Goodell won’t attend Thursday opener in Foxboro

Posted by Zac Jackson on September 3, 2015, 2:58 PM EDT
AP

Tom Brady will be in Foxboro next Thursday for the first game of the 2015 NFL season. Roger Goodell will not.

A few hours after a federal judge ruled that Goodell couldn’t suspend Brady for four games, the NFL confirmed that Goodell will be staying away from the Sept. 10 season opener between Brady’s Patriots and the Steelers.

Per Mike Garofolo of FOX Sports, Goodell won’t attend because he believes the focus should be on the game and festivities. In other words, he knows the reception he would receive from Patriots fans and believes it’s best to stay away.

Patriots-Steelers is the traditional season-opening game that’s played at the site of the defending Super Bowl champion and in front of a national TV audience. DeflateGate will still be a topic of conversation on the broadcast and in the days leading up to the game, but Goodell is hoping his absence will help make it a side story and not the focus of the broadcast.

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217 responses to “Goodell won’t attend Thursday opener in Foxboro”

  7. WOW!! Way to take it personal Rog… What a sorry showing. Now that his man-parts have been clipped a few times in court, look for the owners to find a commissioner who can actually leverage the league.

  21. Goodell shouldn’t attend Thursday nights opener. He’s a disgrace to the shield. New England fans don’t want him anywhere near Foxboro.

    On to football!! New England loves their QB!

  23. Not like he’d have a place to sit. Kraft won’t let him in his box, no one else with a box will let him in and he wouldn’t make it past the National Anthem sitting in the regular seats. I wouldn’t expect to see Mort there ever again either.

  27. Don’t cheer too much pats fans, this story ain’t over. Still going to hear from the fired equipment guys sometime. Many stories yet to come out. But they WILL come out.

  32. The focus should be on the game and festivities, because the NFL lost. If Brady had lost this appeal, Goddell would have been there with bells on, gloating away.

  35. As an alternative, the Brewers are playing the Pirates that night. Plenty of primo seats available….

  36. 1st game of the regular season and our Illustrious Commissioner won’t be there? That speaks volumes.

    Fire ‘da bum!

  46. I believe the Patriots had a seat reserved for Mr. Goodell. It was in the same restroom that the ball boy visited.

  48. There is now more evidence to suggest that Roger Goodell is the one who is ethically challenged, not Tom Brady.

  49. “Goodell won’t attend Thursday opener in Foxboro”

    Unlike his integrity and honor, at least his sense of self preservation is intact

  50. Sell that house in Maine while you’re at it. Bunch of crooks running the NFL, a major house cleaning of the front office is in order.

  52. He won’t be attending?

    But we were so looking forward to a night filled with deafening anti-Goodell chants.

  53. And no doubt he’ll skip the Super Bowl also, since the Patriots will be playing in it.

    Even assuming he’s still the Commissioner.

  54. Unacceptable. He should have to man up just like anyone else. He should have to stand there and answer the tough questions just like anyone else. I am confused as to why nobody has asked him any tough questions in a public interview. It is comical how ESPN licks his boots AND facilitates his agenda(s). Not a Pats fan. Just a fan of due process. Judge Berman’s ruling also paves the way for potential litigation. The Pats could very well have a case against the league and Ted Wells. I will bet that when the players choose to abort this CBA, they will and football will be gone for at least two seasons. The USFL could make a comeback.

  55. Chicken. You’re the supposed commissioner of the NFL! How can you not attend the season opener of the Super Bowl champs! No integrity.

  56. He doesn’t give a damn about whether or not “the focus should be on the game and festivities.” He knows how loud the boos are at draft time and that they’ll only be worse at Foxboro. So much so that they’ll require a reaction and discussion by on-camera commentators.

    I think he also might be worried about his personal safety, which I wouldn’t blame him for. Some really, really angry people out there right now.

  57. Don’t be upset at him.. This was just a publicity stunt and your boy Brady got paid a ton… It kept the NFL in the spotlight since the Super Bowl.. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

  62. Did the Judge say anything about Brady being innocent???

    Cause I can’t find that anywhere….

  64. “…traditional season-opening game that’s played at the site of the defending Super Bowl champion …”

    Except when the Ravens win the Super Bowl. Both timew we won we played away for the first game of the season after being the Super Bowl Champion.

