Quote:
Originally Posted by SheaButter
OP you realize this has nothing to do with "cheating" it's more of a protection thing. Do you even understand what the penalties are for? This just goes to show that you're looking to "pick a fight" rather than actually having an issue with a violation. Pretty sure that deflating balls to win a game is a much bigger violation that being passionate and working a bit too hard in the off-season. Which is a PLAYERS choice, I highly doubt Pete voices to intentionally have his players violate regulations.
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First, there remains
zero evidence that balls were deflated by the Patriots. The fact that the suspension was upheld has nothing to do with whether there was any evidence of misconduct on Brady's or the Patriots' part (there wasn't) but the limitations of judicial review and the irresponsibility of the PA in negotiating away a right to independent arbitration.
What the Seahawks were punished for was a blatant breach of the collectively bargained rules on contact. The rules are pretty clear and the Seahawks had already been sanctioned once before for the same issue. If you've been caught once before, the is
no excuse for not knowing the rules and not adhering to them. These rules were negotiated specifically with player safety in mind and it is not up to the individual players to co-opt the league and PA and conspire with the team to breach the rules. And, given Pete Carroll's history at USC, I don't think you can actually use personal integrity as a defence on his part.
The Seahawks deserved what they got (unlike the Pats and Brady) but I doubt they're alone. If this was the Packers, Steelers, Cowboys, or Gaints ... this would have been swept under the rug by the league. That's the real issue.