Tom Brady---Forever a Fraud?
- Thread starter ~Utah
- Start date
Zeke
Big Dick and Average Size Boat
Have you listened to Marshal Faulk? He is a bitter prick. Not sure if anyone caught it but when Brady sat with the NFLN cast one post game they all had gifts for him. Whether is was a Deion bobblehead or a compilation of Mooch's SB teams on dvd, they were all good natured. Marshal said "I gave all my stuff away..."
Fucking prick. Regardless if that was the QB of my fave team or Eli Manning (opposite end of spectrum to me) It was a classless move.
L
Lareux
Guest
I'll go and find the thread for you. I'll even look to see what I can find as far as media goes, but I wasn't necessarily referring to the media anyway....I was referring to some on here who, like you, simply hate the Pats.
So, I'd be happy to answer your questions....and I'll patiently await you answering/addressing all of the new and accurate statistical info that made all of your "smoking guns" moot points. Again, like I said the last time I told you I'd await a response....I won't hold my breath (good thing I didn't last time as I would have died).
:shake:
CASH
Pretty much a regular
http://boston.barstoolsports.com/ra...ike-kensil-aka-the-ringleader-of-deflategate/
The ringleader of deflategate
The ringleader of deflategate
CASH
Pretty much a regular
What Deflate Gate Taught Us About Human Nature and Business...
The cycle is right on the money!
[h=2]Jeremy Ames, HRIP[/h]President of Hive Tech HR
Follow
[h=1]What Deflate Gate Taught Us About Human Nature and Business[/h]
As the title of this post indicates, Tom Brady, the New England Patriots and the recent Deflategate "scandal" are the example at hand. Without spending too much time recapping an incident most, if not all, of you know about, and trying not to insert any subjectivity, here's how it played out:
1) Incident - Brady and Patriots were accused of deflating footballs to gain competitive advantage
2) Personal Venom - There was an immediate reaction of hatred as a result of the news
3) Mob Mentality - Social media - the new playground for mobs - became saturated with people calling for their heads
4) Factual Revelation - it has been revealed that the referees didn't have a reading on the footballs prior to the game, so there is nothing conclusive about the readings that were taken at halftime. In addition, many other quarterbacks and teams have come out saying that the adjusting of footballs has been a regular practice in the NFL.
5) Whatever Attitude - the facts at this point don't matter to most at this point. Many have resumed their normal lives. The Patriots cheated.
Is it possible that Brady and the Patriots bent the rules? Of course. Does the fact that other teams also bent the rules excuse them? Of course not. Was it worthy of the outcry? I'll let you answer that one.
The bottom line is that the likelihood of the cycle starting, and the power of the cycle itself, increases infinitely if we can direct it against an individual or entity we collectively hate. Who hates anyone or anything more than a WINNER? It works best when it's not just the kind of winning that passes before we can take notice, but rather prolonged winning that extends well past our collective comfort level.
The Pats play in the Super Bowl this weekend, and 99% of the population outside the New England fan base [that takes notice of football] is tired of it. They don't care that the Patriots haven't won the Superbowl in over 10 years; they care that the consistently win games and that Sunday will mark the 6th time in the last 15 years that they've been to the Superbowl. "Dynasty" was a fun term to throw around back in 2007, but by 2011 they were hated, and now, in 2015, you could possibly gain public consensus for their banishment from the NFL.
This message translates quite easily to the business world. Think of the normal business cycle of a company.
The transition from cash cow to dog happens for many reasons outside the scope of this posting. The lifecycle of a product or service may have ended, and the company hasn't innovated fast enough to replace it. The company may have encouraged additional entrants to the market, and now it is tougher to maintain the same market share. The company may have grown their employee base to a size that cannot sustain dips in the overall market, affecting their financials.
Also, people start to hate the winning company. Who likes a cash cow? It has our cash. If we're a competitor, it has our market share. If we're a consumer, even if the product/service is valuable, it has the money we spend on it. If we're an investor, we already made our money as it went from a question mark to a cash cow. It's time to move on from this winner, because it's winning that you've heard about more than you'd like.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pipTwjwrQYQ?wmode=transparent" width="420" height="315" frameborder="0" style="margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; display: block; box-sizing: border-box;"></iframe>
The easiest thing to do is to look for an incident and then pounce. Or, if that incident never comes, create one. Sue the company, slander the company. Post negative comments on Glassdoor and hope that they go viral.
As Superbowl Sunday fast approaches, take a moment to think about - and even share if you're willing - your reaction to the Patriots or any other winner that offends you. It might provide even more insight into human nature and business.
The cycle is right on the money!
[h=2]Jeremy Ames, HRIP[/h]President of Hive Tech HRFollow
[h=1]What Deflate Gate Taught Us About Human Nature and Business[/h]
Jan 30, 2015
The lesson is so smack-you-in-the-face obvious you could get an NFL concussion. Yet we'd much rather take this cycle, because it allows us to take it again next time:- 7Views
- 2Likes
- 0Comments
As the title of this post indicates, Tom Brady, the New England Patriots and the recent Deflategate "scandal" are the example at hand. Without spending too much time recapping an incident most, if not all, of you know about, and trying not to insert any subjectivity, here's how it played out:
1) Incident - Brady and Patriots were accused of deflating footballs to gain competitive advantage
2) Personal Venom - There was an immediate reaction of hatred as a result of the news
3) Mob Mentality - Social media - the new playground for mobs - became saturated with people calling for their heads
4) Factual Revelation - it has been revealed that the referees didn't have a reading on the footballs prior to the game, so there is nothing conclusive about the readings that were taken at halftime. In addition, many other quarterbacks and teams have come out saying that the adjusting of footballs has been a regular practice in the NFL.
5) Whatever Attitude - the facts at this point don't matter to most at this point. Many have resumed their normal lives. The Patriots cheated.
Is it possible that Brady and the Patriots bent the rules? Of course. Does the fact that other teams also bent the rules excuse them? Of course not. Was it worthy of the outcry? I'll let you answer that one.
