Aikman made an appearance on Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket on Thursday and said he believed that it is “obvious” quarterback Tom Brady was involved in deflating the footballs. He also referenced Commissioner Roger Goodell’s punishment of the Saints for running a bounty program that rewarded players for hurting opponents when explaining why he believed the Patriots needed more than the “slap on the wrist” Aikman feels they got for videotaping their opponents’ sideline in 2007.
“This whole comment by Roger Goodell based on the Saints when Sean Payton got suspended for the year, and he says ‘ignorance is no excuse,’ that’s going to come back to haunt him again,” Aikman said, via the Dallas Morning News. “That haunted him during the whole Ray Rice situation with he, himself, and now it’s going to haunt Roger Goodell in terms of what the punishment is for the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick. If ignorance is no excuse, and it wasn’t for Sean Payton. …[The Saints] did not give themselves a competitive advantage. Now twice, under Bill Belichick and possibly a third time, they’ve cheated and given themselves an advantage. To me, the punishment for the Patriots and/or Bill Belichick has to be more severe than what the punishment was for the New Orleans Saints.” |
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Lol...Oh that's classic!
The Pats tried to game the system a little and got busted. As I said on a different thread, this is feels like pitchers who use pine tar in cold weather to get a better grip on the ball. The Red Sox went bonkers on Pineda, not because he used it...because he was so obvious about it. And batters like that pitchers use it since it helps them with control. You wouldn't feel too good digging in the box when the pitcher isn't sure where his 95 mph fastball is going.
There might be some gentlemen's agreements going on here, and look the other way. However, since the Pats and Belichick have kind of ignored these things over the years (see Jake Ballard), I'm sure that there are old scores to be settled here and people want to pile on.
Mook,
Yes, that was a big factor in that he lied to Goodell, who told him to put an end to this stuff, and he didn't. The bigger issue was the whole CTE lawsuits on going and that the NFL had knowledge of coaches essentially rewarding players to knock out opponents, put a bigger legal assumption of risk on them and he had to come down hard.
No one is getting maimed here. The Pats won't admit anything, and at some point to put this to bed, Goodell with nail them with a fine and take a draft pick and they move on. They won't let this story go on much longer, they want to focus on the Pro Bowl and the game. But hey, it makes for some more network coverage during the usually dead time in the "bye week" before the Super Bowl.
Otherwise . . . Yikes.
Brady said he didn’t think there was anything wrong with the footballs used in the AFC Championship Game.
“I didn’t think anything of it until I woke up Monday morning and answered a question on the radio about it. That was the first I heard of it,” Brady said.
Brady seemed taken aback by a question about whether he’s a cheater.
“I feel like I’ve always played within the rules,” Brady said. “I would never do anything to break the rules. I believe in fair play, I respect the league and everything they’re doing to try to create a competitive playing field for all the NFL teams. It’s a very competitive league. Every team is doing the best they can to win every week. I believe in fair play and will always do that for as long as I’m playing.”
Brady said he would like to “figure out what happened” because he was “as surprised as anybody” to find out that the Patriots had played with under-inflated footballs. Brady insists that if there was anything wrong with the game balls, that wasn’t because of anything he had done.
You're a cruel man.
Correct
Sounds like a lot of media has attended this press conference. Can you imagine next week? This story is going to dominate and frustrate all.
- Troy Aikman
Madden tends to doubt you Tom
It's a process
I have always believed in integrity.
What nobody seems to understand is that Bountygate wasn't so much about cheating as it was the blatant disregard for player safety. People were getting hurt there, the penalty had to be severe in order to ensure that never happened again.
Deflategate? All that will ensure is that both teams start bringing a tire gauge to games.
Bizarro World...
This may not be the first time, just the first time caught.
Goodell's stewardship this past year has put him in a tight corner route with no chance of making the catch. Brady and BB can run for Congress anytime because they've already mastered the art of deniability, spin, and damage control.
Deflategate is at once laughable and pathetic. At least it takes the nation's mind off the fact that most of the rest of the world is going to hell in a handbasket.
This may not be the first time, just the first time caught.
Uh, in the second half of the Colt game Brady, per the NFL, used regulation sized balls. And had an even stellar second half throwing and scoring...
So much for your shaky theory...
I wish!
2. The officials inspect the balls 2 hours before the game, then hand them back to the teams who then can basically do whatever they want to them before the game begins.
3. They allow these lax processes despite knowing full well that players like to tweak the balls (deflate, inflate, put them in a washing machine, scrape them on cement, etc)
4. The NFL creates and environment where winning is the only thing that matters.
5. The NFL then acts surprised (and appalled) when something is not quite right.
yeh I don't know how one can be so sure about that the football is deflated between 10 and 12.5 PSI. Brady isn't a pressure gauge.. However it is surprising that a LB who has probably never isnpected a football was able to identify it was deflated in one touch of the ball and Brady who inspected 24 footballs that game and 16-24 footballs every game he has ever played wasn't able to feel the difference.
Also he held that same ball 30 times or so before the LB touched it once.. Kinda of hard to believe that a football inspector touched a ball 30 times and didn't recognize it and a complete amateur got it right in one try...
I expect kids and Pats fans to be naive.. not giants fans...
Because typically balls are scuffed/broken in to the QB's liking, and if they were purposely deflated, it would also be to the QB's liking. They're not going to do anything Brady isnt comfortable with, and the only way they know what he's comfortable with is by checking with him.
The league, wisely IMO, allows teams to make minor modifications (scuffing/breaking balls in) to make QBs more comfortable, but puts a limit (air pressure in this case) on the modifications to keep some uniformity.
I think its a good rule by the league, but the Pats just decided to go beyond to gain an advantage.
It is known that Brady likes a deflated ball. So, the lowest acceptable PSI is 12.5psi. So, lets assume that brady always has the balls at 12.5psi. Why wouldnt he? If that is what he prefers and it is the legal lowest limit, then always keep them at 12.5 psi right?
OK, so the balls tested out at half time at 11.5psi. So, the difference here is really ONE PSI. What you need to ask yourself is whether Brady would feel a ONE psi difference.,,,because he potentially always keeps the balls at 12.5psi.
How would it be possible that the balls could be tested at 12.5 and then somehow end up at 11.5 without anyone letting air out? What if the balls were kept extremely warm somehow in the locker room. At 100 degrees or more in a sauna or something like that. While at those elevated temps, the balls were adjusted to 12.5psi. and then immediately brought to the officials for testing. They temp test at 12.5. Now, they are outside and the temp is in the 40s or 50. The declining temp results in a drop in pressure naturally and without anyone actually removing the air. Who thinks this is possible? Not probable...but possible
Quote:
was involved? Obvious to suspect his involvement, maybe, but that's quite different.
yeh I don't know how one can be so sure about that the football is deflated between 10 and 12.5 PSI. Brady isn't a pressure gauge.. However it is surprising that a LB who has probably never isnpected a football was able to identify it was deflated in one touch of the ball and Brady who inspected 24 footballs that game and 16-24 footballs every game he has ever played wasn't able to feel the difference.
Also he held that same ball 30 times or so before the LB touched it once.. Kinda of hard to believe that a football inspector touched a ball 30 times and didn't recognize it and a complete amateur got it right in one try...
I expect kids and Pats fans to be naive.. not giants fans...
It wasnt the player from what I understand. After the INT the player gave the ball to Colts equip guys for keepsakes, and they're the ones that noticed, both in the regular season, and the AFCGC.
Didn't the Patriots videotape opponent's practices and not the sideline during a game which doesn't seem bad at all.
It is known that Brady likes a deflated ball. So, the lowest acceptable PSI is 12.5psi. So, lets assume that brady always has the balls at 12.5psi. Why wouldnt he? If that is what he prefers and it is the legal lowest limit, then always keep them at 12.5 psi right?
OK, so the balls tested out at half time at 11.5psi. So, the difference here is really ONE PSI. What you need to ask yourself is whether Brady would feel a ONE psi difference.,,,because he potentially always keeps the balls at 12.5psi.
How would it be possible that the balls could be tested at 12.5 and then somehow end up at 11.5 without anyone letting air out? What if the balls were kept extremely warm somehow in the locker room. At 100 degrees or more in a sauna or something like that. While at those elevated temps, the balls were adjusted to 12.5psi. and then immediately brought to the officials for testing. They temp test at 12.5. Now, they are outside and the temp is in the 40s or 50. The declining temp results in a drop in pressure naturally and without anyone actually removing the air. Who thinks this is possible? Not probable...but possible
I think they "scientificaly" astablished that the temperature alone wouldnt create that big of the difference.