Football Brady v. NFL: No Settlement; Judge Berman to Decide - Page 40

Amnorix · 08-31-2015, 01:45 PM

Can't find the old thread. Brady and Goodell were back in NYC today for settlement talks. No progress.

Judge Berman said he would likely decide "in the next day or two" and definitely before September 4th.

Interesting how the narrative among the national writers has evolved.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/roger-g...180816187.html

NEW YORK – They arrived surrounded by lawyers, each wearing a blue suit and displeased expression. Here was Roger Goodell and here was Tom Brady back in federal court in a fight over power, ego and legacy, as much as whether the footballs were deflated in January's AFC championship game.

New York Giants owner John Mara came in an attempt to soften the face of the league's side a bit. Jay Feely, a long-time NFL kicker and friend of Brady's from back at the University of Michigan, arrived to stand by his side.

Once again, nothing worked. A private meeting in front of Judge Richard M. Berman yielded nothing. No one budged. No one backed down. No settlement was reached.
And now both sides roll the dice and sit and wait for a ruling.

"Tomorrow or the day after," Berman said of when he would likely announce whether to vacate Brady's four-game suspension. He assured it would come before Sept. 4, when both sides requested an answer so the New England Patriots can begin preparing for the season opener with or without their star quarterback.

So that's that, all or nothing, all or everything, all eyes on the court docket here.

For Brady it's either a quarter of the season lost or a measure of redemption gained. For Goodell it's either a reaffirmation of the totality of his authority or another humiliating public defeat.

There may be appeals and requests for stays and thus months still to go, what will be won, what may not be done. None of that minimized the tension and drama inside Berman's 17th-floor courtroom here on Monday, when a case that started as a curiosity on that playoff night boiled toward a milestone, if not a conclusion.

Berman clearly knows how he is going to rule and likely has much of the decision already written. He's read and heard it all over the past month. There were no new arguments on Monday. The chief attorneys, Daniel Nash of the NFL and Jeffrey Kessler of the NFL Players Association, both merely stood and praised the efforts of all sides even though, as sometimes happens, they just couldn't reach a settlement.

"This is a time Mr. Nash and I are going to agree," Kessler joked.

The inability to find common ground is not a surprise. Tom Brady was simply never going to admit he had any role in the tampering of those footballs, or even that the footballs were ever tampered with in the first place.

First off, after he said as much under oath and then introduced the transcript into federal court, doing so would risk a perjury charge. More importantly though, it would be a complete reversal, making him a liar and a cheat, crushing his image among not just fans but, most importantly according to those that know him best, his own children.

He also very well may be innocent. The NFL never produced much of a case against him, let alone that the footballs were even unnaturally deflated.

So the only way a settlement could go down was for Goodell to drop any demands for an admission of guilt. He'd have to settle for Brady merely acknowledging a failure to fully cooperate with the investigation. That, however, would be a serious concession from a commissioner who's built his career on cracking heads among misbehaving players.

So there was the irresistible force clashing with the unmovable object, each willing to lose in court as long as he could still save face.
It has been, if nothing else, a remarkable showdown of oversized personalities.

In court Monday, the two men, rich and famous and atop their chosen professions, refused to even look at each other.

When the session was adjourned, both were forced to awkwardly wait for the galley to clear out of media and observers, leaving them within a few feet of each other a couple table rows apart.

Brady stood first and wandered over to one wood-paneled wall of the ornate courtroom. He stuffed his hands in his pocket, looking as intense as any tight fourth-quarter drive. Feely stood by his side and the two eventually hugged.

Goodell, seated in front, stood slowly and also put his hands in his pocket, looking down and then turning in the opposite direction of Brady, trying to wear a face of nonchalance.

Eight months into this scandal, after swings of allegations and misrepresentations, of false media leaks and broadside-legal attacks, the distrust and disgust were clear: Two men known for their ability to smoothly glide through life, with fashion and fabulous hair, looked strangely uncomfortable.

