The point is: HE KNEW HE WAS BREAKING THE RULES. It doesn't matter if he ordered it or asked for it to be done for him. He knowingly broke the rules. That is the very definition of cheating. No need to make this up. It is a fact.

he knew?
 

You're making an awfully large assumption that he KNEW that how he likes the football to feel was beyond the allowable league specs for such a thing.

But if you feel that strongly about it what do you think the penalty should be? To date the only suspensions brought down on players to the best of my knowledge have been offences against society. ie. Actually breaking the law such as drug use or assault both off the field and in the case of Ndamukong Suh on the field.

Since they can't throw a flag at this point all that is left is the $25,000 fine that is in the rules. So if you are for a penalty for breaking the rules you must feel that going along with the rules that are set up is appropriate maybe?

I'm still not convinced of any proof being shown, but whatever, its not a court of law, just opinion and he and/or even the team can handle a $25,000 fine. Let's just pay it and move on from all the haters out there.

Agreed?

From ESPN News:

The NFL has suspended New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady four games for his role in deflating footballs for the AFC Championship Game, the league said in a statement Monday.

The Patriots will also lose a first-round pick in 2016 and a fourth-round pick in 2017 and have been fined $1 million dollars.


I knew it wasn't going to be a slap on the wrist. Like I had posted earlier, this involves the integrity of the game. Horse racing and boxing had always had a tainted side, and there was no way the NFL could let that creep into the game. Especially with all the betting on NFL games, they really have to avoid any hint of shenanigans on the field. It's the same reason Pete Rose is not in the MLB Hall of Fame.

Tom just said he will spend the 4 game suspension searching high and low for the real deflators.

:pepper2:

Lets hear It, " WHAT DIFFERANCE DOES IT MAKE" Well now we know Brady is a scumbag who finally got caught.

I agree! "Integrity" has to be. Brady would be smart to just admit it and move on. I myself, do not like to see cheating in any sport, and I would like to think, the players we look up to, would not cheat. It's bad enough we had it in baseball and steroids! Cheating does not pay!! PERIOD

Scumbag ...really? No the scumbags are Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson Ray Lewis. Even if Tom did what the NFL thinks he "probably" did how could it compare to killing someone, whipping a child, or
knocking his girlfriend out?

Integrity of the game has been tarnished.? Give me a break with Goodell running the show there hasn't been any integrity in a long time.Aaron Rogers has admitted to doctoring balls to his specs but no one seems to acknowledge this admittance of guilt. But probably is good enough in this instance.

Comparing what Tom "more probably did" to what Pete Rose did is laughable.

Haters are always going to hate.I just hope that if this suspension is upheld the Patriots go 3 & 1 .Then when Tom comes back he takes The Pats to Championship #5!!!

Pats haters .!! Jealously rears it's ugly head!!

Tell me about it. The only thing proven so far is Roger Goodell has long since lost control of his own troops. Nothing was proven in the Well's report Tom Brady directed or controlled any actions of the equipment staff. Barring any appeals if any one doubts Garrapollo won't be out to whip the ball I think they are due a surprise.:popcorn:

Tom should also make that list, after all he did dump his girlfriend that was eight months pregnant with his child for someone else!

I hate people who respond with Facts!!!!!:rant-rave:

Sorry AJ but I agree to disagree.

Tom Brady refusing to co-operate with the investigation speaks volumns to me. If he was so innocent as some people claim, then why the cover-up? The person who performed the deflating of the footballs calls himself, "the deflator.

Again, this speaks of the culture of the Belechick reign of control. Never a warm fuzzy kind of guy and I like when a team is successful, so it's not jealousy on my part. I think they are and still talented enough to win championships without resorting to less than stellar characteristics of "getting an edge over the competition". It should be an even playing field for everyone.

This happens in other venues of sports like the little league stocking ineligible players, to win at all costs. A sad commentary on the character of our culture.

Wellington Mara could have made the Giants a dominate team but chose to share the revenues of the NFL equally as he seemed to want a good product and create equal opportunity for all teams. The NFL has a great product because of the equal opportunity to obtain talents for their teams.

Tom Brady will appeal the suspension and probably get it reduced. The penalties of draft picks and fines seem severe to me and I'll bet Roger Goodell will be dropped from Robert Kraft's Christmas card list as Kraft was a big supporter of Goodell, when he mishandled other players punishment.

Joe, the guy who was deflating the balls was doing it to try to get them back to 12.5 pounds after the referees added air bringing them up to over 13.5 pounds. The Jets game was played with balls that were at 16 pounds.

From what I'm hearing, some of these refs don't even use gauges. They just feel the balls and then add air.

After the Jets game, Brady told the ball guys to do whatever was necessary to get the balls back to 12.5 after the referee was done with them.

I think all of this will come out in the appeal unless the details are made public.
The Patriots organization is not going to say anything about this in public because the fear the wrath of the referees for next season and who knows how far beyond that. They are truly between a rock and a hard place.

There was nothing in the report about what kind of gauges were used. There is statement that says that they have absolutely no proof that any tampering of the balls was done.

Four games for possibly having general knowledge? Are they kidding? They give people less than that for intentional injury to another player or beating their wife.

Goodell is simply trying to save face. When this gets overturned, he can say that he tried.