ESPN: Goodell covered up most of the Patriots' cheating from Spygate

I'll link to the Deadspin article that cites the Mothership story, and there's a link to the full piece. Belichik is a cheating motherfucker.

http://deadspin.com/bombshell-espn-report-the-patriots-were-huge-cheaters-1729286402?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_facebook&utm_source=deadspin_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Goodall with a massive out of control ego?? No way!!!

Everyone loves ripping Goodell, but I'm sure being the commissioner of that sport is a nightmare. Have to please the owners, the players and the fans. Good luck with that!

steveschneider wrote:Everyone loves ripping Goodell, but I'm sure being the commissioner of that sport is a nightmare. Have to please the owners, the players and the fans. Good luck with that!

Dude makes 25 million or so a year. Only one he had to keep happy is the owners.

tGreenWay wrote:Belichik is a cheating motherfucker.

Was there ever any doubt?

So how hard does the NCAA punish Boston College?

InTenSity wrote:

steveschneider wrote:Everyone loves ripping Goodell, but I'm sure being the commissioner of that sport is a nightmare. Have to please the owners, the players and the fans. Good luck with that!

Dude makes 25 million or so a year. Only one he had to keep happy is the owners.

I'm sure dealing with the owners is a frigging nightmare.. For $25 mill we'd all do it, but I bet it sucks.

So the NFL was behind deflate gate to make it seem like they were coming down hard on the Patriots to appease the other owners around the league. A makeup for spy gate. Article made it seem like the NFL told Brady to destroy his phone. Brady, the NFL and the Pats knew all along that he was never going to miss any games this year. The suspension was just a show for the rest of the league. Goodell thought if he lost the case in court that he could not be blamed. "hey guys, I really tried suspending him but the courts said I couldn't". NFL is phony as hell.

steveschneider wrote:

InTenSity wrote:
Dude makes 25 million or so a year. Only one he had to keep happy is the owners.

I'm sure dealing with the owners is a frigging nightmare.. For $25 mill we'd all do it, but I bet it sucks.

sucks? Umm for 25M a year I'd likely suck every owners dick on Sundays if asked. No homo.

Is this going to go away, or is there something here? Does not seem to be getting much play but seems like a big deal.

I wish I had followed the lead and read the Deadspin article instead of trying to read the ESPN story. Holy hell was that long. The story is very compelling - but I had long ago reached the point of being completely sick of the deflate gate story as I imagine most people are. Now that there is a real story it goes back to 15 years ago so I doubt many people will still care.
The one part about the story that sounds far fetched is stealing the play sheets. So all these teams have their play sheets laying out on a table in the lockeroom unguarded so a janitor could just walk in and take them?

I never got how stealing signals was cheating.   Or is it only cheating in football?  It's a time honored tradition in baseball that you're going to try and steal the other team's signals.

LooseGoose wrote:I never got how stealing signals was cheating.   Or is it only cheating in football?  It's a time honored tradition in baseball that you're going to try and steal the other team's signals.

Can't let one team do it but not the other

Blanch32 wrote:

LooseGoose wrote:I never got how stealing signals was cheating.   Or is it only cheating in football?  It's a time honored tradition in baseball that you're going to try and steal the other team's signals.

Can't let one team do it but not the other

Why weren't the other teams trying?   Their fault they didn't think of it.

"Ballghazi."

Goodell actually made $40 million last year. Yeah.

LooseGoose wrote:I never got how stealing signals was cheating.   Or is it only cheating in football?  It's a time honored tradition in baseball that you're going to try and steal the other team's signals.

It's also cheating in baseball. Not sure where you get the "time honored tradition" thing from. Yeah, they do it, but it's against the rules and if they get caught (somehow) they will be in trubs.

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:

LooseGoose wrote:I never got how stealing signals was cheating.   Or is it only cheating in football?  It's a time honored tradition in baseball that you're going to try and steal the other team's signals.