  66. So Brady is a known cheater, but the Judge thought the punishment too harsh. Yet, the Judge didn’t overthrow Goodell’s authority in the CBA. Therefore, the Judge thinks Goodell can keep on doing what he is always doing, just don’t penalize too harshly the Patriots for cheating.

    Here we go again…
    Different Rules

  67. Roger, doesn’t this tell you something? When the commissioner can’t even attend the opener solely to avoid outrage and public ridicule, something is wrong with the picture.

    Drop the appeal dingbat.

  68. This is fantastic, and the continued whining of the haters (Berman did not declare Brady innocent! Booo hooo!) makes it that much better. Faaaaantaaastic!

  69. The fact that the Commissioner can’t go near the season opener tells you all you need to know about the state of the NFL right now.

  71. I realize the average fan is to stupid to understand the ramifications of this ruling and the average reporter is too blinded by their dislike of NFL’s management, but all Berman did today was let a cheater win. ANYTIME cheaters win in this world, we all lose. I, for one, believe that protecting the integrity of the game is worth dispensing justice, whether they can prove it “beyond all doubt” or not. Anyone who thinks that Brady and his henchmen are innocent are beyond all help. As Ron White says, “you can’t cure stupid”. But it’s a real shame!

  72. All during this fiasco, I thought the Jets kicking ball issue, which only resulted in a fine of $25,000 would serve as a precedence ….and it did. If not for that, Brady might have sat a few games.

  73. I am so sick and tired of hearing about all the cheating ways of the Patriots. It will be so nice when Brady and Bill just go away forever. Have fun with those AFC East defenses Tom!

  76. He probably doesn’t want to be part of that sideshow. It will be a happy day Friday the 11th when the Patrioys have the doors blown off by the Steelers. I already can’t wait to hear “it’s goodells fault cause Brady was so caught up in the courts and couldn’t practice and was out of shape and didn’t have time to prepare…” More like “Fully inflated balls, the downfall of Tom Brady.”

  77. My guess is that he won’t make an appearance at Gillette Stadium ever again.

    If he believed the focus should be on the game, he should not appeal the case either. The NFL is dragging this out. Losers.

  79. He probably doesn’t want to be part of that sideshow. It will be a happy day Friday the 11th when the Patriots have the doors blown off by the Steelers. I already can’t wait to hear “it’s goodells fault cause Brady was so caught up in the courts and couldn’t practice and was out of shape and didn’t have time to prepare…” More like “Fully inflated balls, the downfall of Tom Brady.”

  83. 2015 outlaw pats revenge dream scenario:

    16-0 regular season.
    brady owns the steelers yet again. close game against jags. convincing wins over both mannings. two shutouts each of the jets and dolphins. destroy bills destroy for being posers. cut the eagles and cowgirls down to size. destroy the texans in their crib(sorry vince). close games against the titans and redskins(who got an upgrade at QB this week).

    1st round bye
    peyton goes 1-&-done yet again, further settling GOAT, losing to the texans, getting their hopes up

    obliterate the texans in the divisional round(again, sorry vince)
    torch the colts in the AFCCG(or ravens would be almost as satisfying) again
    win SB L, against the seahawks(again) or packers(sorry packers, a team you have to respect)

    now as far as the 2016 season goes…

    …THREEPEAT!

  88. Patriot fans enjoy what is left of your Tom Brady ride. It’s almost over and it will be back to mediocrity. You’ll all be crying like babies when he’s gone.

  92. Oh, and just a note to all you Patriots fans, don’t forget to run home and tell your kids it’s okay to cheat, rob and lie as long as you can get away with it…….

  96. The chickens are coming home to roost, Roger Goodell!!! You’ll reap the fruit of your stupid ways!!!!

  97. In the end its the fans that lose out on all this. On one hand Goodell is made to be a corrupt fool once again. But on the other hand the patriots continue to get away with cheating and put on a pedestal.

    – Fan that believes the Patriots are guilty but also believes evidence is not concrete enough

  98. his suite is right near my seats at Giants games…cant wait to shake his hand again and thank him for defending the leagues integrity.

    long live the NFL and Roger Goodell.

    and the Giants own the Patsies forever.

  99. zombiepatriot says:
    Sep 3, 2015 3:00 PM
    Mr. Goodell you are no longer welcome anywhere near Foxboro, Boston or New England ever again.
    —————————————————–

    Now y’all know how New Orleans feels.

