Tom Brady Suspended, Patriots Lose 2016 1st Rounder
Well, the NFL just dropped a bomb on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots…
Filed to ESPN: Tom Brady suspended four games, Pats lose 1st round pick in 2016 and a 4th in 2017, and team fined $1 million, per source:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 11, 2015
In addition to being really good at winning Super Bowls, the Patriots have also been really good at getting caught cheating. Apparently the NFL felt enough was enough, and they decided to suspend Brady for a quarter of the season (which will likely be reduced down to 2 games after appeal), but the real story here is that New England will be without a first round pick in 2016.
That’s phenomenal news if you hate the Patriots, because the 2016 NFL Draft class is really good. There are obviously ways to recoup a first round pick, as the Patriots have done in the past by trading a player (Richard Seymour) for a pick with the Oakland Raiders. However, the league also decided to take away $1 million from the team and a fourth round pick in 2017, so they clearly have had enough of the New England shenanigans.
Plan going into this ruling was #Patriots would accept their penalties. For Tom Brady, an appeal is very much on the table. Would expect it
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 11, 2015
So, the NFL now has to prepare for opening night of the 2015 season with Jimmy Garopollo and Ben Roethlisberger squaring off.
It’s not an unfair punishment for the Patriots, who have a repeated history of getting caught compromising the integrity of the game. Regardless of how it affected the outcome is irrelevant in this case, though it could be assumed most teams are trying to find an ‘edge’ and just aren’t getting caught.
The unfair part of this to some is going to be the suspension to Brady, who got four games based on the NFL’s independent investigation.
What are your thoughts on the suspension and punishment? Fair?