No one ever wants to sit in this position, leaving it to another man, federal judge or not, to declare whether he or she is a cheat or a fraud or a bully or a bum.

Here these two are though, going down that awkward path together. Their lives are seemingly too charmed for this, yet they were like a couple of rivals on opposite sides of the schoolyard, unwilling to even acknowledge the other's presence in front of onlookers.

The stakes seem higher for Goodell, if only because his legal argument here is based on the 1981 Supreme Court decision MLBPA v. Garvey, which essentially prohibits judges from interfering with the decision of arbitrators even if they are horrendously flawed or based on inaccurate facts. Arguing you have the right to be a dictator isn't ideal in public relations terms.

As such, Goodell and the NFL could certainly prevail in front of Berman but do so via a ruling full of the same kind of harsh verbiage that the judge used during two prior public sessions.

It's clear that no matter which way Berman goes, he looked upon the NFL's judicial system in general, and the league's conduct in this case specifically, as lacking any semblance of fairness or competency. He could unload in the ruling and leave Goodell laid out, even if he's technically victorious.

That's the risk Goodell was willing to take. And one Brady is willing to go with, essentially entering the verdict stage with a two-pronged chance at redemption – either total or at least in the court of public opinion. A loss and a four-game suspension would hurt, but he could at least point to an impartial federal judge down in New York agreeing that Goodell is out of line.

It's certainly reasonable that the NFL initially erred when it failed to comprehend Ideal Gas Law and thus initially thought any Patriots football that measured below 12.5 pounds per square inch of inflation was a sign of nefarious conduct. It immediately went after a speeding ticket like a homicide case.

But by the time the league should've have dialed it back, it had already leaked prejudicial stories and begun building a case against Brady and two Patriots locker room attendants. The NFL never was able to find a smoking gun or much more than suspicions, but that didn't matter.

The NFL not only never backed down, it just kept doubling down, believing the full force of the league's power – both in the CBA and in its ability to manipulate national reporters – would overwhelm Brady.

The league may be correct and on the verge of a show-of-force victory. It may be wrong and headed for a comeuppance.

It's all up to Judge Berman now. Who knows what he thinks and who knows what he'll rule. On Monday he seemed eager to make it known though as he sent the two men in fancy blue suits off into the Manhattan morning, Goodell via a black Escalade, Brady in a Chevy Suburban. Each is left awaiting his word.

The QB v. the Commissioner, it's all or everything now.

GloryDayz · 09-04-2015, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amnorix

Amusing that you don't even realize that NFL propaganda war that was raged here. You say I'm spouting the Patriots talking points, but you're spewing the NFL's, many fo which turned out to be inaccurate when the light shone on the process.

Whatever, let the hate flow. It's all good. And trust me when I say I will definitely enjoy the NFL season, as I have enjoyed the many years of great football that I have been privileged to watch since Belichick's arrival.

You're stuck on a reef my friend...

And you're approval is why RK and BB do all the cheating they do. So you should be honored..

Amnorix · 09-04-2015, 02:48 PM

Stuck on a reef were the many years of sucky football I had to endure before Parcells showed up. Trust me, this is waaaay better.

But I understand the hate. It's cool. Let it flow.

chiefzilla1501 · 09-04-2015, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amnorix

You think any human can discern the difference between 11.3 PSI and 11.1 PSI?

And that's if you believe the ref was WRONG about which gauge he used. If his memory was right, then the PSI was within the ideal gas law.

But forget that, more fun to call them cheaters and hang meaningless asterisks. Have fun, it's all good.

<---- Avatar bitches.

A control freak and HOF QB like Tom Brady who requested the PSI rule? Yeah, I'm sure he knows the difference.

The Pats don't seem to be denying that the equipment managers may have tampered. They're denying Brady or Bellichick's knowledge that it was happening. So yeah, if the balls were measured at 12.5 pre-game and the first ball (prior to ideal gas law really kicking in) Brady picked up felt lower than 12.5, I'm sure as hell he'd notice that.

