[News] Steve Bisciotti's Statement On Deflategate Reports

[Halshayeji]

Bisccotti's one of the best owners in the NFL !

Let's get to some Football...

Although, if they start regularly checking psi in the Patriot's balls, I would like to see what their turnover/fumble rate goes to in the next few years.

I don't believe 50% lower than league average is coincidental !

It's certainly not coincidental.

Unfortunately the pats will continue to bend rules and exploit every loophole in the system. Then pressure refs and manipulate media to their advantage whenever they get the chance. You can count on that

In most sports leagues around the world a team that did what the patriots have done over the past 15 years would be dumped to second division and punished severely. In the NFL they are slapped on the wrist and allowed to go down in history as one of the best teams in their time. In the meantime, teams that got robbed will be forgotten in history because they were good but not great. Ie:- rams high powered team, raiders tuck rule, Peyton would have 1 more Super Bowl, ravens could have 3 instead of 2.

It sickens me to look back at the past 15 years and imagine how different things could have been had all teams played on an even playing field. I hope it sickens opposing teams as we'll.

[Grapple Raven]

Convenient that Sal Paolantonio left out the other NFL owners who have spoken out against the Patriots and in support of Goodell on this issue, for example: Bob McNair of the Texans, John Elway of the Broncos, Jerry Jones of the Cowboys, Arthur Blank of the Falcons, and Art Rooney of the Steelers, not to mention a plethora of Head Coaches such as Mike Pettine, Tom Coughlin, Pete Carroll, and Rex Ryan.  

 

Sal Paolantonio needs to sail off into the sunset and find his journalistic objectivity, because his bias is clearly showing! lol

[hen826957]

I hope they do go to court so they could get Brady texts and expose what he really is a cheater. I wonder if he is found guilty I wonder what the Patriots fans react. They won't have anything to say and did this defending stuff for nothing. I would love to see the Patriots fans faces if that happen. LOL

[MTRavensFan]

I'm pretty much with the majority when I say that I do not care if the Patriots used under-inflated football. In a game that was that big of a blowout, the proper ball inflation probably would not have mattered.

 

However, where I get mad is that Patriots tried to cover it up and act like they did not do a thing wrong, but they took the fine of $1M and a first round draft pick with no appeal and suspended the ball boys with no outside authority telling them to. That kinda says something is up to a degree. 

 

If Brady and the Patriots come out and say, "Hey, I preferred the balls to be on the low end of the inflation spectrum and the cold weather must have taken it down further," then it is absolutely no big deal. However, to try to lie and cover it up, while withholding the text messages that could very well set you free if what you're saying is true is very damning to me. Personally, I just want the suspension upheld because of the lying and lack of cooperation. 

that kinda says a LOT, actually.

 

I agree, it's not that big of a deal in the one game they actually got caught doing it, but what really makes me mad is the five years of ludicrous fumbling statistics that basically proves their entire "legacy" is built on cheating, lying, and covering up.

 

And the attitude that cheating is no big deal, and the rest of the league is out to get them because they're just that good. Well, they're not. They're nothing but a mediocre team in a terrible division who can't win without cheating.

[Tank 92]

Again, anyone with half a brain could tell Bra*y was lying in his pressers. If he had nothing to hide why would he lie. he is a scum bag.

[gooftroop]

It is starting to make me angry that they keep trying to pull the Ravens into this nonsense. It is clear from Biscotti that he does not want anything to do with "Deflategate." These false reports are getting ridiculous and they need to get their facts straight before they put this false information out there.

More beating of the "Jealous teams out to get the Patriots" drum. An intentional diversion, and the standard "it's a witchunt" defense. Helps to have a couple of "reporters" in your pocket to carry the message for you- and they do.

Edited July 27, 2015 by gooftroop

[reed20fence]

The Organization's stance so far has been "whatever they did, we don't care, we'll beat them anyway, as we have in the past."

I like that stance. It's the stance a mature and confident franchise should take.

