by GratefulJet Wed 28 Jan 2015 - 0:36
Old#15 wrote: GratefulJet wrote:Ian O'Connor with a
blistering review of the Kraft press conference and how it sets up the investigation.
He correctly points out that Kraft had
really better be 100% right or his reputation is in tatters.
As much as I personally hate the Patriots, I kind of hope they didn't do this thing (heresy for a Jets fan, I know). The league will struggle as it is to restore credibility as a level playing field (there's a lot of people seeing it the way Hyatt
does), and every win the Patriots have had for > 10 years will be called into question. At this point, one almost has to wonder if a finding that exonerates the Patriots will even be widely believed. In some ways, the real damage has already been done and whether they broke the rules or not is just a minor detail for the final report. Their reputation now precedes them, and that's not going to change as long as Belichick is the HC of the NEP.
I guess I can't help a smile and a chuckle.
Kraft's press conference is a signal that the fix is in, and the fall guy is some locker room attendant who after taking balls from ref's locker room disappeared into another room at Gillette for an undisclosed time before bringing balls unto field. We have our fall guy, who without any direction from Pats (coaches, players or management) alters footballs because he thinks it will help his employer. I say BS. He did it because Tom Brady likes his footballs a certain way, and even though Brady didn't directly communicate with this guy his wishes were well known. Why else would you risk your job in one the most important games or multiple games (see Ravens complaints) unless someone directed you to do it. I think the Patriots have been treading on thin ice with league rules since BB has been HC, and I have no respect for any of their records.
The article mentions the relationship between Kraft and Goodell. I never saw the GQ article it references:
"Kraft spoke after GQ published an unflattering profile of Roger Goodell that portrayed New England's owner as the commissioner's fiercest advocate, as a supporter who helped land him a compensation package of some $300 million over seven years, and as a public relations adviser who tried steering Goodell through the Ray Rice disaster and who lobbied fellow owners for endorsements when the commissioner was in dire need of them.
The GQ profile quoted one veteran NFL executive calling Kraft "the assistant commissioner.""
It's really hard to imagine Goodell overseeing
any investigation that hurts his main benefactor.