I'm not hanging an asterisk. They would have won anyway. What's been exposed is their douchebaggery to lie and cover it up. The worst part is, people actually believe them.

GloryDayz · 09-04-2015, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amnorix

Stuck on a reef were the many years of sucky football I had to endure before Parcells showed up. Trust me, this is waaaay better.

But I understand the hate. It's cool. Let it flow.

Hate. Your word... Do I wish we had BB? Absofreakinglutely! But I don't think an LH-BB interview would have produced a hire, LH's "style" wasn't consistent with BB's (and perfectly in line with Kraft's). So there's no hate, just honesty. Just like when I say I'm envious too. BB is better than every coach the Chiefs have paraded through Arrowhead put together in the last 15 years.

It's tough being a Chiefs fan because it's always been "next year" (since 1969) and five year plans, so my hat's off to Kraft for his hardware, I wish the Hunts cared as much and we're as willing to do certain things to make it happen for the fans.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 09-04-2015, 04:39 PM

A this point I would just like to say how grateful I am that the Chiefs ever had any connection whatsoever to New England.

yay.

**Dylan** · 09-04-2015, 10:08 PM

Front Page Cover:

The end...

Pasta Little Brioni · 09-04-2015, 11:01 PM

Asterisk seriously thinks the balls were only .2 off

What a lying sack of shit

GloucesterChief · 09-04-2015, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

Asterisk seriously thinks the balls were only .2 off

What a lying sack of shit

He also thinks that the science says that it was ideal gas law. The report the pats homers keep linking says no such thing. It says that the ideal gas law cannot be eliminated as a source of the deflation. It does not say the ideal gas law was the most probable, probable, most likely, or likely cause of the deflation. Cannot be eliminated in scientific language means that it is the least likely explanation.

Pasta Little Brioni · 09-04-2015, 11:16 PM

So sad and pathetic

Hammock Parties · 09-05-2015, 11:32 AM

Mr. Laz · 09-07-2015, 01:06 PM

Patriots owner, ‘Deflategate’ judge mingle at party
By Emily SmithSeptember 6, 2015 | 8:24pm

Patriots owner, ‘Deflategate’ judge mingle at party

Patriots owner Robert Kraft mingled with Judge Richard Berman, who overturned the NFL suspension of Tom Brady over his alleged role in Deflategate, at a Hamptons Labor Day party full of media and business power brokers.

Kraft was chatting with Berman at Discovery Communications chief David Zaslav and his wife Pam’s party at their East Hampton estate, also attended by Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, Harvey Weinstein, Lloyd Blankfeinrich, NY Giants co-owner Jon Tisch and wife Lizzie, Katie Couric, and Hilaria and Alec Baldwin.

Brady won the court battle Thursday, when Berman bashed NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for “dispensing his own brand of industrial justice.” The ruling clears Brady to play in Thursday’s season opener.
A rep for the Patriots told Page Six, “It was a chance encounter at a social event with hundreds of guests. There was a brief introduction and an exchange of pleasantries that lasted no more than a couple of minutes.”

Sandra Lee, who arrived with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, had surgery in August for an infection following a double mastectomy, and said, “It has been a difficult summer, but I am feeling so much better.”

They mingled with Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

Also there: Showtime’s Matt Blank, MSG boss Jim Dolan, CNN’s Jeff Zucker, Tamara Mellon, LionTree’s Aryeh Bourkoff, Blade co-founder Rob Wiesenthal, Gayle King, Tamron Hall, Dan Abrams, Lorne Michaels, Irving Azoff, Jimmy Buffett, Ron Perelman and Jack Welch.

Harry Connick Jr. played New Orleans jazz with a full band, and had the crowd, including Oprah, dancing, while Ron Howard filmed the performance on his iPhone. Harry also joked about some of Discovery’s biggest stars and franchises: “I love ‘Naked & Afraid,’ that’s basically how I describe my wedding night. Even to this day, if I’m naked in the house, my wife is afraid . . . My favorite show is ‘Deadliest Catch.’ When I found out about that show with guys catching crabs, I thought it was going to be a show about Bourbon Street.”

