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Thread: Roger Goodell Upholds Tom Brady’s Four-Game Suspension

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    Default Roger Goodell Upholds Tom Brady’s Four-Game Suspension



    N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell upheld the four-game suspension of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, one of the league’s biggest stars, for his role in the deflation of footballs used in the A.F.C. Championship game in January.

    The league said in a 20-page statement on Tuesday that its decision was partly based on Brady asking an assistant to destroy potential evidence, a cellphone that he had used before, during and after the week of the game. The destruction of the phone was first revealed at Brady’s appeal hearing in June.

    The league also said that after the controversy began immediately after the game, Brady had frequent contact with the two members of the Patriots staff who had doctored the game balls, including one who was nicknamed the Deflator. The employees did not speak at Brady’s appeal hearing.

    The upholding of Brady’s suspension is the latest twist in an already bizarre showdown between the commissioner and one of the N.F.L.’s most prominent quarterbacks, who plays for one of the league’s most powerful owners. The controversy has cast a pall over the Patriots and led to criticism that Goodell has been too aggressive and arbitrary in his push to enforce league rules.

    The N.F.L. Players Association has suggested that it would pursue other remedies, including suing the league in court to reverse Brady’s penalty. But in hearing Brady’s appeal, instead of allowing an arbitrator to do so, Goodell has signaled that he is willing to continue to defend the original suspension and the $5 million investigation the league underwrote.

    That report commissioned by the league and released on May 11 found “substantial and credible evidence” that Brady was “at least generally aware” that two Patriots employees tampered with game balls, prompting the N.F.L. to suspend him for four regular-season games without pay.

    A deflated football is said to be easier to grip, especially in the cold and wet conditions that the Patriots faced at home against the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 18.

    In assessing the penalty, which included fining the Patriots and taking away two future draft picks, Troy Vincent, the league’s executive vice president for football operations, said it was unlikely that the team employees could have deflated the balls without Brady’s knowledge. He also said Brady did not fully cooperate with the N.F.L.’s investigation.

    Brady denied knowing anything about the tampering and appealed the suspension. The N.F.L. Players Association called for an independent arbitrator to hear the case, but Goodell said he would hear the appeal, despite what many saw as a conflict of interest.

    In May, Goodell hinted that Brady’s reluctance to cooperate with the investigation was critical to the N.F.L.’s decision to suspend him, and that the league would look more kindly on him if he was more forthcoming.

    Goodell heard Brady’s appeal in New York on June 23.

    The Patriots’ owner, Robert K. Kraft, disputed the league’s decision to fine his team $1 million and take away two draft picks, including a first-round choice in 2016. But teams are unable to appeal league penalties, and Kraft eventually said he would no longer dispute the findings, much to the irritation of Patriots fans.

    Brady, who will be allowed to participate in off-season and preseason activities, can still sue. This year, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson successfully argued in federal court that the arbitrator who heard his appeal was not independent.

    The Patriots, who have won four Super Bowls since the 2001 season, have often been viewed as a team willing to bend or skirt rules. It is the second time in eight years the Patriots have been disciplined by the league. In 2007, New England and Coach Bill Belichick were fined a total of $750,000, and the team lost a first-round draft pick, after the Patriots videotaped signals by Jets coaches in violation of league rules.

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    On July 10, an N.F.L.-appointed arbitrator ruled on an appeal by Greg Hardy, a defensive lineman on the Dallas Cowboys who had been suspended in April for 10 games for his role in a domestic violence case last year while he was a member of the Carolina Panthers. His suspension was reduced to four regular-season games.

    Hardy had received the stiffest penalty handed out under the league’s new and stronger personal-conduct policy because he was convicted of domestic abuse in North Carolina. Although the decision was overturned on appeal because his former girlfriend Nicole Holder refused to testify against him, the N.F.L.’s own two-month investigation found that Hardy had used physical force against Holder in at least four instances.

    Hardy’s appeal was heard by Harold Henderson, who has been criticized by the players union as being biased. When Henderson upheld a ruling against Peterson, the players union went to court on his behalf. A federal judge then vacated Henderson’s ruling, allowing Peterson to return to the Vikings.

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    i think 4 games isnt enough...jmo..
    [KIDWICKED]..;/

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    Quote Originally Posted by KIDWCKED View Post
    i think 4 games isnt enough...jmo..
    Yeah... I agree... all quartebacks that alter the ball should sit out the season... Let's let the bench warmers play...lol... IMHO... Brady didn't go with the NFL(National Fixed League) programme meant to crown the Seahawks last season... & now they're punishing him...
    Last edited by hutch; 07-28-2015 at 10:43 PM.

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    The NFL, and by that I mean Roger Goodell,,, is getting stupider and stupider by the season
    It seems that every year the NFL puts it's self in yet another federal court argument and verdict case....
    For a guy who is adamant about protecting the NFL shield, he is doing a piss poor job, cause this is BAD publicity for the league.

