[Spygate] Easterbrook routs Simmons, King, PFT, etc. --> UPDATE: PFT responds

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spygate)

I figured it'd be free with a t-shirt or thong.

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spygate)

Well, that's obvious.

His brother with a law degree is one of the top legal minds in the US, not one of the top YouTube vid posters.

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spygate)

Well done, Inky.

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spyga

Yep, it's official: Mike Florio -- the only ProFootballTalk.com (PFT) blog scribe who was not recently invited up to ESPN (unlike fellow PFT'er Michael David Smith) -- is trying to bury the "Spygate" scandal, the explosive Pats cheating story that remains unresolved and, therefore, which continues to cut at the heart of both the NFL's and new Commissioner Goodell's integrity (Spark Notes version at end of post):


In the second entry under the heading "POSTED 9:07 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 10:26 p.m. EDT, September 25, 2007:"


EASTERBROOK PUSHING SPY STORY

Though the constant, week-by-week flow of game action is nudging the Patriots spying scandal farther into the background, Gregg Easterbrook of ESPN.com is trying to push the story forward.

In his weekly Tuesday Morning Quarterback column, Easterbrook addresses the prompt destruction of all evidence of past spying that the Pats surrendered last week, and he chronicles his e-mail exchange with NFL spokesman Greg Aiello regarding whether the surrendered materials included evidence of secret videotaping during one of the team's three Super Bowl wins.

The full story is right here. To summarize, Easterbook suggests that Aiello was being evasive. At one point, Easterbrook hints that Aiello might have been playing word games when stating that no evidence of cheating during the Super Bowl exists, since Aiello's representation was made after any evidence of the cheating had been destroyed.

We're not prepared to endorse the notion that Aiello is relying on the tenses of verbs in order to obscure the truth. Despite the league's obvious desire to move forward, we don't think that Aiello would tell an outright lie about this. It would be far easier to simply refuse to answer, as he did with several of Easterbrook's other questions.

The reality here is that no amount of questioning posed to Aiello or anyone else in the league is going to advance the ball as to the full extent and potential ramifications of any cheating that occurred. The only way to really push the story is to find current or former Pats employees who can provide persuasive, first-hand accounts of what the team did and how they did it.

Unless and until that happens, this story has found its final resting place.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


As I've said before here, Florio is a Pats apologist. I'm not sure why he's a Pats apologist, but he is and has been for some time. His favorite team? Trying to curry favor and thus possible access with the (tainted) Super Bowl 'dynasty' of recent run? Trying to help give cover to the NFL for the botched handling of Spygate?

I don't know. I just know that he's a hack where the Pats are concerned.

Let's take a closer look at what he's unsuccessfully attempting to do with the above quoted entry:

1) Continuing to push his angle that the ongoing Spygate scandal is receding with the intro 'game action pushing story further aside,' etc.

2) Trying to play Aiello against Easterbrook, which would accomplish two things at once: A) Hopefully limit Easterbrook's access to Aiello in the future, and thus give Florio that much more, potentially, of his own time to exchange emails with Aiello, as he often does; B) Try to paint Easterbrook as a 'bad guy' who's attempting to make Aiello and the NFL look bad rather than as what Easterbrook clearly is in this situation -- an intelligent guy who is seeking the truth and who sees the holes (big enough to drive a truck through) in how the NFL has handled and presented the story of the obtaining, examining and destroying of the potentially-further-damaging evidence of Belicheat*'s and the Pats' video library

3) Trying to say that the scandal has 'found its resting place,' based on his own, flawed criteria. That is, attempting to tell his readership to "Move along -- nothing to see here."


It's a solid attempt by Florio, but it fails for a number of reasons:

1) Why am I supposed to believe a guy whose co-PFT contributor just got invited up to ESPN and who is now taking shots at a noted ESPN.com author? Could this just be a case of jealousy or 'jilted uninvited ESPN guy'-itis? Florio might be a little too close to the action to comment without bias on what someone at ESPN is writing about given MD Smith's recent trip to Bristol. This might be one of those instances where a recusal could be in order for the litigator. If I remember correctly, Florio was going to/did work for ESPN for a short period of time and then, himself, 'moved on.' As his frequent attacks on ESPN personalities might suggest, one could reasonably conclude that there remains an ax to grind for the West Virginia attorney where ESPN and its employees are concerned.