[gooftroop]

Patriot fans are blistering mad about this absurd attempted takedown of Brady and the Pats. The lack of any precedent for the penalties handed down; the flimsiest possible grounds for a ruling ("Brady was probably generally aware" that the balls were "probably" deflated); the leaking of false information that has tainted public perception and stained Brady's reputation; the by-now fully discredited science of the Wells report; the failure of officials to have taken measurements of the inflation level and frankly amazing decision of the Wells report to disbelieve the official's memory of which gauge he used (to provide more damaging level of deflation); the ignored violation of the Colts in sticking needle in the intercepted ball; the indifference of the league (until now) about ball inflation levels (countless cold weather games have been played with underinflated balls and no one cares. Balls were inflated to 16 pounds, probably 6X the violation of the alleged "deflation); and now the stalling leading up to the beginning of training camp--honestly, if this was happening to Flacco and the Ravens what would these comments be saying? I have no problem with the Ravens--they were the one team NE didn't want to meet in the playoffs. But this is at worst a minor infraction that should have gotten a warning, as with the teams that were caught illegally warming balls on the sidelines. Let the teams play. This is so stupid and the NFL looks like the Three Stooges, except not as smart.

We've heard this all before.

[rmcjacket23]

that kinda says a LOT, actually.

 

I agree, it's not that big of a deal in the one game they actually got caught doing it, but what really makes me mad is the five years of ludicrous fumbling statistics that basically proves their entire "legacy" is built on cheating, lying, and covering up.

 

And the attitude that cheating is no big deal, and the rest of the league is out to get them because they're just that good. Well, they're not. They're nothing but a mediocre team in a terrible division who can't win without cheating.

LOL, quite the overreaction there.

 

I can guarantee you this... there isn't a single reasonable person on this planet who actually WATCHES NFL football games that thinks the New England Patriots are or have been a mediocre football team for probably at least the last decade.

 

Its a standard emotional statement that completely ignores reasonable aspects of football, such as on-field production. I get that people hate cheating and all the other stuff we've heard on these forums for going on a year now, but lets at least try to remain somewhat reasonable in our analysis.

 

The statement "the Patriots are a mediocre team" is baseless, laughable, and frankly should just be written off entirely as completely non-factual and unreasonable.

[Sheldon Glickler]

I am reminded of Jack Nicholson: "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!". Yes, you have heard it all before. It is just that you can't handle the truth. There was no deflation at all. The Perfect Gas Law fully accounts for the drop in pressure. Brady didn't lie at all, because nothing happened. BTW, did you notice the 28-0 second half drubbing with "inflated balls"? This is going to court because Badell is just too egotistical to listen to his own lawyers who tell him he will lose. He needs to totally lift the penalty. Brady and the NFLPA will settle for nothing less. If not, he will be creamed in court. That Wells report was a piece of junk and has been totally discredited by several independent sources. Yes, I am a Pats fan, the greatest franchise in the salary cap era and have perhaps the greatest QB of all time as well as the coach.

[Ronw88]

We are so lucky to be Ravens fans!!!! Class organization starting with Steve, Ozzie, right on down the line!!!!!!!!!!! Sure hope Goodell does the right thing for a change & increase the suspension for those cheaters!!!!!!!!!!!!

[RavenManiac#7]

Let's not forget what Brady was suspended for. It wasn't for deflating footballs, or even having a part in it. He was suspended for NOT cooperating with the investigation by the NFL. Although he had complete assurance that NO personal information would be looked at, ONLY texts, e-mails, and phone calls with team personnel, he Still refused to cooperate by letting the league see that information on his cell phone. That is Ubstructing an investigation, my friends. How can anyone Not see that? The league's, not just the Cheatriots', integrity was at stake here. If Brady had Nothing to hide, why would he Not cooperate? That's just common sense, people. The Cheatriots, and Bill Belicheater have Earned their reputations as cheaters. Apparently the fines and penalties for the illegal taping of opponents' practices were not sufficient enough to make the team and its coach go out of their way to avoid Any improprieties. I say put the burden on the NFLPA and Crybaby Brady to make the choice to go to the Federal Court. But, whatever you do, Goodell, do NOT back down even one inch. The team and Brady deserved what they got and more. Both Brady And Belicheater need someone to teach them all about integrity, because it seems that they don't have a clue as to what that is. Just one fan's opinion, who Does care about the league And integrity.

