n******1
发帖数: 3756 | 1 By Roxanne Jones
Qa
Why should they still be allowed to play in football's biggest game?
Editor's Note: Roxanne Jones is a founding editor of ESPN The Magazine and a
former vice president at ESPN. She is a national lecturer on sports,
entertainment and women's topics and a recipient of the 2010 Woman of the
Year award from Women in Sports and Events. She is the co-author of "Say It
Loud: An Illustrated History of the Black Athlete" and CEO of the Push
Marketing Group. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those
of the author.
(CNN)—It turns out there's a pesky little gremlin lurking around in the
Patriots equipment room deflating footballs. Mystery solved. We should have
known all along there was a logical explanation for the "Deflategate"
scandal gripping the Sport Nation.
That's pretty much what New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his
coach Bill Belichick, would have us believe after their less-than
illuminating press conferences yesterday. Both men claimed they were just as
stumped as us over how exactly 11 out of 12 of the team's footballs used
AFC Championship game against Indianapolis had been illegally deflated below
regulation specs.
"When I came in Monday morning, I was shocked to learn of the news reports
about the footballs. I had no knowledge whatsoever of the situation," said a
famously crotchety Belichick. "I was completely totally unaware of anything
."
His quarterback, appearing equally puzzled, wanted everyone to know that he'
s no cheater: "I would never do anything to break the rules. I believe in
fair play. I have no knowledge of anything ... no knowledge of any
wrongdoing ... I don't know what happened."
Really Tom? It's hard to believe -- almost laughable, really -- that Brady,
who is in his 15th NFL season with six trips to the Super Bowl and three
Super Bowl wins, noticed nothing wrong. This is a guy who's known to
micromanage every aspect of the game, including the ball. And he's on record
saying he prefers a soft football. How could a pro like this notice nothing
wrong?
The NFL, which according to ESPN reports, had been put on notice by the
Colts going into the AFC Championship game that the Patriots may have used "
soft balls" earlier in the season, said it is conducting a full
investigation But with the Super Bowl less than two weeks away, we've heard
nothing from them, nor apparently, has Brady, he said yesterday.
Advertisement
So it's easy to understand why fans and even pro athletes are not buying
Brady's story:
"It's obvious that Tom Brady had something to do with this," said Hall of
Fame QB Troy Aikman on his Dallas radio program, even before the Brady-
Belichick press conferences. "So for the balls to be deflated, that doesn't
happen unless the quarterback wants that to happen, I can assure you of that
. Now the question becomes: Did Bill Belichick know about it."
The evidence is clear: Eleven of the team's balls were illegally deflated
and they didn't get there by themselves. All the talk about cold weather
being the culprit? Forget it. Not only was the temperature in the 50s on
game day, but if weather was a factor then the Colts' game balls would have
also deflated. That didn't happen.
Brady, always the polished pitchman, is playing the innocent victim role
perfectly. Perhaps this is all just a conspiracy put out there by Patriots
haters, Brady suggested yesterday. Good try but most reasonable people do
not believe in conspiracy theories. And hopefully, even fewer people believe
in invisible gremlins. So there must be another explanation.
That leaves the Deflategate spectacle in the hands of NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell. The scandal has provided plenty of jokes for late-night television
and Twitter. But cheating in the NFL, a $9.5 billion a year industry with
an overall market value of $46 billion for its 32 teams, is no laughing
matter.
It's been a rough year for the integrity of the game. Goodell has admittedly
made botched calls over several cases involving domestic abuse, with the
Ray Rice scandal being the most egregious. And this season has been littered
with debatable play-calling in crucial game situations.
This is no time for stalled investigations. A ruling on Deflategate after
the Super Bowl would be a huge letdown, and signal that cheating, no matter
how blatant, is no big deal in the NFL. Goodell should act swiftly and
announce sanctions against New England before the Super Bowl takes place in
Phoenix on Feburary 1. Fans are not the only ones calling for the
commissioner to clean this mess up.
Earlier this week, Nevada Sen. Dean Heller called on Goodell to restore the
credibility of the game. "I am seeking decisive actions ensuring all teams
are playing according to the rules," Heller said in a statement. He
recommended the league work with the NFL Players Association to resolve the
issue ahead before the Super Bowl.
Let's be clear: The Patriots are second-time offenders when it comes to
cheating. Back in 2007, Belichick was fined the NFL maximum of $500,000 and
the Patriots were ordered to pay $250,000 for spying on an opponent's (The
New York Jets) defensive signals. In the end, the team's assistant video guy
took the fall and was the only person fired in the incident. The Pats also
lost a draft pick in 2008.