  101. Goodell, Pash, Vincent and Kensil will instead be planning the next failed witch hunt

  102. Just to confirm, Brady has been manipulating the most important piece of equipment for a game for years but he just “didn’t know” he’d get in trouble and therefor it doesn’t count. Wow. Just Wow. It is scary to see how blind Patstericks fans have been to their organizations history of deceit.

  103. Deflategate. Spygate. Tapping phones. Players arrested for murder. Destroys phones filled with evidence. QB cheats. HC cheats. New England is a class organization who does it the right way. Its funny that they call out Jets fans, Ravens fans and Colts all the time to compensate for there own cheating ways. Yeah its everyone else Patriots, not you.

  105. rabidbillsfan says:
    Sep 3, 2015 3:15 PM
    He probably doesn’t want to be part of that sideshow. It will be a happy day Friday the 11th when the Patrioys have the doors blown off by the Steelers. I already can’t wait to hear “it’s goodells fault cause Brady was so caught up in the courts and couldn’t practice and was out of shape and didn’t have time to prepare…” More like “Fully inflated balls, the downfall of Tom Brady.”
    ————
    Gee, when I watched the Super Bowl video he won with the most protected balls in history. And he won after being down 10 in the 4th. Did you know that never happened before? Did you see those beautiful TD passses?

    I think I’ll celebrate tonight by watching the Bluray again. As far as the Steeler game goes, who knows. I can tell you the Bills game should be fun now that you have Sexy Rexy. Who knows, after about 10 years teh Bills may even up the score. How many games in a row is that now????

  106. For those making all the cheater comments…Fact 1: 11 of the 12 balls tested from the Patriots were below 12.5 but within the range predicted by the Ideal Gas Law using the gauge that the referee says he used; the one outlier strangely enough was the ball intercepted towards the end of the first half and KEPT ON THE COLTS BENCH until halftime. FACT 2: 3 of the 4 balls tested from the Colts were also below 12.5 but within the range predicted by the Ideal Gas Law. FACT 3: NONE of the balls were 2 or more pounds under 12.5 contrary to the leak from the NFL to Mortensen which was never investigated by anyone or ever retracted by the NFL. ALL DATA FROM THE WELLS REPORT!
    Therefore, No balls were deflated (except maybe by the Colts after the interception) and there is in fact no “Deflategate”. Facts are a hard thing sometimes.

  107. “I find it hilarious that only Patriots fans think Tom Brady isn’t guilty.”

    Funny cause in the last few weeks I’ve seen fans of the Saints, Jets, Giants, and at least 20 other franchises openly supporting Brady once they realized what a made up sham this whole thing has been.

    What I think is hilarious is that people like you are left only to resort to ridiculous claims like this alternating with stamping your feet, tears streaming down your faces whimpering “but he cheated”.

  110. ronnyw9 says:
    Sep 3, 2015 3:20 PM

    Patriot fans enjoy what is left of your Tom Brady ride. It’s almost over and it will be back to mediocrity. You’ll all be crying like babies when he’s gone

    —-

    No we won’t, we’ll have a lot of great memories of almost 2 decades of AFC domination. We know Brady’s career won’t be eternal, nor will Belichick’s.

    Think about it…..Jets fans still revel about a game from the 60s….that’s 1960s.

  113. the funny thing is that the chowds all know that he cheated. there is no spin that you can put on that piece of common knowledge and the contents of those text messages. he blatantly cheated and everyone knows it. that’s the legacy. period.

  114. Cheaters always win; we need to change the lesson we try and teach our kids everyday. Spygate to deflagate-the *dynasty*

  115. For a commissioner to be so embarrassed by how he has managed to not show up to the opening game of the superbowl champions is a black eye for the league. Goodell must go.

  116. .
    Goodell has demanded that the state of Maine dispatch armed officers to protect his property.

    PS- Let’s hope they don’t put Goodell’s image on the jumbotron.
    .

  117. I suppose the Pats did cheat. After all, Butler stole the ball!

    So now we have
    Havlicek stole the ball
    Bird Stole the ball
    Butler intercepted the ball
    Berman stole the show.

    and justice prevailed.

  119. If he didn’t want this to detract from the season opener, he should have never. .. oh forget it

    You haters could join Goodell or stay here in your Internet style No Exit hell. We Brady supporters will continue to party hop and make love in the street.