[Raveninwv]

Honorable, wink, wink! IF Brady's suspension isn't lowered, he's taking his balls(deflated) and leaving the playground.

[Nick04263]

Pats fans are delusional. I will be happy when this is all over. However, if Steve did decide to pressure Goodell in regards to nowt lowering the suspension I am in his corner. Let everyone know this behavior isn't acceptable. I don't want my kid pulling a Brady later in life and thinking it is a laughing matter. League parity starts with sound sportsmanship. The Pats lost that a long time ago.

[RavenManiac#7]

So many people saying that if Brady goes to Federal Court the texts would come out. Wouldn't he have deleted every one of them by now? Is there a way to retrieve them if he did. I can't believe that he wouldn't have, but I'm an electronics dinosaur. I just don't know about those kind of things. Does anyone know if they Could be retrieved?

[Nick04263]

RavenManiac, I don't pretend to be a lawyer like every Pats fan or most everyone else on the internet but I would suspect by deleting them during an ongoing legal proceeding than that would be deemed destruction of evidence wouldn't it? I could be 100% incorrect given the fluctuating circumstances in this scnenario but being in the IT world I know the data could be recovered if it isn't overwritten. However, 6 months after the fact makes it likely the text are overwritten or Brady probably has a new phone by now. Either way, this is an interesting read:

http://www.cio.com/article/2378005/byod/byod-think-deleted-text-messages-are-gone-forever-think-again.html

[Drew P]

I hope the Pats have to travel to Baltimore in the playoffs and get curb stomped

Edited July 27, 2015 by Drew P

[donkeyking64]

I wonder how similar this denial is to the Ray Rice denials. How do you deny and then say something like 'fans and people like me want the issue resolved...'. Who cares if Brady isn't on your team?

And HOW on Earth does stuff like this end up in Sal Paolantonio's hands to report? That's the real question

[rmcjacket23]

RavenManiac, I don't pretend to be a lawyer like every Pats fan or most everyone else on the internet but I would suspect by deleting them during an ongoing legal proceeding than that would be deemed destruction of evidence wouldn't it? I could be 100% incorrect given the fluctuating circumstances in this scnenario but being in the IT world I know the data could be recovered if it isn't overwritten. However, 6 months after the fact makes it likely the text are overwritten or Brady probably has a new phone by now. Either way, this is an interesting read: http://www.cio.com/article/2378005/byod/byod-think-deleted-text-messages-are-gone-forever-think-again.html

The problem is... Tom isn't yet subject to a legal proceeding.

 

The other side of taking this to court is that IF a court is actually interested in hearing the case and ruling on it (as opposed to just sending it off to an arbitrator, which they typically do), then they will uphold a much higher standard of proof and guilt than the NFL did. We already know the NFL acknowledged to holding a "low standard of proof" in their investigation, which is fine internally, but a court of law would hold a much higher standard. We know that the NFL didn't actually measure/record the balls at the outset, something I would bet a good defense attorney would hammer home, since its difficult to prove somebody knowingly deflated footballs if you can't actually prove the balls were deflated anyway.

 

The NFL believes in their mind that they proved it, but its a completely different scenario to prove to a judge that they actually proved that.

 

Ultimately, I think its moot, because I don't think a court is going to take this case seriously, as they have much, much, much better things to do. Most likely gets sent off to an arbitrator who ties it up for months and both sides eventually come to an agreement in 2016.

