Football Brady v. NFL: No Settlement; Judge Berman to Decide - Page 35

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 · 09-03-2015, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

1. He's the Commissioner of the league and earns $44 million per year.
2. It's opening night of the season. Ratings for the game will be outrageous and likely even greater than pre-Deflategate.
3. The Rooney's have been a part of the league since 1933.

He's acting like a spoiled sport, just because he got his ass kicked, again, in Federal court.

Goodell's a pussy.

What value comes from him showing up? Other than a public execution in Tom Terrific stadium that some want to see...

And if the NFL does actually appeal the ruing, not showing up might be the right call.

Many may not be able to get beyond the desire for a public execution (perhaps a roast), but he, like the rest of the world, knows he was right right, so why would he show up unless he has the green light to call them all liars?

You seem to be forgetting that we all know they did it, but with our court system they're getting away with it.

Again, perhaps it's best that he let all the Pats take their victory lap, beat the shit out of the Steelers "because they have a chip on their shoulder", and try to move on.

And like he learned from Tom Terrific, he doesn't have to do shit because it's the right thing to do, or explain shit. Like the rest of the world, he doesn't owe the Pats, or their ****ing fans, a Goddamn thing! If the pussy-ass Pats want him there, take him to court!

GloryDayz · 09-03-2015, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TEX

Im sure I join 99% of NFL fans in saying "**** OFF PATS FANS. Your team CHEATS LIKE NO OTHER and your Superstar QB is a LYING WHINY LITTLE BITCH BOY. "

That might be why he's not showing up, if he spoke all those truths (and they are spot-on, and should be said frequently to all Pats people), the Pats and their fans would cry and I'm sure it would end up in pussy court again.

As it is now I'm sure Kraft is crying to anybody who will listen that Goodell not showing-up is essentially bullying, and/or a sign that the league has it out for them.

BigCatDaddy · 09-03-2015, 08:17 PM

Loving the butt hurt.

BigCatDaddy · 09-03-2015, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweet Daddy Williams

I am shocked at this outcome?

Because you have a brain and arent emotionally wrapped up in it.

GloryDayz · 09-03-2015, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

Loving the butt hurt.

No shit, Goodell misses one game and Pats fans freak-out... Wow!! Then crying about some meaningless $1M fine and two draft picks that prolly wouldn't amount to shit, the Pats and Pats fans are funny...

**ChiefGator** · 09-03-2015, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

No shit, Goodell misses one game and Pats fans freak-out... Wow!! Then crying about some meaningless $1M fine and two draft picks that prolly wouldn't amount to shit, the Pats and Pats fans are funny...

Uh... if we had to give up a 1st and 4th rounder, I think we would all be up in arms.

**DaFace** · 09-03-2015, 08:25 PM

It stinks like sex in here.

GloryDayz · 09-03-2015, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefGator

Uh... if we had to give up a 1st and 4th rounder, I think we would all be up in arms.

After a season that we cheated and it probably helped us win the SB in? I doubt it.

Hell I'd be giddy to give up $1M and a 1st/4th for a playoff win! For a SB appearance I'd go $2M and a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd! For a SB win?!?!?!?!?!? $3M and a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th!!

**DaneMcCloud** · 09-03-2015, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

What value comes from him showing up? Other than a public execution in Tom Terrific stadium that some want to see...

He's the ****ING COMMISSIONER of the NFL. It's a Thursday night game. First game of the season. Prime Time on CBS.

Are you kidding me?

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

And if the NFL does actually appeal the ruing, not showing up might be the right call.

That means he's emotionally invested (obviously) which is BULLSHIT.

He's supposed to be neutral but he's anything but.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

Many may not be able to get beyond the desire for a public execution (perhaps a roast), but he, like the rest of the world, knows he was right right, so why would he show up unless he has the green light to call them all liars?

Bullshit

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

You seem to be forgetting that we all know they did it, but with our court system they're getting away with it.

More bullshit

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

And like he learned from Tom Terrific, he doesn't have to do shit because it's the right thing to do, or explain shit. Like the rest of the world, he doesn't owe the Pats, or their ****ing fans, a Goddamn thing! If the pussy-ass Pats want him there, take him to court!

**loochy** · 09-04-2015, 05:10 AM

I hope they deflate balls again just as a FU to Goddell (and to the whiners in this thread).

GloryDayz · 09-04-2015, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

He's the ****ING COMMISSIONER of the NFL. It's a Thursday night game. First game of the season. Prime Time on CBS.

Are you kidding me?

That means he's emotionally invested (obviously) which is BULLSHIT.

He's supposed to be neutral but he's anything but.