2) A lawyer, of all people, is telling the audience that the parsing of words isn't important? That is, a guy who makes a living interpreting and spinning carefully-crafted phrases and documents is telling the reader that 'word games' might not be relevant? I mean, this is the same Mike Florio who discusses all sorts of NFL player contract clauses, right? How dumb do you think your readers are, Mike?

Despite Florio's free legal (and awful public relations) advice to Aiello to simply not answer any more of Easterbrook's questions, the ESPN scribe (Easterbrook) is doing his best to actually get the answers the former/wanna-be ESPN scribe (Florio) seems so eager to bury. That could explain why one is a writer and one is a blogger, or ex-writer.

3) I could have, possibly, excused Florio's feeble post as the blog ramblings of a Pats apologist's but for three other posts in Florio's PFT entries of the day:

A) He is 'publicly' calling for the removal of Surry Country, Virginia prosecutor Gerald Poindexter from his publicly-elected duties. That is, Florio sees fit to seek to overturn the will of the Surry Country electorate. Why? Because Poindexter didn't go after Vick hard enough in his indictments. So here's a guy who wants Vick to face the MAXIMUM penalties for his actions but yet seems, um, 'unconcerned' if Belicheat* similarly faces the appropriate punitive measures for his own (still not fully documented or elaborated by either the perp or the 'judge') illegality. And this guy writes a blog about the NFL, an NFL whose credibility faces far more of a threat from Belicheat*'s actions than the actions of a guy who is already facing federal sentencing and jail time (Vick).

I've used the phrase before, but let me repeat: "selective persecution."

Florio also goes on to 'pass along' that 'many of his readers have suspected' Poindexter is corrupt. Not Florio, of course. Oh no. But 'many of his readers.'

B) Florio repugnantly alludes to Vick's possibly being involved with murder:

- - -
Also, why would Vick say that he has "never, ever picked up a gun and killed anyone"? No one has ever accused him of that.

Officially.

Recently, there were reports linking Vick's Bad Newz Kennels to a guy who was found shot and killed. So is Mike feeling a little nervous about the possibility of an eventual murder charge?
- - -

Sickening. Just disgusting. Sporting News, well, I'm thinking we could see Florio's own version of "The ESPN Deuce" in that instance. Comments like these are the type of things which draw outraged emails from readers and concerns from sponsors. At least that's what my readers have told me. Which leads me to point 'C:'

C) Florio feels the need to explain his "Uncle Rico" nickname for Titans QB Vince Young.

Now, as I pointed out in the first post of this thread, Florio has a history of giving players unflattering nicknames, as was the case with the apparently-now-defunct-as-Florio-attempts-to-go-Prime-Time "Fat Albert" for Byron Leftwich.

Funny how after I mentioned that tidbit here, Florio -- a white male -- is, on the same day, explaining the origins of the demeaning nickname he has decided to give to another African-American quarterback. Coincidental timing, no? And this elaboration comes on the heels of multiple Florio posts blasting Eagles African-American quarterback Donovan McNabb for suggesting that black quarterbacks take more heat in the media than their white counterparts. Florio even went so far as to condescendingly, IMO, use Martin Luther King's words to try to humiliate and denigrate McNabb for his comments.

I'm not suggesting that Florio has some, um, 'crow' he might want to eat, but that concept has been told to me by media friends. His apparent tabling of the offensive "Fat Albert" slur is a good start.

But his callous, fevered disparagement and insinuation of and against two African-American males (Poindexter and Vick) on the same day he seeks to halt the intrepid Gregg Eaterbrook's attempts to get to the bottom of the less-melatonin-possessed Belicheat*'s actions have left a very sour taste in my mouth. As has the extent of his rebukes of McNabb.

I did not want to have to introduce that dimension into my own discussion of Florio's apparently selective views on who does and does not deserve full and complete sanctioning/ousting for their illegality(-ies) or supposed poor job performance, but Florio's words and actions left me no choice:

When it comes to Vick, no stone or indictment must be left unturned. Poindexter should be removed -- against the will of Surry County voters -- because he has not been thorough enough in seeking sanctions against Vick, in Florio's mind.

When it comes to Belicheat*, enough stones have been turned and penalties administered, even though Belicheat* has refused to speak of the matter and we don't even know the extent of his illegality. I have yet to hear Florio call for Kraft to terminate Belicheat*'s contract for humiliating his boss by cheating as an employee. I'd imagine Florio's train of thought on the matter today may have gone something like this: "Easterbrook, desist. We don't need (or want) any more information, understand? It doesn't matter if every single question and conclusion you came to today was correct and logical, qualities I should respect as a lawyer. You're not falling in line with my angle. Your snooping and questioning is hurting my team and my coach. Not to mention I may be jealous of you because you're at ESPN and I'm not. And by the way, screw you guys for inviting Michael David Smith up there and not me! And yes, anyone who assumes I sought (and still seek) FULL contrition from Michael Vick, Pac-Man, etc. and don't care if Belicheat* feels the need to express this same contrition to anyone not a member of the Pats organization or fan base is correct. Suckers. Now go watch my latest television audition, err...I mean...the new PFTV!"

Sorry, Mike. Your rhetorical fluttering duck of an 8-yard out post might suffice in your anti-intellectual (thanks, Tiki) cubby-hole of the internet, but it's an easy mark as the pool gets a little bigger. A fact I'm sure you're aware of, or you might have come stronger at Easterbrook. But you know Easterbrook could eviscerate any such similar literary attempts during one of his bathroom breaks.

One 'would-be Spygate Minimizer' addressed. NEXT...
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Spark Notes version:

PFT's Florio unsuccessfully seeks to have Spygate moved off the discussion table. Florio's issue with Easterbrook may or may not be partly due to Florio's non- or short-lived career with ESPN. It also could or could not have to do with fellow PFT'er Michael David Smith being invited to Bristol recently and Florio's not being invited. In other words, Easterbrook might or might not be serving as a surrogate for all of Florio's potential rage with the company which employs Easterbrook.

Florio, a person whose primary job entails dealing with parsed words, tries to come down on Easterbrook for looking into Greg Aiello's possible parsed words regarding what happened, and when, to the other Spygate evidence videotapes the Pats apparently took their time delivering to the league office.

Florio appears to be a 'selective persecutor' based not only on 2 other posts from the same day he rips Easterbrook, but also based on how he has approached Spygate relative to other disciplinary matters involving NFL personnel, criminal or otherwise. On the same day he seems to want to protect Coach Belicheat* from further recrimination, he both calls for Surry County prosecutor Gerald Poindexter's job and has the gall to throw out that perhaps Mike Vick is worried about a possible murder charge.

On this same day of posting, Florio explains his "Uncle Rico" nickname for Vince Young. Young is another African-American quarterback who Florio -- a white male -- has fitted with an unflattering nickname. The other example I'm aware of being the apparently-now-defunct "Fat Albert" for Byron Leftwich. And Florio's elaboration of Young's nickname comes in the days following multiple dismissive posts by him of Donovan McNabb's claim on HBO that black quarterbacks face more media scrutiny than their white counterparts. I don't think Florio will be getting any congratulatory calls from the West Virginia chapter of the NAACP in the near future.

 

Re: [Spygate] G. Easterbrook FAR > Simmons, King, PFT, etc -> *Update:* PFT responds

You say you're not Easterbrook... but judging by the length of that last post, I don't believe you. Not for a second.

For the record, I enjoy his football stuff immensley. I lose interest when he goes all sci-fi geek, though.

 

Re: [Spygate] G. Easterbrook FAR > Simmons, King, PFT, etc -> *Update:* PFT responds

I wish I could read the thread title, but I speak English, not FORTRAN.

 

Re: [Spygate] G. Easterbrook FAR > Simmons, King, PFT, etc -> *Update:* PFT responds

Florio a journalist? Give me a fucking break. He is an asshole who never steps foot inside of a lockerroom. He fires mud from is basement in West Virginia and doesn't have the stones to face the music.

 

Re: [Spygate] G. Easterbrook FAR > Simmons, King, PFT, etc -> *Update:* PFT responds

Whatever.
Destroying the tapes only makes sense if there was something on them because, otherwise, why not just give them back to the Patriots? I think NE got sentenced to time-served on all offenses back to '01.

 

Re: [Spygate] G. Easterbrook FAR > Simmons, King, PFT, etc -> *Update:* PFT resp

Neither I, nor rokski2, JDV or PhotoshopSDoggy, M.D. is/was/or ever will be Gregg Easterbrook. That I can say with complete certainty.

I do, however, have total respect for Easterbrook's abilities and accomplishments. To him I pay the ultimate respects: He's better-educated than I am, knows more than I know and writes better than I do, particularly in disciplines not involving sports. He's also had jobs I wouldn't minded to have had and likely never will have. And for all that, I congratulate him -- and hope I can reach his level of education, knowledge, career success and writing skill someday. But all those things are a long way off from where I currently sit. Like a rookie left-hander seeking to match the career achievements of Randy Johnson.

Props to him, and particularly props to him for his outstanding work on this incredibly important story. When many in the media are content -- for fanboy or career-coattail reasons -- to let Belicheat*, The Cheatriots, Kraft and Goodell slide, the public needs more Easterbrooks to help flesh-out the facts of this story. This is as big of a story as any I can remember for the NFL in this young century, and certainly during the tenure of Goodell as commissioner.

IMO, Tagliabue let the cheating ways of the 49ers (and, I believe, Broncos) get mostly pushed under the rug. Relatively small fines and draft choice dockings. Well, Goodell is the Anti-Tags, right? So one would think that he would not want to similarly brush-aside serious allegations of illegality regarding NFL bylaws. As Easterbrook says in his column, Aiello told him that the league delivered its light penalties for repeated illegal actions by Belicheat and the Pats. This wasn't a one-time occurrence. So, how many instances of cheating are we talking about here? 3? 10? 100? And when were they committed? In a blow-out win against the Dolphins? In one of the 3 tightly-contested, forever-tainted Super Bowl victories by the Pats? Neither? Both?

There is much yet to be discovered and disclosed in this case, despite the "Pats fanboy"-esque mutterings of the Simmons and Florios of the world. Goodell needs to get this thing right -- all the way right -- in order to get the beginnings of his commissionership on solid, non-Tagliabue ground. That would be my advice to him, anyways.

What the "Spygate would-be minimizers" don't seem to realize is that the more they try to shove this scandal out the door before it's been fully exposed and explored, the more the rest of the metaphorical people in the room are looking to see what all the commotion at the door is.

But as I said earlier, the true responsibility for the PR fiasco lies with The Cheat* himself. It's simple, Bill: Either a) come clean with everything or b) dishonorably step down as coach of a team whose image will continue to suffer with your continued, unrepentant presence. If you step down, perhaps you -- and your team, and your owner, and the commissioner, and... -- will avoid being continually asked about this ongoing scandal. That way, perhaps your continued silence can be acceptable. Perhaps.

But as it stands, it's not acceptable. There are no answers, only more questions. Even if you step down, your owner seeks to terminate your contract or the commissioner seeks your 'nudging' from the league, the questions will remain until they are answered, fully. And the NFL will remain, in the public's mind, about at the same 'trust' level of the NBA following the points-shaving ref scandal of this past summer. That is, about 2 steps up the ladder from the WWE.

Thanks, Bill. Thanks a lot for putting the '*' in the Super Bowl.*

Until this story is fully investigated and reported to the public, pray that Easterbrook and his fellow reporters stay on the case. I've already mentioned some of the media people who won't be going after this story. Is it a surprise that Easterbrook is on the NFL's radar? Of course he is. If I were the commissioner he'd be on my radar, too. But Gregg is doing the right thing, the thing Mark and Lance would have wanted him to have done. And for that he deserves everybody's respect.

Because in the age where the 'naked emperors' discuss coffee, 20-year-old-movies and (huh-huh-huh) 'Shitzu' dogs, Easterbrook remains fully clothed under his own crown.

Let's just hope that Goodell's fledgling regime prefers the clothed guy to the naked ones: We'll all be better for it, even if there is more -- possibly considerably more -- short-term trauma yet to be absorbed in the wake of the stench-ridden Spygate.

 

Re: [Spygate] G. Easterbrook FAR > Simmons, King, PFT, etc -> *Update:* PFT responds

"Because in the age where the 'naked emperors' discuss coffee, 20-year-old-movies and (huh-huh-huh) 'Shitzu' dogs, Easterbrook remains fully clothed under his own crown."

Word salad for one, please.

 

Re: [Spygate] G. Easterbrook FAR > Simmons, King, PFT, etc -> *Update:* PFT responds

I'm out. Gotta track down some more potential leads on this story and get some shut-eye. Long night of digging, reading and writing.

Fenian, man the fort?

 

Re: [Spygate] G. Easterbrook FAR > Simmons, King, PFT, etc -> *Update:* PFT responds