The habitual cheating problem is Bellichek's. He should be punished. If Brady knowingly allowed deflated balls to be played, he is guilty for cheating and should be suspended, but I think he won't be since they'll say it wasn't conclusive. My guess is a large fine ($250k), and little else. The investigation ultimately being inconclusive makes it hard to see them hitting them with actual suspensions.
It was conclusive. Circumstantial evidence is good enough. Plus this McNally character will sing. Brady gets 4-6 games.
Those test messages are damning between the ball boys. "F*** Tom I'm blowing them up like watermelons."
By all means, I hope you're right. Just, all of the reports I was seeing was like "Patriots probably" deflated the balls, "most likely" deflated the balls, etc, and didn't seem to make it a cut & dry case like with Spygate. If Brady really was involved in cheating the rules of the game, you suspend him for a year, and have the Patriots sit out an entire draft. They are a second time offender, and you make the penalty so harsh that they don't do that again. Just, they are the defending Super Bowl champions. I really, really doubt that they'll get a stiff penalty. I hope to hell they do, I just doubt it.
Pats lose next year's #1 pick for the behavior of the equipment managers. The two equipment guys get 1 year suspensions from the league. Brady gets a 2 game suspension for "inadequate cooperation with the investigation". Any other team in the league (other than the Giants or Steelers)? Their QB and head coach would have got year suspensions (ala Payton/Vilma) and the equipment guys would have got lifetime bans.
Those texts are key. And are proof Brady knew about everything. It was common knowledge that teams knew what the Pats were doing. The big question is, and we'll probably never know the answer, is how long has this been going on? Im convinced it played a major role in their win over the Ravens.
I would love to see a dramatic punishment, but i think what is fair is the pats losing a pick and Brady getting suspended for 1-2 games.
Since they waited until after the draft, it's at least a 1st round pick for the Pats organization but probably more since this is their second time being caught red handed cheating so maybe additional picks. Also, 2 million dollar fine to the team. For Belicheat, it's 2million, plus at least an 8 game suspension. Tom Brady was named specifically so he is gone for the entire season plus possibly a fine. I think this is worth them lucking into that championship
Surprised ppl here think the penalty will be minimal. The evidence paints a pretty clear picture. Brady 100% was involved with letting air out of the footballs; this was his request. He rewarded the ball boy with autographed footballs. Brady is going to be suspended. The precedent that was set with Sean Payton will implicate Bellichick. This was under Bellichick umbrella, patriot officials who handled the footballs. 'Ignorance is not an excuse'. The punishment execution was handed over to Vincent ... even Goodell can't save his boy Kraft now.
Best part is that Vincent got taunted by the Cheatriots at the end of that Super Bowl. Now the Cheat fans have somebody else to blame because they are nutless dbags.
consider the criteria used to suspend Vilma for a year, I believe Brady has met several. "In assessing player discipline," Goodell said in a statement, "I focused on players who were in leadership positions at the Saints; contributed a particularly large sum of money toward the program; specifically contributed to a bounty on an opposing player; demonstrated a clear intent to participate in a program that potentially injured opposing players; sought rewards for doing so; and/or obstructed the 2010 investigation." whether the league has the balls to do it is another story