  120. Once again, not a Pats fan. Those of you incessantly whining and trashing the Pats either did not pay attention to the last two games of the year or have your head buried in your fourth point of contact. If hindsight was what we all wish for, I would go back to the AFC Championship game, let you whiners do what ever the heck you want to the game balls, and then bet my next three paychecks that the Pats would still win. Indy has a good team. They were not good enough on that day. And then there is the more likely conclusion than not, that science, based on facts and not Mort’s irresponsible reporting, explains why ALMOST ALL OF THE BALLS WERE LEGAL. I want integrity in the game. My Purple and Gold colored glasses are not so clouded, however, that I can’t see the difference between right and wrong. The NFL is wrong here and has done more damage to the integrity of the game by deliberately trying to ruin someone’s reputation to save face, than any number of deflated footballs could ever do.

  121. ijahru says:
    Sep 3, 2015 3:36 PM
    I was hoping Mr Kraft would tell him if he wants to go to the game he needs to buy a ticket and sit in the stands
    ———
    Pat him down first, he might try to plant more “evidence”.

  123. pixelito says:
    Sep 3, 2015 3:11 PM

    Did the Judge say anything about Brady being innocent???

    Cause I can’t find that anywhere….
    —————————————————-
    Two reasons:
    1) The judge was never tasked with determining guilt or innocence. Everyone knows this, except you apparently.

    2) He was tasked with ensuring Brady was given a fair appeal hearing. The judge found the appeal hearing so fundamentally flawed and biased that any decision made by Roger based on that hearing couldn’t be enforced.

    “Proving” someone guilty in a kangaroo court doesn’t make that person guilty. That is what I took from the Judge’s decision today.

    I am a Lions fan. I have no vested interest in this situation, I just wanted the truth, and I find the path the NFL and Roger took to be reprehensible. I haven’t been this apathetic for the start of a NFL season for as long as I can remember. That is what the NFL under Roger is doing to the game I love.

  124. A lot of people think it’s because of Brady playing but actually New York Oyster week begins Sept 10.

  128. Goodell’s disappearance after the Ray Rice fiasco & reluctance to make other appearances associated with being commissioner illustrates that he’s not suitable to hold the office. He gets paid to handle these issues, to be accountable & available to the press.

    He gets credit for making the owners a lot of money, but I question who WOULDN’T be able to make a cash cow like the NFL increasingly profitable! Goodell should just continue to work deals & leave league discipline to a panel, since he’s decidedly inept at handling it.

  133. Goodell should thank Brady for all the money he makes for the NFL. Instead,he drags this joke of a case out for 8 months and loses. He is persona non grata here in New England. I’m glad he won’t be here to see the SB banner raised. Go away Roger. You have egg on your face again.

  137. The comment that only Patriots fans believe his is not guilty is wrong.
    True fans know that less air is not the edge that gets you to super bowl.
    ( read the Berman opinion Brady had a higher completion rate in the second half when the ball were in compliance.) I am not the biggest fan of the Pats especially their coach. However I do recognize excellence as a result of hard work. Ask the players. They know.
    All of them believe it is overblown. They all think Goodell is a bad guy.

  138. “Goodell is hoping his absence will help make it a side story and not the focus of the broadcast.”

    This has nothing to do with what’s best for the broadcast of the game. Goodell is a coward and an ego maniac. What kind of a job as commissioner have you done when you can’t even attend the season opener to the sport that you commission? He’s lost all credibility and can’t even show his face at a football game.

  139. I don’t like Goodell as commissioner at all. But I do think this is the right decision and for the right reasons. So I give him credit for that.
    Now that being said, I hope his new found insight extends to his role of commissioner. He should resign for similar reasons: To allow the NFL to focus on rebuilding its tarnished reputation and reestablishing the integrity of the shield.

  142. IntelligentLogic says:
    Sep 3, 2015 3:29 PM
    Deflategate.

    Proven to be a corrupt and dishonest process that violated the CBA when finally taken before a neutral party.

    Spygate.

    Yes, 8 years ago for one game they had the camera in the wrong place. They admitted they got the rule wrong, paid an over the top penalty (because: Patriots) but had no recourse. Then they won the next 18 games.

    Tapping phones.

    You got me there, never heard that one. Of course, it also didn’t happen.

    Players arrested for murder.

    One player, who was released the second he was formally charged, and barred entry to the facility before that. Haven’t seen anyone claim he was innocent (other than him) because, you know, evidence, jury, etc.

