start of the next news cycle. Nobody will really give a shit.
Team named the Patriots accused: some team becomes upset after a loss, article will get posted on ESPN.com, every media outlet in the country will sanctimoniously wring their hands with no consideration towards merit of the offense, knuckle draggers and mouth breathers will form a figurative mob against the Patriots. The NFL will launch a McCarthyist witch hunt investigation. The Patriots will ultimately be sentenced to the equivalent of testicular electrocution for their sins.
That applies for the ball pressure or any other dopey legalese rule the NFL has. In short, nothing at all has changed to prevent this.
And to the poster speculating about the ball inflation/security rule changing - do you honestly feel that the bozos responsible for creating the current asinine ball pressure rule will magically fix the rule? I wouldn't trust these clowns to toast me a piece of bread.
I didn't need the team to sue the league to feel like they've handled this situation as well as they could have. But why such a groveling statement, and why before the in-house appeals process? Lose the appeal, make a final statement that you are unhappy with how this has turned out but recognize that suing the league would make the situation far more damaging, and fold then. You don't need to be calling for Kraft's head to think that yesterday was an enormous misstep in the name of a nervous Kraft taking his escape route earlier than necessary.
Parcells was already here when Kraft bought the team.Myt1 said:
He did keep the team in New England; the other candidate owners were going to move the team.
lambeau said:
Nothing has changed from yesterday. Kraft can't do anything about Brady, because the union has filed the appeal.
The only way this doesn't end up in court is if Goodell vacates the suspension.
Unless this bad thing was discovered in the last 48 hours, there's no way this is the case. Goodell would've brought it up months ago (to Kraft, not publicly), or Wells wouldn't have stood so staunchly by an independent report that he knew all along was essentially valueless because it excluded the most relevant information (not that the Wells report would've included the embarrassing revelation, but that Wells wouldn't have agreed to do a red-herring report at all).
It's possible that there's information that could come out in court that would be embarassing for the NFL, and that Kraft was convinced to be a team player, but I think there's little to no chance that Goodell's been holding onto some trump card this whole time.
something can be embarrassing for both the Pats and the leagueEd Hillel said:
Is it what happened? Who knows. Is it a possible answer to "If so, why wasn't there anything incriminating in the report?" Could be. It's fun to imagine things.
Great column by LeBatard. http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/roger-goodell-nfl-credibility-integrity-issues/story?id=31172016&singlePage=true
He makes a couple really good points. First, if the NFL loses this appeal, it will be just another high-profile appeal lost by Goodell. I wish people paid as much attention to the appeals as the initial punishments. It just shows how much Rogers sucks at his job
Second, at least a few of the owners are complete complete crapholes, namely, Irsay, Haslam, and Snyder. It's nauseating that Kraft is basically going to bat for these guys.
And then there's the haphazard punishments.
He makes a couple really good points. First, if the NFL loses this appeal, it will be just another high-profile appeal lost by Goodell. I wish people paid as much attention to the appeals as the initial punishments. It just shows how much Rogers sucks at his job
Second, at least a few of the owners are complete complete crapholes, namely, Irsay, Haslam, and Snyder. It's nauseating that Kraft is basically going to bat for these guys.
And then there's the haphazard punishments.
Napkin's point is that RG is hiding a trump card that he'd really, really rather not use because it makes the league look bad, however it doesn't look as bad as the scorched earth campaign Kraft and the Pats have been on. The lesser of two evils.
Not sure I buy that but nothing is surprising in the saga any longer.
Not sure I buy that but nothing is surprising in the saga any longer.
The league has already taken the Patriots to hell, may as well draf them down with you. And in a league full of Irsays and Richardsons, don't think for a minute that Kraft doesn't have his own dirt. Especially with Jonathan lurking in the background.uncannymanny said: