[nolemmings]

Fred,

You do understand that the great majority of civil cases in this country are decided by that exact same standard--more probable than not or more likely than not? Every day in every State people are awarded damages and others found liable using this same standard, and it has been that way for 200 years.

It is truly sad to me that the general populace is so damn ignorant they think every dispute must be resolved beyond a reasonable doubt, and preferably with a smoking, gun, heartfelt confession and four different angles of video or it's simply "not hard evidence". You've got texts where the equipment guy proclaims himself to be "The Deflator" since at least the beginning of last season and that he was given a needle to use, the many other texts where he and another team/equipment guy are repeatedly talking about deflating footballs throughout the season and he'd better be getting new "kicks" and other goodies for his efforts, etc. You've got virtually every QB of any note whose played in the past 15 years stating there's no way Brady did not know what was going on as well as many text references to be him being pleased or displeased with these two equipment guys by the way the balls were inflated in this or that game, and you want to suggest it's not been proven to have happened? Really?

How about this--:

Additional evidence of Brady‟s awareness includes a material increase in the frequency of telephone and text communications between Brady and Jastremski shortly after suspicions of ball tampering became public on January 19. After not communicating by telephone or text message for more than six months (based on data retrieved from Jastremski‟s cell phone), Brady and Jastremski spoke by telephone at least twice on January 19 [the day after the game] 2 calls lasting a total of 25 minutes and 2 seconds), twice on January 20 (calls lasting a total of 9 minutes and 55 seconds) and twice on January 21 (calls lasting a total of 20 minutes and 52 seconds) before Jastremski surrendered his cell phone to the Patriots later that day for forensic imaging. These calls included conversations relatively early during the mornings of January 19 (7:26 a.m. for 13 minutes and 4 seconds),January 20 (8:22 a.m. for 6 minutes and 21 seconds) and January 21 (7:38 a.m. for 13 minutes and 47 seconds). Brady also took the unprecedented step of inviting Jastremski to the QB room (essentially Brady‟s office) in Gillette Stadium on January 19 [the day after the game] for the first and only time that Jastremski can recall during his twenty-year career with the Patriots, and Brady sent Jastremski text messages seemingly designed to calm Jastremski (“You good Jonny boy?”;“You doing good?”).