Guests later headed down to a beach bonfire, where the voracious success of Discovery’s “Shark Week” was celebrated with a soaring shark sand sculpture.

Pasta Little Brioni · 09-07-2015, 02:58 PM

Of course they did. That's how this stuff works.

ThaVirus · 09-07-2015, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stop, Chiefs

Hah.

That's actually pretty funny.

BryanBusby · 09-08-2015, 08:08 AM

I smell a "we're salty about losing" leak from the league.
http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/...patriots-apart

This is some cartoon villain shit and it's great.

Amnorix · 09-08-2015, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BryanBusby

I smell a "we're salty about losing" leak from the league.
http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/...patriots-apart

This is some cartoon villain shit and it's great.

Yep, pretty much.

Kind of amazing, really. The NFL has its PR machine out in full force crucifying one of their own teams. Bitter, much?

08-31-2015, 01:45 PM
Amnorix In BB I trust Join Date: May 2003 Location: Boston, Mass. Casino cash: $10029808	Brady v. NFL: No Settlement; Judge Berman to Decide Can't find the old thread. Brady and Goodell were back in NYC today for settlement talks. No progress. Judge Berman said he would likely decide "in the next day or two" and definitely before September 4th. Interesting how the narrative among the national writers has evolved. http://sports.yahoo.com/news/roger-g...180816187.html NEW YORK – They arrived surrounded by lawyers, each wearing a blue suit and displeased expression. Here was Roger Goodell and here was Tom Brady back in federal court in a fight over power, ego and legacy, as much as whether the footballs were deflated in January's AFC championship game. New York Giants owner John Mara came in an attempt to soften the face of the league's side a bit. Jay Feely, a long-time NFL kicker and friend of Brady's from back at the University of Michigan, arrived to stand by his side. Once again, nothing worked. A private meeting in front of Judge Richard M. Berman yielded nothing. No one budged. No one backed down. No settlement was reached. And now both sides roll the dice and sit and wait for a ruling. "Tomorrow or the day after," Berman said of when he would likely announce whether to vacate Brady's four-game suspension. He assured it would come before Sept. 4, when both sides requested an answer so the New England Patriots can begin preparing for the season opener with or without their star quarterback. So that's that, all or nothing, all or everything, all eyes on the court docket here. For Brady it's either a quarter of the season lost or a measure of redemption gained. For Goodell it's either a reaffirmation of the totality of his authority or another humiliating public defeat. There may be appeals and requests for stays and thus months still to go, what will be won, what may not be done. None of that minimized the tension and drama inside Berman's 17th-floor courtroom here on Monday, when a case that started as a curiosity on that playoff night boiled toward a milestone, if not a conclusion. Berman clearly knows how he is going to rule and likely has much of the decision already written. He's read and heard it all over the past month. There were no new arguments on Monday. The chief attorneys, Daniel Nash of the NFL and Jeffrey Kessler of the NFL Players Association, both merely stood and praised the efforts of all sides even though, as sometimes happens, they just couldn't reach a settlement. "This is a time Mr. Nash and I are going to agree," Kessler joked. The inability to find common ground is not a surprise. Tom Brady was simply never going to admit he had any role in the tampering of those footballs, or even that the footballs were ever tampered with in the first place. First off, after he said as much under oath and then introduced the transcript into federal court, doing so would risk a perjury charge. More importantly though, it would be a complete reversal, making him a liar and a cheat, crushing his image among not just fans but, most importantly according to those that know him best, his own children. He also very well may be innocent. The NFL never produced much of a case against him, let alone that the footballs were even unnaturally deflated. So the only way a settlement could go down was for Goodell to drop any demands for an admission of guilt. He'd have to settle for Brady merely acknowledging a failure to fully cooperate with the investigation. That, however, would be a serious concession from a commissioner who's built his career on cracking heads among misbehaving players. So