Spy-gate

Discussion in 'Tennessee Titans and NFL Talk' started by Riverman, Feb 23, 2008.

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  1. dg1979us

    dg1979us Pro Bowler

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    The NFL is entertainment, nothing more, nothing less. Just because a lot of people care about it and get caught up with their teams, doesnt mean its anything more than entertainment, at least from the aspect of being fans. Enron and Arthur Anderson screwed a lot of people out of a lot of money and destroyed many people's financial security. Like a previous poster mentioned, the owners, and we as fans, should hold the Pats and Goodell accountable, not the government.
     
  2. Riverman

    Riverman That may be.... Tip Jar Donor

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    All true, however, the NFL is a multi-billion dollar per year industry. Wins and losses do indeed dictate which direction money is flowing in regards to advertising, merchandise, sponsorships, media coverage/Neilson ratings and to a lesser degree ticket sales and spin-off gambling industries.

    My problem with Goodell is that he destroyed the evidence. There is NO plausible explanation for destroying the evidence except to bury the story. Why destroy the evidence if there is nothing to it as he claims. Why has Matt Walsh not publicly denounced/retracted his comments? The only source that has said there is nothing more to the story is Goodell and the Boston Herald retracting their story. Nothing directly from Walsh. That does indeed warrant a third party "indifferent" investigation. That is really all that Specter is advocating.

    Personally, I do think there is more to the story even though at times I wish the stupid story would go away. But to turn my back on substantial misconduct and bury my head in the sand for the "good of the league" would be a greater long term injustice to the game. It deserves a thorough investigation.

    I'll end with a re-iteration. Why destroy the tapes if there is nothing to them?
     
  3. Nine

    Nine Starter

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    Has it occurred to anyone that maybe Goodell didn't see this becoming such a major story? He watched the tapes, saw what he needed to see, at which point they were no longer of any use to him.

    When the police make a drug bust, they eventually destroy the evidence after the case is resolved. Goodell probably saw it the same way; once he handed down his ruling ($750,000 in fines and the Pats forfeit their first-round pick), he figured the issue was over and done....and since the confiscated tapes were no longer of any use, he disposed of them.

    In retrospect, he probably should have known better. He should have known that in today's society, people believe they're entitled to total disclosure of every last shred of information....and anything less is viewed as a coverup.

    Destroying the tapes was a shortsighted move...but I strongly suspect that in this case, the only thing Goodell is guilty of is poor judgement.
     
  4. Nine

    Nine Starter

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    As an addendum....if there was some massive coverup to keep people from seeing these tapes, then don't you think it would have been much easier for the NFL to say, "We searched the Patriots' facillity and questioned their staff, and found no evidence of wrongdoing."

    Heck, for that matter, they could have kept the entire investigation in-house from the get-go without disclosing any information at all to the media....and nobody would have even known it happened.
     
  5. Deuce Wayne

    Deuce Wayne NOW Y'ALL GET THE MESSICH?!

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    If Goodell is truly that dumb to where he "didn't think it'd be that big of a deal" he needs to resign and go work the grill at McDonalds, and pray that they have dumbed it down a bit since he was a kid.

    Fisher said the thing about the headsets on "Live" or whatever it's called. The weekly show. It was right after the scandal. He held back a bit, but made not to mention how coaches know it happens in one certain place far more than others. His quote was something like-
    "I'm not going to say the name of the team, but I think they're hosting a ----- there right now" I wish I could remember the event, but yeah. It was clearly NE.

    Then there's this story:

    "Bengals, Lions: Patriots Sabotaged Headsets"
    http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/09/13/bengals-lions-patriots-sabotaged-headsets/
     
  6. dg1979us

    dg1979us Pro Bowler

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    My issue isnt with Goodell or the Pats being investigated, and I completely agree that destroying the tapes was a dumb move on his part. I just have a problem with the government looking into it. I think the owners and fans should be the ones to see that something is done about it, not the Fed. Government.
     
  7. Riverman

    Riverman That may be.... Tip Jar Donor

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    I am also reticent to have the government looking into this for fear that is would be nothing more than political opportunism. However, the NFL is a financial juggernaut which stimulates a tremendous of revenue producing transactions.

    Specter has clearly stated that he would not be involved if his preliminary inquires had not revealed/suggested that the issue had been properly, thoroughly and effectively investigated and remedied by the NFL itself. He was fine seeing how the league handled it. The problem is, during his rudimentary discovery process he has revealed gross inconsistencies with standard procedure during the NFL's "investigation".

    Clearly, the NFL wants this to go away as do most people- myself included. But there is smoke in this situation. The NFL talking heads are doing their best to pitch the story to the public that "it is over", "there is nothing to it", the "investigation didn't reveal anything new", etc. Specter was/is rightly concerned that Matt Walsh only made his statements with 3 or 4 Pats attorneys present, that there was an "indemnification waiver" process that occurred between the Pats, the NFL and Walsh, the tapes were destroyed, Bellichek's statements have been contradictory, the headset issue, the offensive signal issue, etc.

    The Pats have been dominant while touting the method of "getting the best" out of their personnel. They have won 3 super bowls- one of which they were more than a 14 point underdog. It all adds up to a reasonable degree of suspicion. Specter is right IMO in wanting an independent investigation.


    btw nine- you don't destroy evidence that makes your case stronger. You keep it around. Goodell's error in judgement was thinking he could shellac "his way" through another situation and get the public to "buy what he is selling."
     
  8. SEC 330 BIPOLAR

    SEC 330 BIPOLAR jive turkey

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    What of the congressional investigation into pro baseball then? Big bucks are at stake when you have a record chaser. Viewership goes up, ad revenues soar... profits are made... legitimately? I have this personal theory that says the league engineered the Pats undeafeated season... Then the NFL Network got to be the exclusive carrier of the week 17 contest... then they put on the Santa Claus hat and gave it away... for what? Publicity? Exposure? :greedy: hell yeah it made money. I smell something rotten in Denmark... Goodell is crooked.
     
  9. dg1979us

    dg1979us Pro Bowler

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    The congressional hearings on baseball were nothing more than a dog and pony show, but, it was more valid than this situation because of the wide spread use of illegal substances. MLB was like a drug ring in a way.

    And yes, big bucks are at stake. But the NFL isnt a publicly traded company. The bucks that are at stake belong to the owners and people employed by the NFL or an individual team.

    The NFL didnt need for the Pats to go undefeated. The NFL was already a huge money maker and the most popular sport in the country. They didnt need a historical event to be on the line to make money. Did the week 17 game have higher ratings than normal because of the Pats? Im sure it did. But the NFL was not struggling financially before that.
     
  10. Alex1939

    Alex1939 Space Invaders Champion

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    I used to joke with some friends about a "NFL is rigged" theory.

    Basically, if the team gets a new uniform or moves cities, they will be in a superbowl...

    Broncos, win 2 superbowls with new uniforms. One against the Falcons... in their new uni's.

    St Louis vs. Tennessee (both new cities)

    Ravens (new city)

    Pats (new uni's)

    Bucs (new uni's)

    Seahawks switched conferences, maybe that required a national media attention boost.


    Eh, guess it worked out better in the day than now.
     
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