    Destroys phones filled with evidence.

    After he was told the investigators didn’t want the phone, they got all the info off of it anyway, and Wells himself said it did not materially impact the investigation.

    QB cheats.

    Citation needed.

    HC cheats.

    Citation needed.

    New England is a class organization who does it the right way. Its funny that they call out Jets fans,

    Illegally tampered with kicking ball in 2009 (Jay Feely said as much, who was the kicker). No one punished except the equipment guy, Feely never so much as investigated.

    Ravens fans

    Ray Lewis, guilty in a court of law of obstruction of justice in a murder case; rubbing footballs with substance on towels, then refused to hand over towels.

    and Colts

    Illegally tested Patriots football PSI on sideline.

    all the time to compensate for there own cheating ways. Yeah its everyone else Patriots, not you.

    Actually it kinda feels that way right now.

  147. paulrevereshorse1775 – You’ll be crying when he’s gone. Long Sunday afternoons. Almost over. In fact I think he will be crushed by AFC East defenses this year. By the way not a a Jets fan. How about a a Packers fan. An organization with class.

  149. The fact that the commissions of the league feels that his presence at a game would be an issue is all you need to know. We’re past the point where this can be fixed, Goodell needs to step down or be fired.

  151. This is pitiful. After a seven month offseason the man responsible for promoting the sport won’t show for the season opener. How embarassing. Can somebody in the league office make sure his ticket goes to a real football fan.

  152. He’s not welcome in New England, Buffalo, Miami, Cleveland, Cincy, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, etc, etc, etc. Only in NY Jets home games. #Goodellisaloserandaliar

  154. Justice prevails, and this just in from John Harbaugh, “Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas, moooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyy, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, rules committeeeeeeeereeee”

  157. pixelito says:
    Sep 3, 2015 3:11 PM
    Did the Judge say anything about Brady being innocent???

    Cause I can’t find that anywhere….
    ————————–

    Look harder, it’s in the transcripts of the hearings.
    Judge Berman: “There is no evidence that Mr. Brady deflated footballs”.

  158. steelersnowand4ever says:
    Sep 3, 2015 4:12 PM
    He’s not welcome in New England, Buffalo, Miami, Cleveland, Cincy, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, etc, etc, etc. Only in NY Jets home games. #Goodellisaloserandaliar

    —–
    You forgot New Orleans…I imagine Saints fans are not big Goodell fans–as he, from what I now understand shafted them just like he tried to do to the Pats!

  161. After the judge’s ruling, Goodell had a temper tantrum and threw his Legos and Lincoln Logs around the office. He’s now grounded and has to stay in in his office until they are cleaned up and put away.

  163. I’m a Steelers fan, but I am really glad goodell lost!!!

    We need to try and beat them with Brady now.

    But down with goodell and the NFL

  165. The Judge did not say Brady was innocent, he stated that the process by which Brady was punished was Bad. The commissioner never explained to Brady what his punishment was going to be, nor was it documented in the new CBA that was approved by the players. The NFLPA are partially at fault for agreeing to the terms outlined in the CBA. The commissioner did what he felt he had the authority to do based on the language in the CBA.

    The reason Brady was severely punished was because of his intent to cheat or gain an unfair advantage. Also, how he failed to cooperative with the whole process.

    THE balls being deflated did not affect the outcome of the game and was not the issue. I compare what the Patriots/Brady/Equipment guys did, to a millionaire going into a candy store to steal a candy bar. Just like the millionaire did not need to steal, the Patriots did not need to cheat to beat the Colts.

    I know Patriots/Brady supporters will say they had no proof. Circumstantial evidence is admissible in a court of law. Just because the preverbal smoking gun wasn’t found doesn’t mean Brady is innocent. I’ve been involved with the legal system for over 20 years and have seen people convicted and sentenced to jail without direct evidence.

  166. pixelito says:
    Sep 3, 2015 3:11 PM

    Did the Judge say anything about Brady being innocent???

    Cause I can’t find that anywhere….

    ————-
    In general people are assumed innocent and have to be proven guilty.

    However, the judge wasn’t ruling on Brady’s guilt or innocence in this case. He was ruling on the process and punishment of the NFL appeal and arbitration, which was found to be unfair.

    As we know, from the McCarthy trials, Salem which trials and Spanish Inquisition, etc, an unfair process can find anyone guilty and provide unreasonable punishments.