The bottom line is that the likelihood of the cycle starting, and the power of the cycle itself, increases infinitely if we can direct it against an individual or entity we collectively hate. Who hates anyone or anything more than a WINNER? It works best when it's not just the kind of winning that passes before we can take notice, but rather prolonged winning that extends well past our collective comfort level.
The Pats play in the Super Bowl this weekend, and 99% of the population outside the New England fan base [that takes notice of football] is tired of it. They don't care that the Patriots haven't won the Superbowl in over 10 years; they care that the consistently win games and that Sunday will mark the 6th time in the last 15 years that they've been to the Superbowl. "Dynasty" was a fun term to throw around back in 2007, but by 2011 they were hated, and now, in 2015, you could possibly gain public consensus for their banishment from the NFL.
This message translates quite easily to the business world. Think of the normal business cycle of a company.
The transition from cash cow to dog happens for many reasons outside the scope of this posting. The lifecycle of a product or service may have ended, and the company hasn't innovated fast enough to replace it. The company may have encouraged additional entrants to the market, and now it is tougher to maintain the same market share. The company may have grown their employee base to a size that cannot sustain dips in the overall market, affecting their financials.
Also, people start to hate the winning company. Who likes a cash cow? It has our cash. If we're a competitor, it has our market share. If we're a consumer, even if the product/service is valuable, it has the money we spend on it. If we're an investor, we already made our money as it went from a question mark to a cash cow. It's time to move on from this winner, because it's winning that you've heard about more than you'd like.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pipTwjwrQYQ?wmode=transparent" width="420" height="315" frameborder="0" style="margin: 0px auto; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; display: block; box-sizing: border-box;"></iframe>
The easiest thing to do is to look for an incident and then pounce. Or, if that incident never comes, create one. Sue the company, slander the company. Post negative comments on Glassdoor and hope that they go viral.
- Don't ask yourself why you're taking it so personally.
- Don't get in front of the mob mentality.
- Don't acknowledge that you may have been wrong, or at the very least that you overreacted.
As Superbowl Sunday fast approaches, take a moment to think about - and even share if you're willing - your reaction to the Patriots or any other winner that offends you. It might provide even more insight into human nature and business.
guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
dont hate the pats
here's the thread, no one says anything bad about them really
http://www.cappingthegame.com/forum/showthread.php?90562-Aaron-Hernandez
Smokedawg
Eagles Fan
No way dudes hilarious and judging by the success of his pop up store selling his Beastmode gear hes been wearing all week a helluva lot smarter than anyone wants to give him credit for
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MNpkSyryQz4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
L
Lareux
Guest
Still waiting for the answers to the questions I asked you. If you don't hate the Pats, how do you explain the fact that you had them guilty before seeing all of the facts/stats/evidence? You were adamant that there was a 'smoking gun,' and treated those charts as gospel....then all of that was refuted by more than one source, and then posted in this thread. You just continually ignore that, but keep trying to turn this around on me as if I've been the ridiculously unreasonable one in this. Like, just now in your post....you simply said "don't hate the Pats," but didn't respond to my actual questions...and then tried to turn it back to me. I've asked you the same few questions a few times each now...get a sack bro.
And, you said they only deflated the balls in cold weather, at home (based on that bogus chart I guess)....since that's been refuted as well in the past couple of days, and your logic was flawed to begin with based on the stats/charts you were using and trying to have it both ways, why can't you just respond and have a civilized conversation (and admit, like a man, that you were wrong)?
Oh, and you still haven't answered....since when is 50 degrees considered cold? And you can't answer with "it's not cold" AND still think the Pats deflated the balls that day....since, again, you said they only did it in cold weather.
L
Lareux
Guest
It may not have been in that thread, but I initially figured that's where I'd find it. I'm certain I read people implying that Belichick knowingly drafted a murderer...may have been on here, may not have been. Like I said though, I'll do my best to find it.
If I can't find it, I'll at least admit that I was wrong. Something you seem to have an issue with doing yourself.
:shake:
takeit
THE Wife
I appreciate this article from a Pats fan...
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/21/opinion/berman-patriots-deflate-gate/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/21/opinion/berman-patriots-deflate-gate/index.html
CASH
Pretty much a regular
It is a look at me article ... He is a writer, he wrote something on hot topic, he took an "opposite" stance (as a patriot fan)
He wrote this after what seems there is not much facts to back up the accusation (yet), he will get his clicks, forwards and read throughs, will get a lot of comments and then maybe a raise... Let's see where he is after the bowl but more importantly after the so called investigation...
As I said early in the thread if they in fact cheated it would bother me as well as a fan..,,
it is about facts.... Not assumptions , leaks , misinformation and tattle tailing and so far that is all there is...
L
Lareux
Guest
What happened to all of the pitchfork wielding witch hunters?
Here’s a story you definitely did not miss: The Patriots were accused of underinflating footballs in the AFC Championship Game.
Here’s a story you might have missed: It was all a bunch of hogwash.
Yeah, “DeflateGate,” you know the thing where the entire country lost its collective mind because Tom Brady and Bill Belichick supposedly cheated in the AFC Championship Game, a two-week period of absolute hysteria where people drew conclusions as soon as they heard the accusations?
All of it was nothing.
Two developments last week essentially put the kibosh on “DeflateGate,” as it stupidly came to be known. Well, technically, there were three developments. The first took place when Robert Kraft boldly stepped to the podium Monday evening in Chandler, Ariz., and firmly stated that he expects an apology from commissioner Roger Goodell to Belichick, to Brady and to the entire Patriots organization for all of the accusations that came without any proof or evidence of wrongdoing. Much like with Belichick’s press conference two days prior, a person of Kraft’s stature does not speak with such certainty unless he knows that the league has nothing. The stakes would be too high to make such statements if evidence found at a later date might prove them to be liars.
So there was that, but if you’re into more concrete evidence there was this.