    1) 1 million dollar team fine
    2) 2 draft picks
    3) 2 million dollar loss in salary to the QB

    for what?

    play half a game with 1 Pound less air ?
    half a game which meant nothing on the score board


    NE won that game because
    Blount rushed for 148 yards compared to Herrons 51 yards
    Edelman received 98 yards to Hiltons 36 yards
    Brady threw 35 times compared to Lucks 33
    and indianopolis threw 2 interceptions in that first half

    the reason Indianopolis lost that game had nothing to do with the ball ...
    simply the Colts sucked in that game!!

    If all that still means nothing to the haters ,,, the rule book already address ball tampering and the penalty
    I believe, amounts to a 25 thousand dollar fine ,,, so what's up with the millions of dollars and the draft picks ??

    I don't think this is over ,,, watch for the court case to reverse Goodell ,,, I'm betting Brady plays on opening day

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    Patriots' Tom Brady defends himself, criticizes NFL in Facebook post

    New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady defended himself in a lengthy post to Facebook on Wednesday morning, saying he was "very disappointed" with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's decision to uphold his four-game suspension.

    Brady reiterated in the post that he "did nothing wrong" in regard to the Patriots' use of underinflated footballs in the AFC Championship game. In addition, he disagreed with Goodell's claim that the four-time Super Bowl winner destroyed his cellphone in an effort to prevent attorney Ted Wells, who headed the NFL-commissioned "Deflategate" investigation, from seeing text messages relevant to the case.

    Brady claimed he only replaced his phone after his attorneys told the NFL that his old phone wouldn't be turned over to investigators. He also said his membership in the NFL Players' Assn. put him under no obligation to give his phone to Wells.

    "Most importantly, I have never written, texted, emailed to anybody at anytime, anything related to football air pressure before this issue was raised at the AFC Championship game in January," Brady wrote. "To suggest that I destroyed a phone to avoid giving the NFL information it requested is completely wrong."

    Brady also confirmed earlier reports that he authorized the NFLPA to engage in settlement talks after taking part in his 10-hour appeal hearing in New York on June 23. He said the NFL made no counter-offer during settlement discussions. Brady also accused the NFL of overstepping its authority under the collective bargaining agreement and his rights as a private citizen.

    "I will not allow my unfair discipline to become a precedent for other NFL players without a fight," wrote Brady, who is set to battle his suspension in federal court.

    Here is Brady's statement in its entirety:

    I am very disappointed by the NFL’s decision to uphold the 4 game suspension against me. I did nothing wrong, and no one in the Patriots organization did either.

    Despite submitting to hours of testimony over the past 6 months, it is disappointing that the Commissioner upheld my suspension based upon a standard that it was “probable” that I was “generally aware” of misconduct. The fact is that neither I, nor any equipment person, did anything of which we have been accused. He dismissed my hours of testimony and it is disappointing that he found it unreliable.

    I also disagree with yesterdays narrative surrounding my cellphone. I replaced my broken Samsung phone with a new iPhone 6 AFTER my attorneys made it clear to the NFL that my actual phone device would not be subjected to investigation under ANY circumstances. As a member of a union, I was under no obligation to set a new precedent going forward, nor was I made aware at any time during Mr. Wells investigation, that failing to subject my cell phone to investigation would result in ANY discipline.

    Most importantly, I have never written, texted, emailed to anybody at anytime, anything related to football air pressure before this issue was raised at the AFC Championship game in January. To suggest that I destroyed a phone to avoid giving the NFL information it requested is completely wrong.


    To try and reconcile the record and fully cooperate with the investigation after I was disciplined in May, we turned over detailed pages of cell phone records and all of the emails that Mr. Wells requested. We even contacted the phone company to see if there was any possible way we could retrieve any/all of the actual text messages from my old phone. In short, we exhausted every possibility to give the NFL everything we could and offered to go thru the identity for every text and phone call during the relevant time. Regardless, the NFL knows that Mr. Wells already had ALL relevant communications with Patriots personnel that either Mr. Wells saw or that I was questioned about in my appeal hearing. There is no “smoking gun” and this controversy is manufactured to distract from the fact they have zero evidence of wrongdoing.

    I authorized the NFLPA to make a settlement offer to the NFL so that we could avoid going to court and put this inconsequential issue behind us as we move forward into this season. The discipline was upheld without any counter offer. I respect the Commissioners authority, but he also has to respect the CBA and my rights as a private citizen. I will not allow my unfair discipline to become a precedent for other NFL players without a fight.

    Lastly, I am overwhelmed and humbled by the support of family, friends and our fans who have supported me since the false accusations were made after the AFC Championship game. I look forward to the opportunity to resume playing with my teammates and winning more games for the New England Patriots.

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    it seems like Roger Goodell, to satisfy his over inflated ego, needs to keep
    a non issue alive well into the upcoming season

    one would think these guys are brothers of band, in keeping and promoting the
    NFL to viewers and fans alike .. instead of smearing the conference championship
    game and thus throwing mud at the super bowl game.

    even the players are wanting to move on from this and pittsburgh has already
    stated they would rather play NE with Brady in the line up ...

    Goodell's agenda is to bring the NFL into federal court ie, peterson and rice !!

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