Report says that Deflategate was a "make-up call" for Spygate: The bad press for the New England Patriots continued Tuesday when a report was published to ESPN.com linking the team's Deflategate punishment to their 2007 Spygate scandal.
The report delves into the gritty details of the Spygate scandal, and features interviews from league executives and anonymous sources. It also shares information that had never been publicly shared, including the destruction of recorded footage and stacks of notes regarding opposing teams' play signals. While the exact number of recorded games was never determined, it's estimated that about 40 games were taped by the Patriots during the "Spygate era."
During a meeting with NFL owners shortly after the destruction of the tapes, Roger Goodell told his bosses that from that day forward, cheaters would be "dealt with forcefully." Fast forward seven years later, and the Patriots' harsh punishment for Deflategate makes a little more sense.
The commissioner's decision to make an example of one of the the league's most esteemed franchises and one of its most iconic players, was, according to one quoted NFL owner, a "make-up call."
Goodell open to changing role as NFL's disciplinary judge: Roger Goodell is the most powerful man in the NFL, but the league's commissioner said he'd be willing to sacrifice some of his power in regards to the NFL's disciplinary policy.
In an interview with ESPN's Mike & Mike Tuesday morning, Goodell admitted that his role in player discipline has "become very time-consuming."
"I am open to changing my role," Goodell said. "It's become extremely time-consuming, and I have to be focused on other issues. I've discussed this with owners."
Goodell went on to say that the NFL needs to improve their discipline system and that the league could employ designated officers to handle disciplinary matters.
"I want to get to a better discipline situation," Goodell said. "I have had discussions with the union. … The courts are not where we should be having these discussions. A designated discipline officer or panel to make the initial decision would make for a better system."
Giants finally meet with JPP: The New York Giants met with Jason Pierre-Paul Monday for the first time since a July 4 fireworks incident that caused the defensive end to lose his right index finger.
In addition to their first face-to-face meeting since the incident, Pierre-Paul underwent a physical that will be evaluated by team doctors. Once a determination on the 26-year-old's health is made, the two parties can begin to negotiate Pierre-Paul's $14.8 million franchise tender.
The two sides will look to find some middle ground. The Giants will want to be off the hook for the entire $14.8 million given that Pierre-Paul's injury was suffered off the field and will likely cause him to miss games. Pierre-Paul, on the other hand, will want to avoid being placed on the reserve/non-football injury list because it'll ultimately cost him $5.5 million.
Since the injury, Pierre-Paul has been working with defensive line coach John Blake to improve his pass rushing technique. His work with Blake has the former pro bowler confident in his ability to still be effective, even with his injured hand.
Seahawks do not want to trade Chancellor: The Seahawks are preparing themselves for life without Kam Chancellor. However, the team is not interested in trading the Pro Bowl safety.
"I don't think we're going to have him at all this season," a Seahawks player told ESPN. "They will just collect his salary until he folds."
Chancellor, who is dissatisfied with his current contract, has been holding out since the start of Seahawks training camp. He has three years left on a four year deal, but his salary currently ranks 16th among NFL strong safeties.
Despite teams inquiring about potential trades for Chancellor, head coach Pete Carroll says that the team has no interest in a trade.
"There have been a couple phone calls from other teams, people just kind of wondering what's going on," Carroll said. "We really are not interested in talking to them about that, so we don't."
Chancellor, who is still recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum, expects to play in Sunday's regular-season opener. But if he doesn't appear at the team's practices this week, backup Dion Bailey will start in his place.