First, at a press conference last Thursday in Phoenix, NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino spilled the beans that the PSI of the 12 Patriots footballs were never recorded by referee Walt Anderson. Blandino said that balls were measured, and if they were under the low threshold of 12.5, they were simply pumped up with some air. So instantly, the report by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that said 11 of the 12 footballs were a full 2 PSI under the threshold was essentially debunked. How could Mortensen have that information if nobody could have that information? (The answer, of course, is that a source who desperately wanted such misinformation out there gave him the “scoop.”)
Secondly, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the morning of the Super Bowl that just one of the 11 footballs was 2 PSI under the limit, while the other 10 were “just a tick” under the 12.5 threshold. Rapoport’s report was crucial for a number of reasons. For one, he is paid by the NFL, and so he can’t afford to be wrong. If his report, which makes Roger Goodell’s bloodthirsty office look like a bunch of clowns, turns out to be wrong, how much longer would the league keep him on the payroll? Second, the phrasing of the footballs of being “just a tick” under the limit is at once believable, because that’s how non-technical measurements would be recorded, and also because footballs which were originally inflated near the lower limit would likely lose some air pressure after two hours outside in January.
And then there’s this: The one football that was 2 PSI under the limit? That was the ball intercepted by D’Qwell Jackson, the pizza man puncher, according to ProFootballTalk. It was the football that was taken to the Colts sideline and then submitted to the NFL to launch an investigation. You’re going to tell me that the Colts didn’t manipulate that football before submitting it? The team that fired off the accusations of cheating didn’t take an extra step or two to make sure they were right by sticking a needle in that football and letting it drain for a few seconds before handing it over to the league and saying, “Hey, the Patriots are using underinflated footballs, so you need to investigate”?
Yeah, well, no. They did that. They did exactly that.
Look, if everyone in the national media can say “the Patriots are scummy cheaters” without having any evidence, then I think I have more than enough reason to say the Colts tampered with the football in question, thereby launching a two-week campaign that worked to soil the reputation of two future Hall of Famers in Brady and Belichick. All because … why exactly?
And if prominent voices in the Indianapolis media like Bob Kravitz and Gregg Doyel can outright call for the firing of Belichick, despite having no basis for such a ludicrous opinion, then I can say this: It’s time to kick Jim Irsay out of the league. Heck, ban Chuck Pagano for a year, too. It’s the only fair response to this situation, right?
Here’s a story you definitely did not miss: The Patriots were accused of underinflating footballs in the AFC Championship Game.
Here’s a story you might have missed: It was all a bunch of hogwash.
Yeah, “DeflateGate,” you know the thing where the entire country lost its collective mind because Tom Brady and Bill Belichick supposedly cheated in the AFC Championship Game, a two-week period of absolute hysteria where people drew conclusions as soon as they heard the accusations?
All of it was nothing.
Two developments last week essentially put the kibosh on “DeflateGate,” as it stupidly came to be known. Well, technically, there were three developments. The first took place when Robert Kraft boldly stepped to the podium Monday evening in Chandler, Ariz., and firmly stated that he expects an apology from commissioner Roger Goodell to Belichick, to Brady and to the entire Patriots organization for all of the accusations that came without any proof or evidence of wrongdoing. Much like with Belichick’s press conference two days prior, a person of Kraft’s stature does not speak with such certainty unless he knows that the league has nothing. The stakes would be too high to make such statements if evidence found at a later date might prove them to be liars.
So there was that, but if you’re into more concrete evidence there was this.
First, at a press conference last Thursday in Phoenix, NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino spilled the beans that the PSI of the 12 Patriots footballs were never recorded by referee Walt Anderson. Blandino said that balls were measured, and if they were under the low threshold of 12.5, they were simply pumped up with some air. So instantly, the report by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that said 11 of the 12 footballs were a full 2 PSI under the threshold was essentially debunked. How could Mortensen have that information if nobody could have that information? (The answer, of course, is that a source who desperately wanted such misinformation out there gave him the “scoop.”)
Secondly, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the morning of the Super Bowl that just one of the 11 footballs was 2 PSI under the limit, while the other 10 were “just a tick” under the 12.5 threshold. Rapoport’s report was crucial for a number of reasons. For one, he is paid by the NFL, and so he can’t afford to be wrong. If his report, which makes Roger Goodell’s bloodthirsty office look like a bunch of clowns, turns out to be wrong, how much longer would the league keep him on the payroll? Second, the phrasing of the footballs of being “just a tick” under the limit is at once believable, because that’s how non-technical measurements would be recorded, and also because footballs which were originally inflated near the lower limit would likely lose some air pressure after two hours outside in January.
And then there’s this: The one football that was 2 PSI under the limit? That was the ball intercepted by D’Qwell Jackson, the pizza man puncher, according to ProFootballTalk. It was the football that was taken to the Colts sideline and then submitted to the NFL to launch an investigation. You’re going to tell me that the Colts didn’t manipulate that football before submitting it? The team that fired off the accusations of cheating didn’t take an extra step or two to make sure they were right by sticking a needle in that football and letting it drain for a few seconds before handing it over to the league and saying, “Hey, the Patriots are using underinflated footballs, so you need to investigate”?
Yeah, well, no. They did that. They did exactly that.
Look, if everyone in the national media can say “the Patriots are scummy cheaters” without having any evidence, then I think I have more than enough reason to say the Colts tampered with the football in question, thereby launching a two-week campaign that worked to soil the reputation of two future Hall of Famers in Brady and Belichick. All because … why exactly?
And if prominent voices in the Indianapolis media like Bob Kravitz and Gregg Doyel can outright call for the firing of Belichick, despite having no basis for such a ludicrous opinion, then I can say this: It’s time to kick Jim Irsay out of the league. Heck, ban Chuck Pagano for a year, too. It’s the only fair response to this situation, right?
L
Lareux
Guest
And, no, I certainly don't think even for a second that Pagano and/or Irsay should be suspended or kicked out of the league as the writer brings up (if and when this whole "deflategate" issue is put to bed), but it is worth pointing out how different the reactions are depending on which team is being discussed.