there was the irresistible force clashing with the unmovable object, each willing to lose in court as long as he could still save face. It has been, if nothing else, a remarkable showdown of oversized personalities. In court Monday, the two men, rich and famous and atop their chosen professions, refused to even look at each other. When the session was adjourned, both were forced to awkwardly wait for the galley to clear out of media and observers, leaving them within a few feet of each other a couple table rows apart. Brady stood first and wandered over to one wood-paneled wall of the ornate courtroom. He stuffed his hands in his pocket, looking as intense as any tight fourth-quarter drive. Feely stood by his side and the two eventually hugged. Goodell, seated in front, stood slowly and also put his hands in his pocket, looking down and then turning in the opposite direction of Brady, trying to wear a face of nonchalance. Eight months into this scandal, after swings of allegations and misrepresentations, of false media leaks and broadside-legal attacks, the distrust and disgust were clear: Two men known for their ability to smoothly glide through life, with fashion and fabulous hair, looked strangely uncomfortable. No one ever wants to sit in this position, leaving it to another man, federal judge or not, to declare whether he or she is a cheat or a fraud or a bully or a bum. Here these two are though, going down that awkward path together. Their lives are seemingly too charmed for this, yet they were like a couple of rivals on opposite sides of the schoolyard, unwilling to even acknowledge the other's presence in front of onlookers. The stakes seem higher for Goodell, if only because his legal argument here is based on the 1981 Supreme Court decision MLBPA v. Garvey, which essentially prohibits judges from interfering with the decision of arbitrators even if they are horrendously flawed or based on inaccurate facts. Arguing you have the right to be a dictator isn't ideal in public relations terms. As such, Goodell and the NFL could certainly prevail in front of Berman but do so via a ruling full of the same kind of harsh verbiage that the judge used during two prior public sessions. It's clear that no matter which way Berman goes, he looked upon the NFL's judicial system in general, and the league's conduct in this case specifically, as lacking any semblance of fairness or competency. He could unload in the ruling and leave Goodell laid out, even if he's technically victorious. That's the risk Goodell was willing to take. And one Brady is willing to go with, essentially entering the verdict stage with a two-pronged chance at redemption – either total or at least in the court of public opinion. A loss and a four-game suspension would hurt, but he could at least point to an impartial federal judge down in New York agreeing that Goodell is out of line. It's certainly reasonable that the NFL initially erred when it failed to comprehend Ideal Gas Law and thus initially thought any Patriots football that measured below 12.5 pounds per square inch of inflation was a sign of nefarious conduct. It immediately went after a speeding ticket like a homicide case. But by the time the league should've have dialed it back, it had already leaked prejudicial stories and begun building a case against Brady and two Patriots locker room attendants. The NFL never was able to find a smoking gun or much more than suspicions, but that didn't matter. The NFL not only never backed down, it just kept doubling down, believing the full force of the league's power – both in the CBA and in its ability to manipulate national reporters – would overwhelm Brady. The league may be correct and on the verge of a show-of-force victory. It may be wrong and headed for a comeuppance. It's all up to Judge Berman now. Who knows what he thinks and who knows what he'll rule. On Monday he seemed eager to make it known though as he sent the two men in fancy blue suits off into the Manhattan morning, Goodell via a black Escalade, Brady in a Chevy Suburban. Each is left awaiting his word. The QB v. the Commissioner, it's all or everything now.
Posts: 43,125

09-04-2015, 02:48 PM	#587
Amnorix In BB I trust Join Date: May 2003 Location: Boston, Mass. Casino cash: $10029808	Stuck on a reef were the many years of sucky football I had to endure before Parcells showed up. Trust me, this is waaaay better. But I understand the hate. It's cool. Let it flow. __________________ "I love signature blocks on the Internet. I get to put whatever the hell I want in quotes, pick a pretend author, and bang, it's like he really said it." George Washington
Posts: 43,125

