Tom Brady Suspension: Links From Around The Web
By Cyrus Geller
As a bit of an audible for today’s link dump, I’m going to pass along some of the best links from around the web regarding Tom Brady’s ridiculous punishment.
Robert Kraft decides he’s not done fighting on behalf of Patriots
"After the NFL came down hard on the Patriots on Monday, an enraged Kraft decided this fight is not yet over. In doing so, he issued a strongly-worded statement saying the NFL’s punishment “far exceeded any reasonable expectation” because it was based on “circumstantial rather than hard or conclusive evidence.” He also called the Wells report “one-sided” before stating, “Tom Brady has our unconditional support. Our belief in him has not wavered.”"
Five reasons why the NFL got the deflate-gate punishment dead wrong
"Last season, the Carolina Panthers and Minnesota Vikings were caught, on a cold day, using sideline heaters to warm up footballs. That’s against the rules. You can argue that it’s not the same level as deflating footballs in a bathroom, but it has the same effect: something outside of the rules to make the football easier to grip and catch. The Panthers and Vikings were … warned. That’s it.Now, even if you don’t think it’s the same level crime, it is at least similar in nature, and the difference between no punishment at all and what the Patriots got shows the NFL wanted to make an example out of New England. The NFL was pandering to the crowd, whether that was Pats-hating fans of 31 Pats-hating owners."
Start to finish, Deflategate was NFL’s big chance
"This was personal from the start. From the email missive sent by a lowly Colts equipment man that got passed around like the measles until everyone in the league operations department was on high alert. Right to the finish when Troy Vincent punctuated his discipline letter to Tom Brady saying, “Each player, no matter how accomplished and otherwise respected, has an obligation to comply with the rules and must be held accountable for his actions when those rules are violated and the public’s confidence in the game is called into question.”Deflategate wasn’t an embarrassment for the NFL. It was an opportunity. And they treated it as such every step of the way."