Before NFL fans commend Roger Goodell and the NFL for taking action against the New England Patriots and Tom Brady and their roles in “Deflategate,” let’s take a look at a few things.
First off, the punishment to the New England patriots is laughable. This is a team that has been caught cheating on more than one occasion. Rams fans know oh so well how the Patriots filmed their walk-through during the Super Bowl. It fell on deaf ears at the time.
How about when they were actually caught doing the same thing later, not to mention stealing the signs from their opponents? They were slapped on the wrist by the league, with Head Coach Bill Belichick being fined a half-million dollars.
Some in the league will tell you that the Pats are suspected of cheating in other areas, if only the league would look harder. We know that will not happen though. In their most recent crime, they were fined $1 million and they will lose a first and fourth round draft pick over the next couple of years.
Wow, I’m devastated – while the Patriots laugh.
The Patriots’ fine of $1 million may seem like a lot to most of us, because it is to most of us. But this is the NFL where “billion” is the word owners use, not “million.” NFL owners enjoy a multibillion-dollar TV deal, not to mention all the other revenue streams that make the NFL what it is today.
The loss of the draft choices is commendable, but when you look at how late the Patriots have been drafting recently, they know how to make the most out of little. With the late pick they have had in the first round, it may as well as be a second-round pick.
Then there is the fair-haired boy of the league in Brady. The report compiled by Ted Well and submitted to the NFL shows that Brady knew some shenanigans were taking place with respect to the deflation of the balls, but he lied about his knowledge and refused to fully cooperate with the league and its investigation by not surrendering his text messages related to the subject.
Brady could have come forward early and resolved this matter with minimal punishment, but if you read the Wells report he made it seem like the ball boys who did his dirty work were people be had barely heard of. Brady not only threw them under the bus, he virtually went out and bought another bus to make sure it did the job.
So what does the league do to him? He gets a four-game suspension. Punishing, isn’t it?
If you think Brady will actually serve all four games sitting out, think again. Brady is sure to appeal, and I predict he will get two games. The league may get pressure to have him sit only to come off suspension to face the team that accused him of cheating, the Indianapolis Colts. That is how this league and its media flunkies work these days.
The “poor Tom” stories will be flying soon, as many will say the penalty is too severe. Hold on. The guy flat out lied from day one.
If you remember when this story first broke, you may remember how mad New England Patriot owner Robert Kraft was. Kraft was so confident, perhaps too confident. He went as far as to demand an apology from all once the investigation was complete and his team was exonerated.
As for the apology, I am wonder now who really is owed one? It’s certainly not Kraft, his New England Patriots, Tom Brady, its coaches or fans who bought into the big show months ago. Time to pay up, But I would not get my hopes up too high, as this is the NFL, where crime does pay. Just take a look at the New England Patriots, their Super Bowl trophies and what they now stand for.