[roamingcharges]

You have to read between the lines here. Bisciotti says he isn't putting any pressure on Goodell, but doesn't address his feelings on reducing the suspension. Kraft is one of 31 other owners, I don't get the reverence bestowed on him by his colleagues.

[berad]

I wonder how similar this denial is to the Ray Rice denials. How do you deny and then say something like 'fans and people like me want the issue resolved...'. Who cares if Brady isn't on your team? And HOW on Earth does stuff like this end up in Sal Paolantonio's hands to report? That's the real question

 

I care because I'm tired of hearing/reading about it

[donkeyking64]

The problem is... Tom isn't yet subject to a legal proceeding.

 

The other side of taking this to court is that IF a court is actually interested in hearing the case and ruling on it (as opposed to just sending it off to an arbitrator, which they typically do), then they will uphold a much higher standard of proof and guilt than the NFL did. We already know the NFL acknowledged to holding a "low standard of proof" in their investigation, which is fine internally, but a court of law would hold a much higher standard. We know that the NFL didn't actually measure/record the balls at the outset, something I would bet a good defense attorney would hammer home, since its difficult to prove somebody knowingly deflated footballs if you can't actually prove the balls were deflated anyway.

 

The NFL believes in their mind that they proved it, but its a completely different scenario to prove to a judge that they actually proved that.

 

Ultimately, I think its moot, because I don't think a court is going to take this case seriously, as they have much, much, much better things to do. Most likely gets sent off to an arbitrator who ties it up for months and both sides eventually come to an agreement in 2016.

The other problem is that there are now rules and game-time protocol for 2015 whereas said rules did not exist prior to 2015. Something that the defense attorney would hypothetically argue as well.

[rmcjacket23]

The other problem is that there are now rules and game-time protocol for 2015 whereas said rules did not exist prior to 2015. Something that the defense attorney would hypothetically argue as well.

Correct. The easiest argument right from the outset was why on Earth the NFL lets teams handle the balls to begin with.

 

But then again, if it were me, I'd let every team inflate or deflate the balls to whatever specs they wanted. If everybody has the same access and ability to do what they want with them, then there's no competitive advantage.

 

Either give them full access or no access. The concept of allowing them to manage and manipulate the balls during the week and then have them "tested" before the game to meet some vague and borderline irrelevant standard of deflation that the NFL likely conjured out of thin air is the biggest waste of time ever.

[Tank 92]

lol He was suspended because of his failure to cooperate in the investigation which is simple to prove and indefensible.

[rmcjacket23]

lol He was suspended because of his failure to cooperate in the investigation which is simple to prove and indefensible.

By NFL standards, yes.

 

By legal standards, no. There's basically no such thing, from a legal standard, of "simple to prove and indefensible".

 

Standards of proof are very different.

 

And for the record, taking it to court is pretty much a win-win for Brady in any possible scenario. The absolute WORST case scenario for him is that his text messages are entered into discovery, it shows he did deflate the balls intentionally (something that the public already thinks he did), and his suspension is upheld... only he likely delayed the process by at least a couple months and potentially an entire season. So at the end of the worst case scenario, the only thing that happens is a delayed punishment and the public being validated for something they already thought happened and will still think happened even if its proven it didn't happen in a court of law.

 

Things that he could easily gain from going to court:

 

1. He could be entirely vindicated from a legal and suspension standpoint (unlikely, but possible). While it won't completely salvage his reputation, because the public universally indicts celebrities for offenses with or without evidence or proof and doesn't care about actual facts, it will undoubtedly help his reputation.

 

2. It will undoubtedly delay the process, possibly to the level that he can play all of 2015 while its under appeal in court.

 

3. He could have the suspension reduced.

 

4. His legal team could bring to light all of the hypocrisies of the NFL and shed some light on what could only be described as sort of a "half-hearted" investigation of such a ridiculously minor rules infraction that a good judge would literally laugh them out of the room.

[berad]

Correct. The easiest argument right from the outset was why on Earth the NFL lets teams handle the balls to begin with.