Bullshit

More bullshit

Your whole post was Bullshit BTW - all you want to see is a Goodell roast. I think it's incumbent upon you to produce documentation that shows the NFL comminsioner must appear at all prime time games. And what does CBS have to do with it?

The bottom line is you're just mad at Goodell, just like the rest of us, but you're an idiot if you think he's got to show up for some public roasting in enemy territory after the enemy just won based on "the rule of law."

On the flip side, I'm sure if he did show up, and got interviewed, AND was honest, you'd be pissed because in that honesty he'd call Kraft, BB, Tom, and most Pats fans bleeding cheating pussies. Which is 100% accurate.

So perhaps it's best he let Whoreville do their thing and attend a game where at least one team isn't known to be cheaters. At least until the NFL rids the league of him and the next commissioner comes in and has to play the "try to keep the Pats from cheating" too. It's not like it's going away just because the NFL gets a new commissioner, it's just the way the Pats are, so expect more of the same after Goodell leaves.

Amnorix · 09-04-2015, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

So perhaps it's best he let Whoreville do their thing and attend a game where at least one team isn't known to be cheaters. At least until the NFL rids the league of him and the next commissioner comes in and has to play the "try to keep the Pats from cheating" too. It's not like it's going away just because the NFL gets a new commissioner, it's just the way the Pats are, so expect more of the same after Goodell leaves.

Just one comment--

If you go by the gauge that the ref himself said it was his "best memory" that he used pre-game, then the science shows absolutely no ball deflation.

You get that right?

Believe the ref was right, and the SCIENCE disproves deflation.

And if the SCIENCE says there was no deflation, who the **** cares what a couple of morons say in texts? If there is no dead body, then there is no murder.

Eh, whatever. Brady won. It's over for a year. Time to move on and hope the Patriots hang FIRE on the NFL just like 2007, except with a win at the end to cement the FU.

chiefzilla1501 · 09-04-2015, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

Your whole post was Bullshit BTW - all you want to see is a Goodell roast. I think it's incumbent upon you to produce documentation that shows the NFL comminsioner must appear at all prime time games. And what does CBS have to do with it?

The bottom line is you're just mad at Goodell, just like the rest of us, but you're an idiot if you think he's got to show up for some public roasting in enemy territory after the enemy just won based on "the rule of law."

On the flip side, I'm sure if he did show up, and got interviewed, AND was honest, you'd be pissed because in that honesty he'd call Kraft, BB, Tom, and most Pats fans bleeding cheating pussies. Which is 100% accurate.

So perhaps it's best he let Whoreville do their thing and attend a game where at least one team isn't known to be cheaters. At least until the NFL rids the league of him and the next commissioner comes in and has to play the "try to keep the Pats from cheating" too. It's not like it's going away just because the NFL gets a new commissioner, it's just the way the Pats are, so expect more of the same after Goodell leaves.

He wasn't complaining when kraft was smugly praising Goodell when he over reached on punishing the Saints.

Reerun_KC · 09-04-2015, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loochy

I hope they deflate balls again just as a FU to Goddell (and to the whiners in this thread).

Absolutely, just to see the goodell apologist cry even more.

chiefzilla1501 · 09-04-2015, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amnorix

Just one comment--

If you go by the gauge that the ref himself said it was his "best memory" that he used pre-game, then the science shows absolutely no ball deflation.

You get that right?

Believe the ref was right, and the SCIENCE disproves deflation.

And if the SCIENCE says there was no deflation, who the **** cares what a couple of morons say in texts? If there is no dead body, then there is no murder.

Eh, whatever. Brady won. It's over for a year. Time to move on and hope the Patriots hang FIRE on the NFL just like 2007, except with a win at the end to cement the FU.

This isn't rocket science. Ball boy takes footballs into a bathroom, balls end up deflated, brady has spike in conversations with equipment managers, brady destroys phone. I don't care about deflated footballs. But don't feed us the bullshit that an amazing amount of coincidences lead to reasonable doubt that there wasn't obvious cheating.

Goodell should have treated this with a slap on the hand or a warning. He over reached. But that doesn't excuse the actual act of cheating or the outright lying and noncompliance.

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

09-03-2015, 08:17 PM	#513
BigCatDaddy The Beast Inside Your Head Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Parts Unknown Casino cash: $-1700878	Loving the butt hurt.
Posts: 26,264

09-03-2015, 08:25 PM	#517
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-1783101	It stinks like sex in here.
Posts: 53,146

09-04-2015, 05:10 AM	#520
loochy Hey Loochy, I'm hooome! Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: PooPooKaKaPeePeeShire Casino cash: $-1649603	I hope they deflate balls again just as a FU to Goddell (and to the whiners in this thread). __________________ Hey Loochy, I'm hoooome!
Posts: 42,103