If the Colts took air out of the ONE ball that was found to be 2psi under the limit, and essentially started a shit-storm for no other reason than they were getting their asses kicked and figured that the Pats had to be doing something illegal....what then? What do all of you witch hunters want done to them? Some were saying Belichick and Brady should be ineligible for the HOF and a whole bunch of other nonsense....what then with the Colts?
If the Colts took air out of the ONE ball that was found to be 2psi under the limit, and essentially started a shit-storm for no other reason than they were getting their asses kicked and figured that the Pats had to be doing something illegal....what then? What do all of you witch hunters want done to them? Some were saying Belichick and Brady should be ineligible for the HOF and a whole bunch of other nonsense....what then with the Colts?
Gandolf
Leader of the Van Buren Boys
I've been in the tempest in a teapot camp since Day 1, but this point is just laughable.
CASH
Pretty much a regular
[h=1]Jerry Rice admitted to cheating just days before calling Pats cheaters[/h]
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on...eating-just-days-before-calling-pats-cheaters
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on...eating-just-days-before-calling-pats-cheaters
L
Lareux
Guest
Was just going to post this myself. Just goes to show the ridiculousness of some of these guys with their opinions...because it was the Pats, guys were saying the dumbest shit...like Rice and his asterisk. Funny that he thinks the Pats should have one, but his SB wins shouldn't have one...even though he was admittedly cheating himself...and what he was doing is very similar to what the Pats were assumed to have been doing. What a fucking clown.
CASH
Pretty much a regular
Hugh Millen Drops A Bomb. No One Reacts.
JANUARY 29, 2015 BY
On the Dennis and Callahan show this morning they had former Patriots quarterback Hugh Millen on as a guest to talk about the Super Bowl matchup, as Millen is working in the Seattle as an analyst of the Seahawks and Washington Huskies.
While they were discussing the inflation of the footballs, Millen dropped that he played for a coach with two Super Bowl winswho put together a huge scheme to install speakers inside the helmets of the offensive linemen so they could be given instructions remotely. He said they had it in place and working.
Millen declined to actually name the coach, but he played for Mike Shanahan in Denver in 1995. Three of Shanahan’s linemen were caught with Vaseline on their jerseys during a 1998 playoff game against the Chiefs.
Millen did also have a brief stint with the Jimmy Johnson-coached Cowboys, (the Patriots traded him there following the 1993 season) so it’s possible, he was referring to Johnson, but Gerry Callahan made a “beedy eyes” reference to Shanahan and it seemed like Millen went along with it.
We know that the Broncos were also caught cheating the salary cap those Super Bowl seasons. So here are two confirmed and one alleged (very serious) cheating incidents that the media and public will never pay attention to.
Can you imagine the uproar if any of these incidents happened with the Patriots? We’re on week two of the world going insane over allegations that the footballs the Patriots used were a tick under regulation inflation.
WEEI Audio – Former Patriot Hugh Millen on deflating footballs and the Seahawks 1-29-15
JANUARY 29, 2015 BY
On the Dennis and Callahan show this morning they had former Patriots quarterback Hugh Millen on as a guest to talk about the Super Bowl matchup, as Millen is working in the Seattle as an analyst of the Seahawks and Washington Huskies.
While they were discussing the inflation of the footballs, Millen dropped that he played for a coach with two Super Bowl winswho put together a huge scheme to install speakers inside the helmets of the offensive linemen so they could be given instructions remotely. He said they had it in place and working.
I played for a team, the coach has two Super Bowl wins, and there was an elaborate scheme to put speakers into the offensive lineman’s ears, and they had these custom made speakers, it was a covert operation, they would install it in a back room in the locker room on the road and what have you, and they did that week after week and presumably in the Super Bowl.
He also said the same team had offensive linemen who were caught with a substance on their jerseys and that the coach just shrugged when they were caught.
Millen declined to actually name the coach, but he played for Mike Shanahan in Denver in 1995. Three of Shanahan’s linemen were caught with Vaseline on their jerseys during a 1998 playoff game against the Chiefs.
Millen did also have a brief stint with the Jimmy Johnson-coached Cowboys, (the Patriots traded him there following the 1993 season) so it’s possible, he was referring to Johnson, but Gerry Callahan made a “beedy eyes” reference to Shanahan and it seemed like Millen went along with it.
We know that the Broncos were also caught cheating the salary cap those Super Bowl seasons. So here are two confirmed and one alleged (very serious) cheating incidents that the media and public will never pay attention to.
Can you imagine the uproar if any of these incidents happened with the Patriots? We’re on week two of the world going insane over allegations that the footballs the Patriots used were a tick under regulation inflation.
WEEI Audio – Former Patriot Hugh Millen on deflating footballs and the Seahawks 1-29-15
CASH
Pretty much a regular
Indianapolis columnist Bob Kravitz has delivered a mea culpa for his role in "Deflategate."
Well, kind of.
The member of the media who ignited last month’s overhyped controversy involving the New England Patriots offered up both a defense and an apology on WTHR.com on Tuesday. He maintained that he was “100 percent” certain that the NFL was investigating the possibility of the Patriots using deflated footballs during the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts when he initially reported it. But he also admitted that he botched subsequent tweets and columns calling for the removal of Bill Belichick as head coach.
“I thought it was implied, quite strongly, that penalties should only be levied if the Patriots were found guilty of toying with the integrity of the game,” Kravitz wrote, “but I failed to establish that clearly in those tweets and in my columns. Thus, it appeared I was calling for Belichick's head and other penalties before any investigation was completed. Clearly (or maybe not so clearly), I would never call for Aaron Hernandez to get a life sentence before he got his day in court, and I did not mean to suggest that Belichick and the Patriots should be penalized before an investigation was complete. But that's the way it came out, and for that, I apologize.
“I am a professional communicator, and as a professional communicator, I failed miserably there. I'm not one who blames the reader for a misunderstanding; it's incumbent upon me, as a writer or broadcaster, to use my words wisely, whether in a column or a tweet. I have to wear that one. I own that one.”