09-04-2015, 04:39 PM	#590
Sweet Daddy Hate Unsparing Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $10004900	A this point I would just like to say how grateful I am that the Chiefs ever had any connection whatsoever to New England. yay. __________________ 1. Merciless, severe. 2. Given freely and generously. 100% refusal to overrate 20 year Head Coaches with ZERO **ing rings as a Head Coach. CP's Official Professor of 'Dem Blues for 2019/2020!**
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09-04-2015, 10:08 PM	#591
Dylan The Lede Join Date: Aug 2007 Casino cash: $10016591	Front Page Cover: The end... __________________
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09-04-2015, 11:01 PM	#592
Pasta Little Brioni Consuming CP souls Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: U.S.A. Casino cash: $288880	Asterisk seriously thinks the balls were only .2 off What a lying sack of shit __________________ **Official TFWdemB Trivia Commisioner**
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09-04-2015, 11:16 PM	#594
Pasta Little Brioni Consuming CP souls Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: U.S.A. Casino cash: $288880	So sad and pathetic __________________ **Official TFWdemB Trivia Commisioner**
Posts: 72,953

09-05-2015, 11:32 AM	#595
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $920478	__________________ Chiefs game films
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09-07-2015, 01:06 PM	#596
Mr. Laz Don't Tease Me Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: KS Casino cash: $11047037	Patriots owner, ‘Deflategate’ judge mingle at party By Emily SmithSeptember 6, 2015 \| 8:24pm Patriots owner, ‘Deflategate’ judge mingle at party Patriots owner Robert Kraft mingled with Judge Richard Berman, who overturned the NFL suspension of Tom Brady over his alleged role in Deflategate, at a Hamptons Labor Day party full of media and business power brokers. Kraft was chatting with Berman at Discovery Communications chief David Zaslav and his wife Pam’s party at their East Hampton estate, also attended by Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart, Harvey Weinstein, Lloyd Blankfeinrich, NY Giants co-owner Jon Tisch and wife Lizzie, Katie Couric, and Hilaria and Alec Baldwin. Brady won the court battle Thursday, when Berman bashed NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for “dispensing his own brand of industrial justice.” The ruling clears Brady to play in Thursday’s season opener. A rep for the Patriots told Page Six, “It was a chance encounter at a social event with hundreds of guests. There was a brief introduction and an exchange of pleasantries that lasted no more than a couple of minutes.” Sandra Lee, who arrived with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, had surgery in August for an infection following a double mastectomy, and said, “It has been a difficult summer, but I am feeling so much better.” They mingled with Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Also there: Showtime’s Matt Blank, MSG boss Jim Dolan, CNN’s Jeff Zucker, Tamara Mellon, LionTree’s Aryeh Bourkoff, Blade co-founder Rob Wiesenthal, Gayle King, Tamron Hall, Dan Abrams, Lorne Michaels, Irving Azoff, Jimmy Buffett, Ron Perelman and Jack Welch. Harry Connick Jr. played New Orleans jazz with a full band, and had the crowd, including Oprah, dancing, while Ron Howard filmed the performance on his iPhone. Harry also joked about some of Discovery’s biggest stars and franchises: “I love ‘Naked & Afraid,’ that’s basically how I describe my wedding night. Even to this day, if I’m naked in the house, my wife is afraid . . . My favorite show is ‘Deadliest Catch.’ When I found out about that show with guys catching crabs, I thought it was going to be a show about Bourbon Street.” Guests later headed down to a beach bonfire, where the voracious success of Discovery’s “Shark Week” was celebrated with a soaring shark sand sculpture. __________________
Posts: 95,626

09-07-2015, 02:58 PM	#597
Pasta Little Brioni Consuming CP souls Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: U.S.A. Casino cash: $288880	Of course they did. That's how this stuff works. __________________ **Official TFWdemB Trivia Commisioner**
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09-08-2015, 08:08 AM	#599
BryanBusby In Search of a Life Join Date: Mar 2006 Casino cash: $3169900 VARSITY	I smell a "we're salty about losing" leak from the league. http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/...patriots-apart This is some cartoon villain shit and it's great.
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