  167. Coward!!!!!

    That is the only word I can use otherwise this post will be deleted for profanity. You can bet a month’s salary he would have shown up if the NFL had won this case.

  169. erod22 says:
    Sep 3, 2015 4:17 PM
    This says more about the people of Boston than Goodell.

    He’s not the one who cheated.

    ———————-
    No, he’s the one who tried to railroad a man with no evidence. He’s the one who lied about the testimony and misconstrued what what said. He tried to scuttle the Pats season….and the reaction from Pats fans is just and should be celebrated! We stood up to the bullies, we stood up for what was right, we showed loyalty and belief in a man who has always shown himself to be a good person….I’ve never been prouder to be from New England!

  171. Pats fans were you saying the same thing when he burned the video tapes and gave you a slap on the wrist for “spygate” I quest you guys only love him when he assist with your way of cheating.

  174. He hired Ted Wells to take his place. Wells will sit at mid-field to insure he does not favor one team over the other. He’s independent, you know.

  175. gbp4l says:
    Sep 3, 2015 4:33 PM
    The Judge did not say Brady was innocent, he stated that the process by which Brady was punished was Bad. The commissioner never explained to Brady what his punishment was going to be, nor was it documented in the new CBA that was approved by the players. The NFLPA are partially at fault for agreeing to the terms outlined in the CBA. The commissioner did what he felt he had the authority to do based on the language in the CBA.

    The reason Brady was severely punished was because of his intent to cheat or gain an unfair advantage. Also, how he failed to cooperative with the whole process.

    THE balls being deflated did not affect the outcome of the game and was not the issue. I compare what the Patriots/Brady/Equipment guys did, to a millionaire going into a candy store to steal a candy bar. Just like the millionaire did not need to steal, the Patriots did not need to cheat to beat the Colts.

    I know Patriots/Brady supporters will say they had no proof. Circumstantial evidence is admissible in a court of law. Just because the preverbal smoking gun wasn’t found doesn’t mean Brady is innocent. I’ve been involved with the legal system for over 20 years and have seen people convicted and sentenced to jail without direct evidence.
    ——————————–
    Of course you are correct, circumstantial evidence can be compelling….when it’s good circumstantial evidence. Conclusions that can only be come to by giant leaps of logic is not good circumstantial evidence. To base a case on the text messages of two men who you could not get to implicate Brady even though they were interviewed 4 times each….to base your scientific conclusions on the firm you hired saying “we cannot conclude that the balls used in the AFCCG were intentionally deflated” and worst of all to conclude a man’s guilt because he got rid of a phone you never asked him for, even though he did provide you with the phone companies records of that phone….if you ever saw someone convicted on that caliber of evidence, you saw someone being railroaded.

  176. Somebody better sneak the Lombardi Trophy out of his office, he’s liable to skip the Super Bowl, too.

  177. Roger is being a nice guy by not attending the game. He heard that there is an Egg shortage in the Boston area. He hated to have innocent people around him being pelted with Eggs.

    Go away Roger, sell that Maine property, move to New York City….

  178. September is Rotten Tomatoes Season in The Northeast. Goodell knows this, and is unwilling to substitute an Armani suit he would wear for being exposed for the empty suit that he is.

  179. Pats fan here. Football fan, above all. Several commenters have touched upon the biggest issue I have with this debacle:

    What kind of leadership results in a situation where the Commissioner of the NFL does not attend the opening game of the season? How does this man still have a job?

    Very worrying from a football fan’s perspective. This is not the way to manage the sport we love. Disgusting.

  180. Him staying away from the game actually aligns with what he’s been trying to do by punishing cheaters. Preserve the game.

    100 NFL players were polled about the situation and 72% said the patriots deflated. And that’s not because they are anti-patriots as in the same survey only 42% of them consider deflating “cheating” and only 16% were upset with the Pats for doing it.

    If 72% of Brady’s own co-workers thinks he deflated footballs, whether they consider it cheating or not, there’s probably fair amount of truth to the claim.

  181. Your party will be over when Harrison puts his helmet into bradys ribs. PS. Your still missing your first round pick your weird talkers

  182. Brady won in court. Many said it would never get to court, that Brady was afraid. Well that didn’t happen. He won. Whether he pursues a defamation lawsuit will depend on Goodell. If Goodell has learned his lesson he will recind his statement about the NFL appealing and will resign. If he does that, then I predict Brady will end any further legal action. However, if Goodell ignores the judges ruling and prompting, Brady will be forced into a corner yet again and will pursue the defamation route. And he will win.
    Goodell can stop this and he must. It will be a very difficult path however. Because Goodell really is a narcissist and needs help. And most cases of narcissism don’t have positive outcomes. But we can hope.