It's also cheating in baseball. Not sure where you get the "time honored tradition" thing from. Yeah, they do it, but it's against the rules and if they get caught (somehow) they will be in trubs.

It is?   Honest to god I've been a huge baseball fan for nearly 50 years and never heard that stealing signs was against the rules in baseball.   Gotta go look now.

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:

LooseGoose wrote:I never got how stealing signals was cheating.   Or is it only cheating in football?  It's a time honored tradition in baseball that you're going to try and steal the other team's signals.

It's also cheating in baseball. Not sure where you get the "time honored tradition" thing from. Yeah, they do it, but it's against the rules and if they get caught (somehow) they will be in trubs.

Nope.

1st google result.

Fair or foul? Sign-stealing is part of the game

It's as old as stitches on a baseball or grass on an outfield.
As long as catchers have been putting down fingers to signal to pitchers what they should throw, other teams have been trying to steal those signs and tip off their hitters to what's coming.
Nowhere in baseball's rulebook will you find anything prohibiting sign-stealing, although most casual observers figure the spirit of sportsmanship and the unwritten "Code" of the big leagues should say it's a big no-no.
But is it?

LooseGoose wrote:

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:

It's also cheating in baseball. Not sure where you get the "time honored tradition" thing from. Yeah, they do it, but it's against the rules and if they get caught (somehow) they will be in trubs.

It is?   Honest to god I've been a huge baseball fan for nearly 50 years and never heard that stealing signs was against the rules in baseball.   Gotta go look now.

A year or two ago Chris sale got all in a tussy thinking that VMart had a guy in the outfield with binoculars trying to steal signs and relay them. There was of course no way to prove that, so nothing happened, but it's for sure against the rules.

LooseGoose wrote:

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:

It's also cheating in baseball. Not sure where you get the "time honored tradition" thing from. Yeah, they do it, but it's against the rules and if they get caught (somehow) they will be in trubs.

Nope.

1st google result.

Fair or foul? Sign-stealing is part of the game

It's as old as stitches on a baseball or grass on an outfield.
As long as catchers have been putting down fingers to signal to pitchers what they should throw, other teams have been trying to steal those signs and tip off their hitters to what's coming.
Nowhere in baseball's rulebook will you find anything prohibiting sign-stealing, although most casual observers figure the spirit of sportsmanship and the unwritten "Code" of the big leagues should say it's a big no-no.
But is it?

Oh one of those silly it's not really against the rules but if you do it no one will like you things in baseball.

Heres that one time chris sale got all sad

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:

LooseGoose wrote:
It is?   Honest to god I've been a huge baseball fan for nearly 50 years and never heard that stealing signs was against the rules in baseball.   Gotta go look now.

A year or two ago Chris sale got all in a tussy thinking that VMart had a guy in the outfield with binoculars trying to steal signs and relay them. There was of course no way to prove that, so nothing happened, but it's for sure against the rules.

You can't do that (Binoculars), but a baserunner can try and steal signs and tip off the batter. Or teams can try and figure out steal signs, or bunt signs.

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:

LooseGoose wrote:
Nope.

1st google result.

Fair or foul? Sign-stealing is part of the game

Oh one of those silly it's not really against the rules but if you do it no one will like you things in baseball.
Heres that one time chris sale got all sad

I wouldn't argue that people get pissy about it, but to some extent all teams do it.  Whether it's trying to determine the "steal" sign or trying to relay the catcher's pitch call from 2nd base to the batter.

NigelUno wrote:

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:

A year or two ago Chris sale got all in a tussy thinking that VMart had a guy in the outfield with binoculars trying to steal signs and relay them. There was of course no way to prove that, so nothing happened, but it's for sure against the rules.

You can't do that (Binoculars), but a baserunner can try and steal signs and tip off the batter.  Or teams can try and figure out steal signs, or bunt signs.  

And that's probably the difference in "spygate" the use of artificial aids.  The filming, etc.  Had they just tried to "steal" the signs during the game it would have been ok.