"This episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid long-
standing rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest
competition on the playing field," Goodell said at the time in a letter to
the Patriots.
Goodell got it right back then: He handed out the biggest fine ever for an
NFL coach and he sent a clear message that cheating would not be tolerated,
or excused away. This time around, despite the billions of dollars attached
to the Super Bowl, Goodell needs to go further. At a minimum, the
commissioner should:
-- Disqualify the Patriots from the Super Bowl
-- Strip the team's AFC Championship title
-- Fine, or suspend Belichick, who despite his claims to the contrary should
have known about the deflated balls -- and even if he didn't, he's
ultimately responsible for everything that happens on the field.
And if it can reasonably be argued that Brady knew or should have known
based on his NFL expertise that the football has been tampered with, then he
too should face tough sanctions.
Since there's no precedent for disqualifying a Super Bowl team, Goodell
would have to put a plan in place. It makes sense to me that the next best
AFC team would go instead of the Pats, which means the Colts would play.
And no, it doesn't matter that New England beat Indy, 45-7. The score is not
the point when a team cheats. And if winning -- by any means necessary --
is really all that matters these days in the NFL, then we might as well
throw out the rule books and stop preaching about the "sanctity of the game."
It's 2015 and it seems the Patriots still think the rules don't apply to
them. They haven't learned their lesson. This time around the commissioner
must send an even stronger message so there's no confusion.
The Patriots should be benched for Super Bowl XLIX. | G****e
发帖数: 11198 | | m****s
发帖数: 8992 | | c*****r
发帖数: 8227 | | j*****0
发帖数: 208 | 5 ESPN hired a bunch of sports columnists whose job is to speak most
outrageous thing out there. ESPN loves controversy to generate TV rating.
That's why I don't even watch ESPN except during live sports. | A*****a
发帖数: 52743 | 6 何止ESPN
【在 j*****0 的大作中提到】
: ESPN hired a bunch of sports columnists whose job is to speak most
: outrageous thing out there. ESPN loves controversy to generate TV rating.
: That's why I don't even watch ESPN except during live sports.
| d*b
发帖数: 424 | 7 我靠，居然从尼玛fake news的大本营CNN来的
a
It
those
【在 n******1 的大作中提到】
: By Roxanne Jones
: Qa
: Why should they still be allowed to play in football's biggest game?
: Editor's Note: Roxanne Jones is a founding editor of ESPN The Magazine and a
: former vice president at ESPN. She is a national lecturer on sports,
: entertainment and women's topics and a recipient of the 2010 Woman of the
: Year award from Women in Sports and Events. She is the co-author of "Say It
: Loud: An Illustrated History of the Black Athlete" and CEO of the Push
: Marketing Group. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those
: of the author.
| A*****a
发帖数: 52743 | 8 不用考证也猜的出来
and
the
【在 d*b 的大作中提到】
: 我靠，居然从尼玛fake news的大本营CNN来的
:
: a
: It
: those
| b*****e
发帖数: 53215 | 9 屁嗯有点丧心病狂了
a
★ 发自iPhone App: ChineseWeb 1.0.1
【在 n******1 的大作中提到】
: By Roxanne Jones
: Qa
: Why should they still be allowed to play in football's biggest game?
: Editor's Note: Roxanne Jones is a founding editor of ESPN The Magazine and a
: former vice president at ESPN. She is a national lecturer on sports,
: entertainment and women's topics and a recipient of the 2010 Woman of the
: Year award from Women in Sports and Events. She is the co-author of "Say It
: Loud: An Illustrated History of the Black Athlete" and CEO of the Push
: Marketing Group. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those
: of the author.
| I*1
发帖数: 5635 | 10 Man! Do you really know who "Roxanne Jones" is before you post the crap?
a
It
those
【在 n******1 的大作中提到】
: By Roxanne Jones
: Qa
: Why should they still be allowed to play in football's biggest game?
: Editor's Note: Roxanne Jones is a founding editor of ESPN The Magazine and a
: former vice president at ESPN. She is a national lecturer on sports,
: entertainment and women's topics and a recipient of the 2010 Woman of the
: Year award from Women in Sports and Events. She is the co-author of "Say It
: Loud: An Illustrated History of the Black Athlete" and CEO of the Push
: Marketing Group. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those
: of the author.
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