Actually they went easy on the Patriots. They had no problem dealing out year long suspensions for the people on the New Orleans Saints, when we all know bounties are pretty common in the NFL
A first round pick is a pretty big loss in the NFL. It's all about managing salary caps, and rookie salaries are usually a good deal (top 10 draft picks who are true busts being the exception).
The Brady suspension doesn't matter so much. If the Pats go 2-4 in that stretch they're easily still in the hunt. Given the current NFL parity I doubt they will do worse than that without Brady.
They did this because they have to be seen as doing "something," rather than the nothing that the "evidence" actually warrants.
I'm no fan of the Patriots, exactly the opposite, but punishing Brady for *maybe* knowing something, or because he "should have known" or some stupid shit like that is retarded.
I can see some justification for punishing the team as a whole, because the infraction did happen, and future incidents should be discouraged, but singling out Brady? Hogwash.
ranukam,
Good point about New Orleans. Sean Payton got suspended an entire year, right? And at least for now, Belichick gets nothing. And in my opinion, the Patriot's violation of "the integrity of the game" is worse than the bounties.
George, did you read the email the Colts sent the NFL the day before the game? Look it up. Patriots guilty as charged. NFL knew the Patriots were lying.
The core of the problem is Goodell. No consistency in penalties. He loves having the power to dole out punishment as he sees fit. Ray Rice, two games, then more. Brady 4 games. For the rule of law to work, you need to know what will be tolerated and what the penalty will be when you break the laws. May was well throw darts at the board when it comes to Goodell.
^^^^So what? Judges dole out penalties as they see fit all the time. I don't think Goodell has a handbook listing all the ways the teams and players can cheat and fuck up with the "proper penalties"
I'm actually surprised that Goodell had 'the balls' to dole out a punishment. I thought it would be swept under the rug given the relationship between him and Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
I thought he'd get 2 games. 4 plus a million plus the draft picks is double what would have happened if Brady just confessed and/or turned over his cell phone records. Brady and the Pats got what they deserved. That team has had a culture of cheating and that culture had to be changed. This was a big step in that direction.
A guy handles a football maybe hundreds of thousand times a year and he has no idea??? Really? Anyone believe that? So if nothing else he is an accomplice for not pointing it out.
well despite being out the first 4 weeks of the season, after all is said and the done come after the final week of the regular season the pats will still be division champs. will always be division champs as long as belicheat and mr bunchen are still in the league together.
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