  184. He’d better not. And I sincerely hope that those in attendance to any event at Gillette that he attends make him miserable.

    He’s dead to us. He’d best not remind us he’s alive.

    Decorum prevents me from accurately describing what I think of Roger Goodell.

  185. truthdispensary says:
    Sep 3, 2015 4:32 PM
    I’m a Steelers fan and I wont be watching…

    I BOYCOTT any game the cheater plays in until he has been punished.
    —————
    Well then….I guess we’ll just have to try to get along without you….however will we manage?

  187. Any defamation suit will wait until after the last game of the Patriots this year. McNally, Jastremski, and Brady will not want the NFL to use subpoenas as weapons to distract Belichick, Edelman, etc. (Yes the NFL would even harass Gronk, even knowing Gronk has nothing to do with it.)

  192. The Commissioner gets booed by nearly everyone at the commencement of each Draft. However, the loyal Patriot fans have a very special welcome to Foxboro for Roger.
    It is a national disgrace that Goodell is too scared to attend New England’s opening game because he “might” get booed. Maybe he needs to just resign but at $44M a year salary and bonus, that is unlikely. Or maybe he can lock himself in his NYC office and watch the season on TV. Goodell is an embarassment to the NFL and all owners should unite in firing him.

  193. As a die hard Hawk fan I am no fan of Tom Brady or the Patriots but Goodell is a joke and I am glad he has been exposed once again. The whole probable than not is about the dumbest use of wording I have ever heard of in a legal document. Goodell should have been canned after the bounty gate BS, then we have the whole Ray Rice deal. Brady seemed to kick our butt just fine in SB49 with whatever they call (proper) correct football PSI. Get rid of the guy he’s is only hurting the teams, the fans and especially the players. The NFL is going to make plenty of money without him!

  194. Big business worked us all again, Tom was never going to miss the opener, or a game for that matter. It is a soap opera.
    More hype for week one, more Twitter, more media, radio, etc.
    Think of the timing. News drops on the most insignificant game day of the year. But we love the game and swallow every hook…

  196. Smart move Roger! At least you will be avoiding the stench of the cheaters at Gillette Stadium! Brady can smile all he wants but at the end of his career he will always be known as a cheater. How sad for him and all his fans who think cheating is the way to win.

  198. The Judge did not say Brady was innocent, he stated that the process by which Brady was punished was Bad…………….I know Patriots/Brady supporters will say they had no proof. Circumstantial evidence is admissible in a court of law. Just because the preverbal smoking gun wasn’t found doesn’t mean Brady is innocent. I’ve been involved with the legal system for over 20 years and have seen people convicted and sentenced to jail without direct evidence.
    ———————————

    I completely agree with you, but our experience means nothing to these legal eagles….

  200. I’ve never cared for Brady at all. Too much of a diva, begging for flags everytime a defender breathes on him. Having said that, Goodell went into full overkill mode on this thing. The Colts didn’t lose because of deflated balls. They got their behinds handed to them because their defense stunk up the joint. And they beat my Seahawks fair and square in the SB.

    Enough already, let’s put this to bed and start the season!

  201. I may be the only person in the nation that is Brady indifferent. Having said that, I do not believe Brady won anything today, and if you do you misinterpreted the ruling. This was about the process. The NFL lost more than Brady won. Reason I say that Brady did not win is because the haters are still going to hate and the lovers are still going to love. Nobody’s opinion of Brady is going to change about this today, but everybody’s opinion of the NFL and Goodell was confirmed today. Like I said in a previous post best way to handle appeals going forward is to hire a full time arbitration officer whose sole responsibility is to hear appeals of fines and suspensions handed down by the league, and to confirm that this officer stays neutral his or her salary should be paid 50% by the NFL and 50% by the NFLPA. Further the person should be somebody outside the league not an owner or a former player.

  202. New England Patriots.

    Fighting against and beating petty tyrants since the start of the American Revolution, which began on the Lexington Common in New England.

    Goodell and your minions, underestimate us at your own peril.

    Losers.

