By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)
Now that we know the punishment, the appeal becomes anti-climatic. The Patriots have surrendered draft picks before. A million dollar fine might knock off at least one trip to some Hollywood award night for the owner, but that's about it.
Doesn't look like an apology is on the way any time soon. But, honestly, this has been an emotionally unsettling week. Don't mistake these feelings for the Bill Simmons fiasco. While I have my own feelings about the Massachusetts native, I really could care less at the moment. The only thing I will say has the word "narcissistic" in it.
The Brady damage has been my damage. That's my problem. When the Brady championships were there, they were my championships. I guess that's the definition of a fan. It's supposed to work that way. The whole structure of professional sports is built on that relationship.
They win, I win. They lose, and it's a bad emotional ride.
Good with the bad, and bad with the good. But this was different, and will be for I don't know how long.
Do we really care what the sports community says about the kid that could do no wrong, but apparently did? Let me just say the obvious: The NFL is itself to blame for this whole thing. The league allowed Brady, Manning and other quarterbacks to select their own balls they were going to play the game with. It was a stupid, short sighted, and totally out of character decision by the league.
I never did quite understand why that happened. Why did the league give up total control of the footballs? I thought that was a pretty important piece of the game. The info on soft or hard footballs might have been some great benefit to Vegas wise guys, perhaps? If you lie down with fleas, it's pretty certain you'll pay one way or the other.
Back to Brady. Of course, it's possible that someone of even the highest moral fiber can become so oblivious of right and wrong because it's always been an issue for other people. So his number was up by depending on stupid people that become so comfortable with a scheme that they themselves got a little careless. Damage done.
So, I have tried to figure out why I feel helpless and disappointed. I still think the quarterback is almost beyond reproach. The "almost" in that sentence came into play this week. I have even tried to draw a parallel with Drew Bledsoe, Mo Lewis and Brady's ascent as a result of that incident.
Does Brady's suspension give Jimmy Garoppolo the same moment that Brady had? Well, if the appeal gets it down to two games, probably not. When you check out the schedule, I can't believe the Dallas game, a huge ratings guarantee, and the fourth and final game in the suspension, will probably be part of the appeal, and therefore reinstated so he can play.
I said the NFL is becoming more like professional wrestling all the time. Vince McMahon may be my choice as the next commissioner. Probably the sooner the better.
1 comment :
You also have to wonder if Bob Kraft is rethinking his glowing endorsement of the Commissioner following the Ray Rice fiasco.....Should have taken the chance to fire him then...Kraft certainly hasn't made many mistakes in his business life but that was one of them
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