What should the NFL do about Patriots cheating?

[dolphins4life]

There are records kept of all your texts.

by who?

[Phishfan]

Your carrier and then the government upon request. Different topic for a different thread though.

[fyo]

Anything you delete on your phone can still be recovered, just like on a computer, until it is overwritten.... Unless you're using encryption.

[MikeO]

^^^^

Well let's look at it from a different angle?

How does coming down on the Pats help the Dolphins?  If he is suspended for a couple games, the Pats could still win both those games.  Then, the Dolphins have to deal with an angry Brady whose cage has been rattled.  Remember what happened during the regular season in 2007?

Who said it had to help the Dolphins? Coming down on the Pats is just the right thing to do. Just like coming down on the Saints didn't help the Dolphins but it was the right thing to do.

Your lost on this issue

[dolphins4life]

Who said it had to help the Dolphins? Coming down on the Pats is just the right thing to do. Just like coming down on the Saints didn't help the Dolphins but it was the right thing to do.

Your lost on this issue

Absolutely I am lost on this issue.  Because so many sources say so many different things.

And there are other factors to consider, such as the NFL wanting to do what is best to maintain it's popularity.

Are any of you NOT lost on this issue?

[EDGECRUSHER]

The overwhelming majority of sources show that the texts between "the deflator" and the go to for Tom Brady were in cahoots to deflate balls for Brady as per Brady's orders. This is from the report itself.

In addition, Brady refused to cooperate with the NFL and hand over texts and phone calls, even after the NFL said they can screen these themselves so they don't reveal any personal information. That is also from the report.

His lying about this is available to the public via dozens of media outlets.

So, case closed as to whether he cheated and knowingly did so. Only thing left to decide is the punishment.

[bsmooth]

The overwhelming majority of sources show that the texts between "the deflator" and the go to for Tom Brady were in cahoots to deflate balls for Brady as per Brady's orders. This is from the report itself.

In addition, Brady refused to cooperate with the NFL and hand over texts and phone calls, even after the NFL said they can screen these themselves so they don't reveal any personal information. That is also from the report.

His lying about this is available to the public via dozens of media outlets.

So, case closed as to whether he cheated and knowingly did so. Only thing left to decide is the punishment.

Did the report clarify if Brady just wanted the balls deflated within league minimums, or if he specifically asked that the balls be lowered below the NFL guidelines?

[MikeO]

Absolutely I am lost on this issue.  Because so many sources say so many different things.

And there are other factors to consider, such as the NFL wanting to do what is best to maintain it's popularity.

Are any of you NOT lost on this issue?

No its pretty cut and dry. The text messages speak for themselves. Brady cheated.

[masterfins]

Did the report clarify if Brady just wanted the balls deflated within league minimums, or if he specifically asked that the balls be lowered below the NFL guidelines?

When the actors are deflating the balls after being inspected by the officials I think it's pretty evident that it would be below league minimums. 

[Fau Teixeira]

they should give tom brady the pete rose suspension .. indefinite from any football related activities or venues.

[VidKid]

When the actors are deflating the balls after being inspected by the officials I think it's pretty evident that it would be below league minimums.

Not necessarily. Some of the text msgs made references to the refs leaving the balls highly inflated. In the case of the Indy game, the refs didn't have time to check all the balls pre-game and only inspected 4.

The court of public opinion will call him guilty. But I don't recall, at least in the summary of the report, that they had anything on Brady specifically asking for lower than league limits. That shadow of a doubt will only get him a couple games to show that the league is watching. I'm sure this and other 'shenanigans' happen often.

[Spider-Dan]

My official prediction:

Goodell gives Brady a slap on the wrist (<=4 regular season games) and offers up an explanation that the NFL is limited by the evidence.  The subsequent backlash from the weak penalty will "prompt" a public return to harsh penalties on the next offender.

tl;dr Brady does what Brady wanna do

[Phishfan]

My official reading across ESPN, it is 4 games


Pats lose first rounder next year, 4th year after & pay $1M fine

[Spider-Dan]

The court of public opinion will call him guilty. But I don't recall, at least in the summary of the report, that they had anything on Brady specifically asking for lower than league limits. That shadow of a doubt will only get him a couple games to show that the league is watching. I'm sure this and other 'shenanigans' happen often.

What was there in the Bountygate report that specifically linked Payton to the bounties for injured players?

It's tough to cite the quality of evidence against Brady when Brady refused to hand over his team-provided phone to investigators.  The fact that the report concluded that he was likely to be aware of the deflation, coupled with his refusal to cooperate, should result in a stiff punishment being handed down.

Of course, the Patriots aren't the Saints and Tom Benson is not Robert Kraft.  So just as the NFL magically destroyed the Spygate tapes, I expect the league office to hand down a very firm slap on the wrist.

P.S. As far as who stands to benefit:

games 1-4: PIT, BUF, JAX, DAL
games 5-8: IND, NYJ, MIA, WSH
games 9-12: NYG, BUF, DEN, PHI
games 13-16: HOU, TEN, NYJ, MIA