  203. pixeleto,

    Your comment reflects that of the majority of fans outside of NE. Its pretty clear that, aside from the headlines, you have not read any of the documentation. As a Patriots fan, the only thing that the NFL won was the PR war – and you’re a perfect example of that.

    The judge’s job was not to determine whether or not Brady was guilty or innocent of the charges – although, if you read the judge’s report (which you obviously didn’t) he made it pretty clear – but whether the NFL had the right to punish him in accordance with the Commissioner’s “unlimited powers” under Article 46. However, the judge said throughout the proceedings that those powers did not include due process and fundamental fairness.

    P.S. If you (pixeleto) realize the significance of this case to all of the teams and players in the NFL , if they should somehow win the appeal, you might change your mind because YOUR team could be next!!! BTW. Who IS your team – Bills, Dolphins, Jets?

  205. Patriots fans are all over Goodell for daring to suspend Brady, but conveniently forget that he DESTROYED the spy tapes. Nobody ever got to see the full extent of the Patriots cheating, because he flat out DESTROYED the evidence for his good pal Robert Kraft.

  206. And Savage Lizard YOU forgot that the Patriots lost their No. 1 draft choice, the team and the coach were fined. Then, the team went on to go undefeated in the regular season. So, its time to move on. When the new commissioner sent a letter to every team – because they were ALL doing it – and said they could no longer film from the sideline, but rather had to do it out of sight of the fans (BTW. That’s how every team in the NFL do it now), BB was the only coach we know of who continued to do it. They made a mistake, admitted guilt, apologized and paid a big price.

  207. fsu01 says:
    Sep 3, 2015 9:07 PM

    I may be the only person in the nation that is Brady indifferent. Having said that, I do not believe Brady won anything today, and if you do you misinterpreted the ruling. This was about the process. The NFL lost more than Brady won. Reason I say that Brady did not win is because the haters are still going to hate and the lovers are still going to love. Nobody’s opinion of Brady is going to change about this today, but everybody’s opinion of the NFL and Goodell was confirmed today. Like I said in a previous post best way to handle appeals going forward is to hire a full time arbitration officer whose sole responsibility is to hear appeals of fines and suspensions handed down by the league, and to confirm that this officer stays neutral his or her salary should be paid 50% by the NFL and 50% by the NFLPA. Further the person should be somebody outside the league not an owner or a former player.
    ———————————————-
    As a Pats fan I can’t agree more. Well said. The passionate on both sides were never going to accept the decision one way or the other. But, the one thing everyone learned was just how slimy Goodell and his minions are. Nobody in their right mind should ever again believe a word that comes out of his office.

  208. 📠THIS JUST IN📻
    The judge that is taking Goodells Newest appeal will be none other than they JUDGE Berman, Sounds about fair…..right?
    All in the “integrity of the game”
    😘💍💍💍💍🙌

  209. GREAT no one wants him there to begin with, soar loser as well as a puppet for certain teams that hate the PATS because they keep winning. I know for a fact that the YETS, Ravens, and Dolphins wanted Brady out for the 1st four games because that’s the only way they would have a chance of maybe winning the AFC East. You know the league would love for the YETS to wim it because of the large T.V. Market they have for high cost advertising money for the NFL. It’s all about the BENJIMANS the game comes 2nd to the CASH. Cut Goodell’s pay from 35 Mil to 15 Mil and donate the rest to medical research to cure a disease instead of giving it to that cancer agent Goodell

  211. Chicken xxxx move on your part, Commish. Whattya gonna do if the Patriots win SB 50? You gonna back out of presenting the trophy? (BTW: I think Brady’s guilty of some knowledge of this whole escapade. The NFL screwed this whole thing up the same way the LAPD screwed up the OJ murder investigation by not getting the blood vials to the lab in a timely fashion…i.e., we may never really know.)

  212. I think fans all over are mad at Goodell for taking the fun out of football. That is his big fail to me. He gets credit from writrers who say the NFL has made much progress with Goodell, but to me football has become like processed food. Expensive, and most of the goodness has been sucked out of it.

  214. It makes sense for Goodell to stay away. No one likes him and we don’t want the game disrupted. Someone needs to start selling Fire Goodell t-shirts.

  217. Well, one thing we’ve learned, is that he isn’t suicidal. I am not even from the Boston area, but after the stunt he’s pulled, I would avoid the north east for a decade or two.

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