LooseGoose wrote:

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:
Oh one of those silly it's not really against the rules but if you do it no one will like you things in baseball.
Heres that one time chris sale got all sad

I wouldn't argue that people get pissy about it, but to some extent all teams do it.  Whether it's trying to determine the "steal" sign or trying to relay the catcher's pitch call from 2nd base to the batter.

Got it... Nigels probably right about the binoculars thing and I just assumed the rule covered all of it. My bads

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:

LooseGoose wrote:
I wouldn't argue that people get pissy about it, but to some extent all teams do it.  Whether it's trying to determine the "steal" sign or trying to relay the catcher's pitch call from 2nd base to the batter.

Got it... Nigels probably right about the binoculars thing and I just assumed the rule covered all of it. My bads

I hope you get perma banned?

Turtleneck wrote:

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:

Got it... Nigels probably right about the binoculars thing and I just assumed the rule covered all of it. My bads

I hope you get perma banned?

Are you trying to start an internet fight with me turtle? Because I swear to God I will post 3 times in response to you before I get bored and stop.

You're ruining this board Travis.

Turtleneck wrote:You're ruining this board Travis.

Fine I quit forever

Please don't go. I love you. I can't post without you.

Goodell is the ultimate insider. He got himself hired as an intern for the NFL offices in '82, a year after graduating from college, spent '83 with the Jets as an intern and got himself hired back into the NFL offices in '84. He has known most owners for decades before he was elected commissioner.

Has he shown deference to Bob Kraft for buying the struggling Patriot franchise and keeping them in New England? Probably and he knows the Patriots have had great national TV ratings for years.

The Patriots generate a lot of income for the league. In the big scheme Goodell knows outside of MI's lower peninsula no one gives a shit about the Lions but if the Patriots, Packers or Cowboys play Thursday Night, Monday Night a late nationally televised game the ratings will be strong. Add in the fact Bob Kraft has always had his back and I can see Goodell's desire for income being greater than his desire to hammer the Patriots for a long time.

gHost Spartan wrote:Earlier today at lunch I read part of the ESPN article and from what I recall the Pats had literally an entire room filled with signals, film, spreadsheets, etc. on every single team in the league. It was a pretty comprehensive not just a random film guy stealing a few signals here and there.

Do you know if there is/was a rule specifically against stealing signs?  If not, I don't see the problem with an attempt to gain a competitive advantage.    The Patriots should have been free to decide what level of resources to allocate to it.

Goodell and Kraft are buddies outside of the league. I'm not really surprised that he did his friend a solid by covering up most of the Patriots' cheating.

But this solidifies more and more for me, that the NFL is a sham and that you can't trust sports commissioners like Jim Delany.

LooseGoose wrote:

gHost Spartan wrote:Earlier today at lunch I read part of the ESPN article and from what I recall the Pats had literally an entire room filled with signals, film, spreadsheets, etc. on every single team in the league. It was a pretty comprehensive not just a random film guy stealing a few signals here and there.

Do you know if there is/was a rule specifically against stealing signs?  If not, I don't see the problem with an attempt to gain a competitive advantage.    The Patriots should have been free to decide what level of resources to allocate to it.

They were videotaping signs. You can't do that.

Patriots have a tainted dynasty and I can not wait until their era of dominance is over. Fuck Brady, belichick and Kraft.

steveschneider wrote:Patriots have a tainted dynasty and I can not wait until their era of dominance is over. Fuck Brady, belichick and Kraft.

Heh.

HT wrote:Goodell and Kraft are buddies outside of the league. I'm not really surprised that he did his friend a solid by covering up most of the Patriots' cheating.

But this solidifies more and more for me, that the NFL is a sham and that you can't trust sports commissioners like Jim Delany.

Makes me wonder about that PI call that got reversed against Dallas. Lions got hosed!

They’re still cheating...

What ever came about with the kraft and hookers thing?

DWags wrote:What ever came about with the kraft and hookers thing?

He was at the White House last week