Re: Gary Cavaletto Serves on Public Board
 

Motivation to keep the Saints out of the game? I don't know. Had he played for, say, the Yankees system I'd be less skeptical.

Re: Gary Cavaletto Serves on Public Board
 

I don't know, man. I believe that this was an intentional no-call. I really do. At best they would have to be completely incompetent, as you said before, in which case, they don't belong officiating games.

But I don't think it matters where he played minor league ball. I'm a life long Braves fan and I had never heard of him until this debacle. I doubt many, if any, in Atlanta remember him either. He's not from there. So I don't see any way of looking at his brief affiliation with the Braves organization as motivation.

Either the league wanted desperately to get an L.A. team in the Super Bowl, after all the toes they stepped on to move those two teams there (which is what I lean toward), or the refs had some sort of Tim Donaghy situation going on, in my opinion.

Re: Gary Cavaletto Serves on Public Board
 

Burn,

I don't want to believe this but damn, it could be true.

Re: Gary Cavaletto Serves on Public Board
 

There can be more than one explanation (including bribery). I don’t know how we prove any of them. Look I’ve experienced all the stages of grief with you. Now I’m trying to think objectively how in the world the two closest persons would let it go. Obviously one was ready to make the call. The other was so adamantly opposed, it forced the other not to trust his eyes.

If it’s not nefarious (no proof yet). If it’s not incompetence (no history). Then it must be error. Maybe he didn’t want a close play to change the outcome. Maybe his angle didn’t allow him to see how far the ball was from TLL.

I don’t know man. But it’ll drive me insane if I keep chasing conspiracies

Re: Gary Cavaletto Serves on Public Board
 

We don't have proof of bribery, but we certainly have reasonable doubt in their integrity, and thus an investigation is warranted. Because it sure looks like either that, or one or more of the refs had a bet on the game.

There is no way, in my opinion, that this could have been the case of a ref not wanting to make a close call... Because it wasn't close. I mean, we see close calls missed, we see not so close calls missed. But this was obvious to the point that it would take extraordinary incompetence, or truly terrible eye sight to miss the call.

So I believe it is nefarious. I just don't think Gary Cavaletto playing minor league ball for the braves for three years, way back in the 70's, has anything to do with it.

Re: Gary Cavaletto Serves on Public Board
 

What it looks like is ANOTHER horribly officiated NFL game. Regardless of reason the league has to take serious action. I’ve said it before - Officiating will drive more fans away than kneeling and CTS combined.

Re: Gary Cavaletto Serves on Public Board
 

Investigations only happen when it suits the shield.

Re: Gary Cavaletto Serves on Public Board
 

I don't know if officiating will do more damage than those things combined, but I can just about guarantee you that the combination of the three will sink the league if they don't get it under control.

As far as CTE, specifically, the damage is already done, because they tried to hide it for years. Actually preventing the head injuries that lead to this is not realistic. They've got all the helmet to helmet rules (even though these rules seem to be selectively applied), but contact to the head is still going to happen. People have to understand that when they choose football, they choose the risk that goes with it.

This was a horribly officiated game, but it went beyond the norm this time. The feeling is almost unanimous across the country, so it isn't just Saints fan blinders talking. The league needs to be investigated for tampering with the outcome of games, as well as covering up numerous scandals (or attempting to). And you know they won't investigate themselves. It would be nice if some outside entity would step up and do it.

Re: Gary Cavaletto Serves on Public Board
 

The NFL is not a sport. It's not football, as a game. It's entertainment, as a business.

I never wanted to think the games could be 'arranged', but unless this issue is addressed in the open I don't know how I could ever come back as an enthusiastic fan.

I will always love and follow the Saints, but with this cloud maybe a little bit, or a lot more, casually.

It wasn't just Cavaletto. There were other men on that field who also didn't see the most blatant PI any of us have ever seen. It doesn't pass the smell test.

Too many talking heads just blowing it off as if it were any other missed call. They're protecting their paychecks by protecting their sources by not pressing the league...because they too know that something with the end of that game just wasn't right.

Maybe the league was involved. Maybe it was just a SO CAL desire to prop up the rams - a task taken on by the 4 men who could have and certainly should have thrown a flag. Either way, it wasn't just a 'he missed it' situation. That much is obvious. Everyone...EVERYONE...who cares about professional football should speculate openly and brazenly until the league steps up, acknowledges it, and takes some action.

Re: Gary Cavaletto Serves on Public Board
 

I'm a conspiracy theorist! :popcorn: