Quote:
Originally Posted by NC_Skins
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/tom-br...164330925.html
Sales merchandised doubled. Yeah....Bob Kraft isn't hurting too much out of all this. He's made millions off this whole fiasco.
I think you are confusing examples of "integrity of the game" with morality aspects. The NFL could care less if some 50 year old NFL vet offs himself due to lasting brain damage. It doesn't affect the game. Them not giving a shit is definitely a humanitarian/morality issue. Them not caring about domestic abuse doesn't affect the integrity of the game, it affects their image, which in turns affects their sponsors. Social issues don't affect the game, only their image.
When we talk about affecting the "integrity of the game", what we really mean is affecting the "outcome of the game". This is the point to which Joe/Schneed are talking about. What can affect the integrity(outcome) of the game is cheating. Video taping defensive hand signals, using stickem on their hands, pumping in fake crowd noise, deflating balls. This doesn't mean any of these actions WILL affect the outcome (integrity), just that it could. Even allowing the potential of these game changers could affect the public's perception (and value) of the game. That means more than anything in the grand scheme of it.
Also, I personally don't believe the Patriots (and Brady) were hammered the way they were merely over deflating balls or the integrity of the game. This was a cumulative punishment that took into the account their previous cheating history, the lying and refusal to cooperate, and lastly the actual act of deflating the balls. The bigger factors were their lying/cover up and past history.
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You left out all the other instances that do affect the actual integrity of the game I mentioned in the post.
I bet Detroit fans would agree that referees partying with the Cowboys is probably a bad thing.
They treated Tom Brady differently because they wanted to.
What was Tom Brady's cheating history? Should they suspend Aaron Rodgers? Should they suspend the people from Minnesota?
Should they suspend any player who intentionally violates a rule that affects the integrity of the game or just this one?
If a safety comes across the middle and kills the other teams number 1 with a head shot on the first drive, does that affect the offensive teams competitiveness the rest of the game? Hell yea it does. Was it against the rules? Hell yea it is. It is an intentional violation of the rule that will detrimentally affect the offensive team's ability to use their number 1 receiver.
A headshot violates a rule just like deflating balls 1.2 psi. Is the post game interview a cover up when the safety says with a grin it was a football play I didn't intentionally rivet his ear hole with the crown of my helmet.
What makes this rule different than any other rule?
There are so many rules violations every week that affect the competitiveness of games. Blandino holds Minnesota's hand but they suspend Brady 4 games for the same violation.
Has the league asked to see Rodgers' phone yet?
Has the league called Tim Hasselbeck in to see which of his teams were feeding him the defensive plays through his headset since he announced it on national television? There is a darn good chance those individuals are still in the league.
Integrity and consistency mean nothing to that overpaid buffoon of a commissioner.