This is after Kravitz writes, “No problem there. That's my opinion. I'm entitled to it, just as you're entitled to rip me.”
Fine. But which is it? Are we saying sorry for something or just running around in circles again here?
Kravitz offers no apologies for breaking the story in the wee hours after the win over the Colts that sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl. “I wrote there was an investigation. There WAS, and IS, an investigation. It's my job to get it right, and I got it right.”
But then Kravitz, who sparked and promoted one of the most ludicrous periods leading up to a Super Bowl that we’ve witnessed in quite some time, goes on to scoff at the notion that the Colts may have been the perpetrators in all this. His incredulity comes after ESPN’s Adam Schefter told WEEI that he knows there are people who believe that theory.
“I don't doubt that he's telling the truth – I'm sure there are conspiracy theorists out there – but I'm not buying it that it was a massive set-up, not for a second," Kravitz wrote in reference to Schefter's comments.
“Let's put it this way: If the Colts are found guilty of having tampered with the footballs in an effort to undermine the Pats, I'll be vicious in my criticism of the Colts and call for the heads of the offending parties – whether that's Jim Irsay, Ryan Grigson or Chuck Pagano…whoever. That would be even more egregious than anything the Patriots might have done.
“I'll also be shocked beyond words.”
No, how could there ever have been a “massive set-up?” That would be about as crazy as quoting Bill Nye the Science Guy -- a Seattle Seahawks fan, by the way -- for his input on what happened to the balls in question. Or asking the folks at MIT or Columbia for a definitive explanation.
None of that would ever happen. I’d be shocked.
The apology isn’t one that Patriots fans are looking for, particularly since Kravitz reveled in breaking the story, and gleefully posited taking down Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady in the process. If there were a ringleader of the absurd, it was indeed Kravitz. Remember “the Patriots should vacate the Super Bowl,” as another columnist opined? Remember that one?
And just like that, Kravitz keeps himself relevant in a story that just won’t mercifully run out of hot air.
Well, kind of.
The member of the media who ignited last month’s overhyped controversy involving the New England Patriots offered up both a defense and an apology on WTHR.com on Tuesday. He maintained that he was “100 percent” certain that the NFL was investigating the possibility of the Patriots using deflated footballs during the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts when he initially reported it. But he also admitted that he botched subsequent tweets and columns calling for the removal of Bill Belichick as head coach.
“I thought it was implied, quite strongly, that penalties should only be levied if the Patriots were found guilty of toying with the integrity of the game,” Kravitz wrote, “but I failed to establish that clearly in those tweets and in my columns. Thus, it appeared I was calling for Belichick's head and other penalties before any investigation was completed. Clearly (or maybe not so clearly), I would never call for Aaron Hernandez to get a life sentence before he got his day in court, and I did not mean to suggest that Belichick and the Patriots should be penalized before an investigation was complete. But that's the way it came out, and for that, I apologize.
“I am a professional communicator, and as a professional communicator, I failed miserably there. I'm not one who blames the reader for a misunderstanding; it's incumbent upon me, as a writer or broadcaster, to use my words wisely, whether in a column or a tweet. I have to wear that one. I own that one.”
This is after Kravitz writes, “No problem there. That's my opinion. I'm entitled to it, just as you're entitled to rip me.”
Fine. But which is it? Are we saying sorry for something or just running around in circles again here?
Kravitz offers no apologies for breaking the story in the wee hours after the win over the Colts that sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl. “I wrote there was an investigation. There WAS, and IS, an investigation. It's my job to get it right, and I got it right.”
But then Kravitz, who sparked and promoted one of the most ludicrous periods leading up to a Super Bowl that we’ve witnessed in quite some time, goes on to scoff at the notion that the Colts may have been the perpetrators in all this. His incredulity comes after ESPN’s Adam Schefter told WEEI that he knows there are people who believe that theory.
“I don't doubt that he's telling the truth – I'm sure there are conspiracy theorists out there – but I'm not buying it that it was a massive set-up, not for a second," Kravitz wrote in reference to Schefter's comments.
“Let's put it this way: If the Colts are found guilty of having tampered with the footballs in an effort to undermine the Pats, I'll be vicious in my criticism of the Colts and call for the heads of the offending parties – whether that's Jim Irsay, Ryan Grigson or Chuck Pagano…whoever. That would be even more egregious than anything the Patriots might have done.
“I'll also be shocked beyond words.”
No, how could there ever have been a “massive set-up?” That would be about as crazy as quoting Bill Nye the Science Guy -- a Seattle Seahawks fan, by the way -- for his input on what happened to the balls in question. Or asking the folks at MIT or Columbia for a definitive explanation.
None of that would ever happen. I’d be shocked.
The apology isn’t one that Patriots fans are looking for, particularly since Kravitz reveled in breaking the story, and gleefully posited taking down Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady in the process. If there were a ringleader of the absurd, it was indeed Kravitz. Remember “the Patriots should vacate the Super Bowl,” as another columnist opined? Remember that one?
And just like that, Kravitz keeps himself relevant in a story that just won’t mercifully run out of hot air.
L
Lareux
Guest
Wouldn't the more massive set up be the Pats doctoring 11 balls, and not the Colts simply a little air out of the one they used to initiate the complaint? If, of course, the findings show that only one ball was 2psi under and the other 10 that were under were under by a few tenths psi each.
So he wouldn't believe, for a second, that a team would let a little air out of one ball (after they accused the Pats of deflating balls in Indy a month prior)....but he has no problem with the conspiracy theory that the Pats deflated 11 footballs. Makes perfect sense.
CASH
Pretty much a regular
Before ESPN’s Outside The Lines ran their program this afternoon, they sent an afternoon email promising new developments.They quoted a former NFL head linesman as calling the activities of Patriots locker room attendant Jim McNally “unusual.” They even created a cute little hashtag for Twitter people: #PatriotsIssues
After Kelly Naqi repeated her reports that McNally had attempted to introduce an unapproved game ball to the AFC Championship Game, Adam Schefter called into the program. The show turned.
