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New England Patriots: Looking at Jets ridiculous tampering charges

By Aryan von Eicken

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The rivalry between the New England Patriots and New York Jets is heating up once again. The Jets have filed tampering charges against the Patriots, arguing that Robert Kraft’s comments about Darrelle Revis is tampering. This claim in itself is ridiculous, but is also a retaliation for the tampering charge the Pats filed against the Jets about three months ago. No matter how good or bad these teams are on the field, the off-field rivalry seems to always continue.

While the Jets haven’t been anywhere close to as good as the Patriots on the field, despite a few close in-season games, the rivalry remains heated. Anyone can see that when these two teams play each other, as both teams are playing with an extreme amount of intensity. Watching Revis go to the Patriots and win a Super Bowl during his first and only year in New England must have been hard for Woody Johnson and Jets fans, and that has certainly given them motivation to spend and improve this offseason.

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This entire debate started three months ago, when Jets owner, Woody Johnson, discussed Darelle Revis going to the Patriots, and stated that he’d “ love for Darrelle to come back” , according to the Boston Herald. This clearly violates the NFL’s tampering rules, as you can not discuss another players return, while he is under contract with another team. Johnson admitted his mistake, but that still does not take back what he said, and while it might have not affected anything, a statement like that could have distracted Revis himself or his teammates during their playoff run.

Dec 29, 2014; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets chairman and chief executive officer Woody Johnson addresses the media regarding the dismissal of general manager John Idzik (not pictured) and head coach Rex Ryan (not pictured) at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

At the beginning of free agency, the Jets did come to terms with Revis and got him to return to New York. The Jets also made a lot of other great personnel moves, that could potentially make them a threat to the Patriots in the AFC East. The fact that Revis returned to the Jets, makes those tampering charges even more valid, as they could have influenced Revis’s decision, even if that is unlikely with someone as business savvy as Revis.

According to the NY post, NFL Rules state that tampering is ” any public or private statement of interest, qualified or unqualified, in another club’s player to that player’s agent or representative, or to a member of the news media.” Johnson’s comments clearly fit into that category, as he openly stated that he wants Revis to return to New York.

Robert Kraft’s statements on the other hand were very different in nature. He simply discussed Revis’s great ability and how he is sad to lose such a talented player. In no way does he state that he wants Revis to return to New England, especially since doing so would be nonsense anyways, since Revis signed a five-year deal with the Jets. Kraft’s statements did not violate any rules and were solely about how talented Revis is, and how therefore it is hard to see him leave, especially to a rival.

Jan 27, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis speaks during media day for Super Bowl XLIX at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Therefore, the charges filed by the Jets are ridiculous. The only reason they filed these charges, is to take some of the heat off themselves and try to pin it on the Patriots. Kraft and the Patriots do not have to be worried at all, as they did nothing wrong. New  York seems to just pour more fuel into the rivalry and heat it up for next year, especially since they do believe that they have chance to be competitive.

In the end the Jets will probably be found guilty for tampering and will have to send a late-round draft pick to the Patriots as compensation. The Patriots are not, and will not be found guilty of any wrongdoing. This simply adds to the exciting offseason of the AFC East, as the Dolphins, Bills and Jets seem to be loading up to give the Patriots a run for their money. It should be an exciting year, but I do hope that it will deal with more legit topics than this ridiculous tampering charge.

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