Tom Brady was suspended for 4 games.

New England was fined $1 million and also are forced to surrender a 2016 1st round pick and a 2017 4th round pick.


Thoughts, comments?

Tom Brady suspension was fair.

The New England fines and draft pick strippings were probably a bit much, especially the million dollar tag.

I'm not a fan of the team, so I'm cool with it.

New England Patriots fans are acting like you just kicked their puppy, boiled it in lava, and then pissed on it, though.

So I do love it in a way.

Suspension was probably more than fair, and the fine is nothing. A million dollars is still a joke to them. The picks are a little absurd, though, considering the report even says that it found no evidence that the team knew what was being done.

But while talking about fanbases, Ravens fans are pretending to love the news. Before they had to try to blame the refs, or make excuses about the formations that the Patriots used. Now they can try to blame blowing two 14 point leads on a small amount of air.

Should be suspended for a whole season. Steroid users are. Drug users are. Cheating and lying about it is at least as bad than those things. IMO. Look at Ryan Braun. MVP. Cheated. Lied. Sat a whole year. I think the Pats as a team got off fair. Especially considering their history of rule bending. He'll appeal and won't miss any games though probably because he's that kind of player.

Ferdinand :

"Should be suspended for a whole season. Steroid users are."

No they aren't. First offense for testing positive is 4 games. I don't think even a second offense is a full season. And Von Miller's suspension for trying to cheat a drug test was 6 games. A measly 2 game increase.

"He'll appeal and won't miss any games though probably because he's that kind of player."

He probably misses 2 at best, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the league stick to what was handed out - especially with the response the Patriots have had.

I like this punishment. With how much cheating they've done, it's surprising how long its taken for a stern punishment to be handed out to them. Hopefully this'll stop them from doing this in the future (plus I'm a Giants fan so this is great news).

soxfan849 : Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. In baseball it's half a year at least. (I think)

soxfan849 : No, I still blame the formation. I read something on a Facebook post earlier saying that the patriots are " Habitual Line Walkers " and I agree. That formation while technically was not illegal, they had more players that are usually eligible, so that's what Ravens fans were pissed off about. I don't think that the Patriots pulled that crap with the air during the Ravens game. 

But, I do think this: the Patriots are in a pretty weak division, so they are practically guaranteed a playoff spot every year. However, every time they go far in the playoffs, or win a super bowl, there is always something going on. And I don't think it is a coincidence. As a Ravens fan, I wish Brady would be banned with all the crap that has gone down while he's been a Patriot. But, that's not realistic. As a football fan, I think 4 games PLUS a fine would have good, seeing as how the suspension was for not cooperating in the investigation. 

One of these days, Brady is going to do something really stupid, and it's going to get him a ban from the NFL and the Hall of Fame. I honestly believe that. 

megamanmaniac : Over here (yes Scotland has "nfl" teams but very small) one team from Aberdeen cheated by basically buying the ref so they could win and they were dropped for a whole season and all of their trophies were stripped from them. I can't remember if they were fined.

Ferdinand : Actually, Braun didn't sit a year, he sat foe the rest of the year, and by that point, more than half of the season was already played, and in baseball, probably no more 10 players were suspended for half a season, the average is 25 to 50 games.

4 games would be about 40 in baseball so that seems to be on par.

zanderlex : Braun sat for 65 games and the penalty is 80 normally. It seemed like Braun sat more to me but I forgot he was also injured that year and only played in 60 games total. So by that standard, it would be 8 games. And either way, this is a different case. He cheated, they won, then he tried to cover it up. The NFL rules are a joke any more regardless.  

I thought the suspension was fair with respects to the fact that he lied about it and it was obvious he was involved to some extent.

I figure if he had been a little more forthcoming about the situation, the NFL would have slapped him on the wrists like they do everyone else.

I think they would have tried to do anything they could to not throw one of their winningest QB's in history under the bus. Especially since Kraft has always been in Goodells corner in the past.

Ferdinand : Actually, being suspended for 80 days is something new, and the last 3 players who were suspended were all suspended for 80 days, but before those 3, only 6 of about 60 suspensions were for more than 50 days, and it seems like it's based on who they are as well. For instance, only 3 players ever won an MVP and were also suspended at some point, and all of their suspensions were for at least 100 games or a season, while of the dozen players to get a 10 game suspenion, I only heard of one of their names.

If you base it on how big a player is, Brady should have gotten more, if it was just a regular player, a 4 game suspension would be on par with what MLB does, but not if you're that big of a superstar and need to be a role model.

zanderlex : I hope what you wrote makes sense to you at least. I'm done.

Ferdinand :

Hurt my feelings? What you said was wrong, and I so I corrected you. No feelings hurt.

thing1 :

It wasn't "technically not illegal", it was literally not illegal. It's illegal now, but it wasn't at all at the time. And the same trick is used in college games more often. It also doesn't give them more eligible receivers. They still have the same number of eligible and ineligible receivers, but where they line up is different.

soxfan849 : Well, you seem awfully sympathetic towards the Patriots and Brady here. Maybe that just bled through a little. I don't care either way. Go Packers.  

soxfan849 : Are you a Patriots fan? 

This is how I view it. You can normally have up to 5 eligible receivers. But, if you line up 7 or 8 guys that normally eligible, how is the defense supposed to know who is actually eligible, and who is reporting ineligible, especially in a hurry up offense kind of thing? That is why Ravens fans are pissed about that. 

I read something the other day, and Brady is about to eat his own words... " Maybe [you] should read the rule book." 

I thought the suspension was a little too severe. Just fine the organization like they did...and I'm okay with taking away a couple draft picks ( although the first rounder does seem a bit excessive ), but don't suspend Tom Brady. He had nothing to do with it. If anybody should be suspended, its Bill Belichick. I'm really starting to get tired about everybody complaining about the Patriots because they win all the time. Belichick will go down as one of the best coaches in history, like it or not. Tom Brady will go down as THE best QB in history, like it or not. I've been watching Brady ever since he became a starter. Nothing significant was different about the way he pounded the Colts in the AFC Championship. They won 45-7. I don't think it would've made that much of a difference.

Don't criticize these two for having as much success as they had. Be thankful and privileged that you get to witness this kind of greatness. When they get into the Hall of Fame as one of the best players/coaches ever, 40 years from now you can tell your kids/grandkids that "I watched them every week. In the end, it was amazing just to be able to watch it."

thing1 :

I am. And you're a Ravens fan. Both biased.

But the defense is supposed to know who is eligible and who isn't when the officials announce it. The officials don't allow a hurry up offense when making an ineligible receiver line up as eligible, and that never happened in the game.

soxfan849 : I never really got to watch that game. I think I was working or something, so I've only been able to piece together what I know. From what I can figure out, it seems that it was technically legal, but shady at the same time. Good for the Patriots for having that in the bag. I applaud them for that, actually. And like MattyIce said, I doubt that having properly inflated balls are going to change a 38 point blow out. But, I still think that the Patriots are cheaters, and I don't like them. Most teams I have respect for, but the Patriots are known for cheating in some kind of way, and in my opinion, they only reason that they go 12 - 4 every season is because they are in a generally weak division, not including themselves. 

MattyIce : Nope. In 40 years I will be telling my kids that I got to watch cheaters get away with everything, and I will tell my kids that cheating is not the answer. It may get you what you want, but it hurt your standing in other people's views.