After Kelly Naqi repeated her reports that McNally had attempted to introduce an unapproved game ball to the AFC Championship Game, Adam Schefter called into the program. The show turned.
CASH
Pretty much a regular
ESPN released a report late Tuesday night which introduced new information in the DeflateGate “controversy” that is now on its fifth week of ongoing speculation. Though the 1,100-word reportdid reveal at least two previously unknown items, it
still falls into the same problematic formula of just about everything that’s been reported since Jan. 17.
1. The information is incomplete.
2. The information contradicts a previous report.
3. The report prematurely places guilt on a person who may or may not have done anything wrong.
4. The report leaves more questions than answers, which as a result will lead to the country speculating on a number of topics about which they don’t have a complete picture.
Let’s tackle those issues one at a time here.
First, the incomplete information.
This is what Kelly Naqi’s Outside The Lines report alleges:
“A locker room attendant for the New England Patriots tried to introduce an unapproved special teams football into last month’s AFC Championship Game. … In the first half of the AFC Championship Game, the sources said, [Jim] McNally tried to give the unapproved football to an alternate official who was in charge of the special-teams footballs. Those footballs are known as ‘kicking balls’ or ‘K balls.’ … The alternate official, Greg Yette, became suspicious when he noticed that the football McNally handed him did not have the proper markings on it. … Once McNally tried to introduce the unapproved football into the game, the source said, Yette notified the NFL’s vice president of game operations, Mike Kensil, who was at the game in the press box.”
So that’s the bulk of the report. A Patriots employee who does not typically handle footballs had one in his possession, and he handed it to Greg Yette, who was the official in charge of handling the K balls. That ball never made it into the game, but the behavior was apparently suspicious enough to inspire Mike Kensil to trek from the press box down to the officials’ locker room so that he could oversee … a PSI test on the balls used on offense, not on the special teams balls.
What’s going on here?
Is it possible that this McNally fella (more on him shortly) found a ball on the ground, perhaps one used by kickers to practice kicking into nets on the sideline, and decided to give it to a man in charge? Of course it is. Is it possible that in what would be without a doubt the worst ever cheating attempt, McNally tried to sneak one special teams ball into the mix of 12 other K balls? I suppose it is, but what’s the end game there? Getting one out of 13 kicking balls into the cycle would be just as likely to the hurt the Patriots as it would help them, wouldn’t it?
Again, like about a half-dozen DeflateGate reports before it, this one relies on anonymous leaks who aren’t able and/or willing to tell the entire story. The result is that a mere snippet and potential footnote gets presented as a breaking news story.
Now, onto point No. 2: This story contradicts an earlier report.
This one’s particularly interesting because in this case, the new ESPN report contradicts the initial report by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. You’ll remember that in the late night of Jan. 20, Mortensen reported that 11 of the 12 footballs used by the Patriots were measured at 2 PSI under the low threshold allowed by league (12.5 PSI). This was the story that turned Bob Kravitz’s report into a full-on national crisis, with national news programs leading with stories about deflated footballs.
Now, nearly a month later, ESPN is reporting that “Kensil personally checked the PSI (pounds per square inch) levels of all 12 footballs the Patriots had for use on offense and found that 11 of those 12 were underinflated by ‘one to two pounds.'”
The difference may seem minor, but it is not. If you can take anything from the weeks of scientific theories and physics theses we were all bombarded with, it’s that at the very least you have to afford for the possibility for a change in air pressure based on a number of different factors. And while it may be a stretch to say that air temperature and moisture and whatever else could lower the pressure by a full two PSI, it is believable that it could drop the pressure by half of that.
So now, we’ve got ESPN reporting the balls were two PSI under, we’ve got ESPN reporting the balls were between one and two PSI under, and we’ve still got NFL Network saying one football was two PSI under the limit while “many of them were just a few ticks under the minimum.”
Which is it? That’s lots of sources saying some pretty different things, but what’s notable in this instance is that ESPN is saying Chris Mortensen was wrong. Considering it was Mortensen’s report which really kicked DeflateGate hysteria into overdrive, that’s no insignificant detail.
Onto No. 3: The report prematurely places guilt on a person who may or may not have done anything wrong.
This is not a big deal if you don’t care about a man named Jim McNally, but when you consider that he potentially did not do anything against any rules and that he has likely cooperated fully with Ted Wells’ investigation, you have to wonder what’s going through his mind as an ESPN reporter walked up his driveway to bombard him with questions.
Is it possible that McNally was the key lynchpin in a nefarious plot to get a non-approved football into the cycle of 12 special teams balls for some unknown reason? Yes. Sure. But isn’t it more likely that he … wasn’t doing that? If he really wanted to make that football get into the mix of 13 kicking balls, wouldn’t he try to put some markings on it to make it look official? And if he really wanted to give the Patriots an advantage, wouldn’t he try to get preferable footballs into the mix of balls the Patriots used on offense?
Once more, what is going on here?
Mostly, though, the question is this: Why is Jim McNally’s hometown in this story? Do we need to know this man’s address?
It’s at worst irresponsible, at best just kind of rude, but it’s definitely unwarranted, considering the ESPN report included great investigative lines like this one: “It is not known if McNally is the same locker room attendant who reportedly ducked into a bathroom with a bag of footballs for 90 seconds before taking them out to the field before the start of the AFC Championship Game.”
I’m no enterprise reporter like Kelly Naqi, who has four ESPN bylines to her name over the past 43 months*, but when I’m writing an investigate report, I don’t include the words “it is not known if.” I’d stick with what is known, personally. But, hey, might as well call out the officials’ locker room attendant by his full name, list the town where he lives and hurl heavy suspicion his way before we really know if he did anything wrong. Why not?