 

But then again, if it were me, I'd let every team inflate or deflate the balls to whatever specs they wanted. If everybody has the same access and ability to do what they want with them, then there's no competitive advantage.

 

Either give them full access or no access. The concept of allowing them to manage and manipulate the balls during the week and then have them "tested" before the game to meet some vague and borderline irrelevant standard of deflation that the NFL likely conjured out of thin air is the biggest waste of time ever.

 

The NFL lets teams have access to manipulate their footballs - within regulation - because of a Brady (oh him) and Manning-led rule change.

 

I don't see the need for the 'full access or nothing' ultimatum. It's akin to having your car 'inspected' by whatever locality/state you're a part of. You can customize it to a point but it's got to meet certain standards.

[berad]

By NFL standards, yes.

 

By legal standards, no. There's basically no such thing, from a legal standard, of "simple to prove and indefensible".

 

Standards of proof are very different.

 

And for the record, taking it to court is pretty much a win-win for Brady in any possible scenario. The absolute WORST case scenario for him is that his text messages are entered into discovery, it shows he did deflate the balls intentionally (something that the public already thinks he did), and his suspension is upheld... only he likely delayed the process by at least a couple months and potentially an entire season. So at the end of the worst case scenario, the only thing that happens is a delayed punishment and the public being validated for something they already thought happened and will still think happened even if its proven it didn't happen in a court of law.

Standards of proof are different but so are the legal obligations. As you said, Brady's electronic records would have been subpoenaed and the Patriots would not have been able to hide Jastremski and McNally from investigators as they did, among other things. Are they still suspended without pay?

[rmcjacket23]

The NFL lets teams have access to manipulate their footballs - within regulation - because of a Brady (oh him) and Manning-led rule change.

 

I don't see the need for the 'full access or nothing' ultimatum. It's akin to having your car 'inspected' by whatever locality/state you're a part of. You can customize it to a point but it's got to meet certain standards.

And that works... IF the standards actually have a basis. In your example, car inspection standards are based on mechanical recommendations based on research of safe mechanical products on a vehicle. This is done to prevent injury to other people and mechanical defects that could lead to disasters.

 

Have yet to see one thing that even remotely suggests that the NFL picked the 12.5-13.5 PSI range they determined based on any research whatsoever. At best, it looks like MAYBE it comes from some sort of manufacturer recommended inflation range, which is great and all, except the fact that we're even having this conversation means that at least a large group of people prefer the footballs in a different range.

 

The basis for the standard is the important part in this case.

[riseNConquer81]

i'd actually prefer it if the rumor were true, lol.

[berad]

And that works... IF the standards actually have a basis. In your example, car inspection standards are based on mechanical recommendations based on research of safe mechanical products on a vehicle. This is done to prevent injury to other people and mechanical defects that could lead to disasters.

 

Have yet to see one thing that even remotely suggests that the NFL picked the 12.5-13.5 PSI range they determined based on any research whatsoever. At best, it looks like MAYBE it comes from some sort of manufacturer recommended inflation range, which is great and all, except the fact that we're even having this conversation means that at least a large group of people prefer the footballs in a different range.

 

The basis for the standard is the important part in this case.

You're right in that it's the 'manufacturer recommended inflation range' because that is the size that the rubber bladder inside is meant to hold without the ball being too squishy or too taught/over-inflated. What if the basis is as simple as wanting the footballs to look uniform and properly inflated? Uniform standards are for aesthetics. I assume Wilson wants their product to look as good as possible on the field, as well.

Why does it matter the basis of the standard, in any case? Personal disagreement of a rule (that he agreed to / established) is not a license to break it. If Brady had an issue with the ranges, he should have petitioned the league off the field, not instructed equipment managers to make his own adjustments in a bathroom after stealing the balls from the officials locker room. That's a strawman argument, anyways, because that apparently was not the case - remember Brady played the ignorant game when the news first broke?