*I understand that Naqi contributes her reporting to OTL and therefore does not generate many bylines. I am merely noting that it is odd for this to pop up as her first byline since July 2013. Perhaps it’s the Mortensen contradiction, and ESPN doesn’t want a big name out there going against its longtime top NFL reporter?
It’s just a shame that McNally can’t publicly comment. I’d love to know if Mark Brunell would start crying again upon hearing the ball boy’s explanation. (Hang in there, Mark!)
Which leads us to No. 4: More questions than answers, and therefore more speculation.
This issue is as much a problem with the NFL as it is with the report itself. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has refused to speak publicly about the DeflateGate situation, citing the ongoing investigation. Whenever asked about DeflateGate, and even when asked specifically about Dean Blandino’s on-the-record comments which came during a very public press conference, “When the investigation is complete, you’ll have the information,” has been his go-to response.
Goodell likes to portray his office as one of high standards and great integrity, a truly laughable effort in the wake of its complete and utter moral failure in dealing with Ray Rice. It’s even more laughable considering just how many leaks have sprung during this interminable period of “investigation” into deflated footballs.
An NFL spokesman was contacted for this newest ESPN story, and the response was, “We’re not commenting on the details of the ongoing investigation.”
They’re not commenting … but they are. Naqi cited four sources on her story. Four. These people had intimate knowledge of Jim McNally and his handing of a football over to an NFL official. Where might you think they came from? It’s hard to believe the Patriots would sell out their part-time employee so that ESPN could release another juicy DeflateGate story. And it’s hard to believe anyone would even know McNally’s name, unless they were involved in some way in the investigative process.
Nevertheless, the response to this story will likely be as over-the-top as it’s been throughout the entire ordeal. There will be outrage from Patriots fans who feel their team is being put through the ringer for no real reason, and there will be laughter and celebration from the millions of football fans who despise Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and anyone else associated with the franchise.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are still waiting for some actual, complete information. How much longer do we need to wait? The NFL is not commenting.
still falls into the same problematic formula of just about everything that’s been reported since Jan. 17.1. The information is incomplete.
2. The information contradicts a previous report.
3. The report prematurely places guilt on a person who may or may not have done anything wrong.
4. The report leaves more questions than answers, which as a result will lead to the country speculating on a number of topics about which they don’t have a complete picture.
Let’s tackle those issues one at a time here.
First, the incomplete information.
This is what Kelly Naqi’s Outside The Lines report alleges:
“A locker room attendant for the New England Patriots tried to introduce an unapproved special teams football into last month’s AFC Championship Game
. … In the first half of the AFC Championship Game, the sources said, [Jim] McNally tried to give the unapproved football to an alternate official who was in charge of the special-teams footballs. Those footballs are known as ‘kicking balls’ or ‘K balls.’ … The alternate official, Greg Yette, became suspicious when he noticed that the football McNally handed him did not have the proper markings on it. … Once McNally tried to introduce the unapproved football into the game, the source said, Yette notified the NFL’s vice president of game operations, Mike Kensil, who was at the game in the press box.”So that’s the bulk of the report. A Patriots employee
who does not typically handle footballs had one in his possession, and he handed it to Greg Yette, who was the official in charge of handling the K balls. That ball never made it into the game, but the behavior was apparently suspicious enough to inspire Mike Kensil to trek from the press box down to the officials’ locker room so that he could oversee … a PSI test on the balls used on offense, not on the special teams balls.What’s going on here?
Is it possible that this McNally fella (more on him shortly) found a ball on the ground, perhaps one used by kickers to practice kicking into nets on the sideline, and decided to give it to a man in charge? Of course
it is. Is it possible that in what would be without a doubt the worst ever cheating attempt, McNally tried to sneak one special teams ball into the mix of 12 other K balls? I suppose it is, but what’s the end game there? Getting one out of 13 kicking balls into the cycle would be just as likely to the hurt the Patriots as it would help them, wouldn’t it?Again, like about a half-dozen DeflateGate reports before it, this one relies on anonymous leaks who aren’t able and/or willing to tell the entire story. The result is that a mere snippet and potential footnote gets presented as a breaking news story.
Now, onto point No. 2: This story contradicts an earlier report.
This one’s particularly interesting because in this case, the new ESPN report contradicts the initial report by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. You’ll remember that in the late night of Jan. 20, Mortensen reported that 11 of the 12 footballs used by the Patriots were measured at 2 PSI under the low threshold allowed by league (12.5 PSI). This was the story that turned Bob Kravitz’s report into a full-on national crisis, with national news programs leading with stories about deflated footballs.
Now, nearly a month later, ESPN is reporting that “Kensil personally checked the PSI (pounds per square inch) levels of all 12 footballs the Patriots had for use on offense and found that 11 of those 12 were underinflated by ‘one to two pounds.'”
The difference may seem minor, but it is not. If you can take anything from the weeks of scientific theories and physics theses we were all bombarded with, it’s that at the very least you have to afford for the possibility for a change in air pressure based on a number of different factors. And while it may be a stretch to say that air temperature and moisture and whatever else could lower the pressure by a full two PSI, it is believable that it could drop the pressure by half of that.
So now, we’ve got ESPN reporting the balls were two PSI under, we’ve got ESPN reporting the balls were between one and two PSI under, and we’ve still got NFL Network saying one football was two PSI under the limit while “many of them were just a few ticks under the minimum.”
Which is it? That’s lots of sources saying some pretty different things, but what’s notable in this instance is that ESPN is saying Chris Mortensen was wrong. Considering it was Mortensen’s report which really kicked DeflateGate hysteria into overdrive, that’s no insignificant detail.
Onto No. 3: The report prematurely places guilt on a person who may or may not have done anything wrong.
This is not a big deal if you don’t care about a man named Jim McNally, but when you consider that he potentially did not do anything against any rules and that he has likely cooperated fully with Ted Wells’ investigation, you have to wonder what’s going through his mind as an ESPN reporter walked up his driveway to bombard him with questions.
Is it possible that McNally was the key lynchpin in a nefarious plot to get a non-approved football into the cycle of 12 special teams balls for some unknown reason? Yes. Sure. But isn’t it more likely that he … wasn’t doing that? If he really wanted to make that football get into the mix of 13 kicking balls, wouldn’t he try to put some markings on it to make it look
official? And if he really wanted to give the Patriots an advantage, wouldn’t he try to get preferable footballs into the mix of balls the Patriots used on offense?Once more, what is going on here?
Mostly, though, the question is this: Why is Jim McNally’s hometown in this story? Do we need to know this man’s address?
It’s at worst irresponsible, at best just kind of rude, but it’s definitely unwarranted, considering the ESPN report included great investigative lines like this one: “It is not known if McNally is the same locker room attendant who reportedly ducked into a bathroom with a bag of footballs for 90 seconds before taking them out to the field before the start of the AFC Championship Game.”
I’m no enterprise
reporter like Kelly Naqi, who has four ESPN bylines to her name over the past 43 months*, but when I’m writing an investigate report, I don’t include the words “it is not known if.” I’d stick with what is known, personally. But, hey, might as well call out the officials’ locker room attendant by his full name, list the town where he lives and hurl heavy suspicion his way before we really know if he did anything wrong. Why not?*I understand that Naqi contributes her reporting to OTL and therefore does not generate many bylines. I am merely noting that it is odd for this to pop up as her first byline since July 2013. Perhaps it’s the Mortensen contradiction, and ESPN doesn’t want a big name out there going against its longtime top NFL reporter?
It’s just a shame that McNally can’t publicly comment. I’d love to know if Mark Brunell would start crying again upon hearing the ball boy’s explanation. (Hang in there, Mark!)
Which leads us to No. 4: More questions than answers, and therefore more speculation.
This issue is as much a problem with the NFL as it is with the report itself. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has refused to speak publicly about the DeflateGate situation, citing the ongoing investigation. Whenever asked about DeflateGate, and even when asked specifically about Dean Blandino’s on-the-record comments which came during a very public press conference, “When the investigation is complete, you’ll have the information,” has been his go-to response.
Goodell likes to portray his office as one of high standards and great integrity, a truly laughable effort in the wake of its complete and utter moral failure in dealing with Ray Rice. It’s even more laughable considering just how many leaks have sprung during this interminable period of “investigation” into deflated footballs.
An NFL spokesman was contacted for this newest ESPN story, and the response was, “We’re not commenting on the details of the ongoing investigation.”
They’re not commenting … but they are. Naqi cited four sources on her story. Four. These people had intimate knowledge of Jim McNally and his handing of a football over to an NFL official. Where might you think they came from? It’s hard to believe the Patriots would sell out their part-time employee so that ESPN could release another juicy DeflateGate story. And it’s hard to believe anyone would even know McNally’s name, unless they were involved in some way in the investigative process.
Nevertheless, the response to this story will likely be as over-the-top as it’s been throughout the entire ordeal. There will be outrage from Patriots fans who feel their team is being put through the ringer for no real reason, and there will be laughter and celebration
from the millions of football fans who despise Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and anyone else associated with the franchise.Meanwhile, the rest of us are still waiting for some actual, complete information. How much longer do we need to wait? The NFL is not commenting.
L
Lareux
Guest
You being serious? The ball was given to the Pats employee by an NFL official who has since been fired.
Have you even read any of the recent posts here or stories online, or just skimmed for a headline? JFC is right.
guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
So the cheaters actually cheated
/not shocked
/not shocked
guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
Also the ball boys hate touchdown tommy
guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
One of then even refers to himself as the deflater
suspensions and forfeiting of multiple picks should be Incoming
suspensions and forfeiting of multiple picks should be Incoming
takeit
THE Wife
"Likely"??
This really means nothing.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl-fi...s-probably-deflated-balls-171700083--nfl.html
This really means nothing.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl-fi...s-probably-deflated-balls-171700083--nfl.html
guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
Brady's cover up is damming too
L
Lareux
Guest
Hahaha. Yep, he 'covered up' the fact that the balls were deflated a few hundreths of PSI. There was ONE ball that was well under, and that happened to be the one the Colts used as their evidence. Haters gonna hate. Fucking Canadians.
captjohn67
Pretty much a regular
"If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying"
--Ricky Bobby
--Ricky Bobby
T
tipyerbartender1
Guest
The way that release was worded is weird, not too damning. They're not going to penalize 'em for probable misconduct and being generally aware.
guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
Covered up the process Larry rwas the report
The ball boys make it clear he knew the whole time
The ball boys make it clear he knew the whole time
CASH
Pretty much a regular
I agree with the wording for what I quickly read as well as hearing some of it on the radio (ugh).
I do believe there will be penalties - just not sure what they will do - a fine, a suspension for Brady, coach (his team his responsibility)...
PAGES 67,68,69 -- very interesting ...
guaranteed tried to take your hatred of the team and/or the players out of it... ..
jimmymo - stop whining, they beat your Seahawks with the legal pressure in the balls.....
Separately I still think this was a sting led by the former Colts exec who is now in the NFL corporate office. . ( I am just sayin)
guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
More I think about this no chance at suspension
Goodell is a kraft puppet as seen by pictures of their dinner party
And pats play on opening night and no chance nfl wants Jimmy starting over touchdown tommy
Goodell is a kraft puppet as seen by pictures of their dinner party
And pats play on opening night and no chance nfl wants Jimmy starting over touchdown tommy
L
Lareux
Guest
Yes, I realize that. It was sarcasm, something I know you less intelligent Canadians have trouble with sometimes.
The point is, if they were that complicit in taking air out of balls, they didn't do a good job, since 11 of the 12 balls were only deflated a tiny amount...which most likely wouldn't even have that big of an impact on the throwing/catching of the ball. And this still doesn't answer why/how the Colts suspected the Pats of deflating balls in the first game in Indy, since the contention is that the Pats do this in cold weather games.
guaranteeed
Pretty much a regular
It's not just the colts game
The texts are all year long
The texts are all year long
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