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New England Patriots Deserve Serious Penalties For Deflate-gate

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Getty Images

At this point the media is in an absolute frenzy in response to the Deflate-gate scandal surrounding the New England Patriots. All NFL fans are aware at this point that the Patriots deliberately deflated their footballs for quarterback Tom Brady to have a better grip on the ball in the rain. With the Super Bowl approaching this story will dominate headlines and make media day for the Patriots an interesting spectacle for sure. But now the question remains, how significant should the punishment for the Patriots be?

Fans have likely heard every side at this point. Patriots fans emphatically point out that they likely would have won the game anyway. This is true of course, but it distorts the initial point. Forget the score and the fact that the Patriots were winning the battle up front on every single snap. Bill Belichick failed to show honor in preparation for this game. It’s one thing to do what you can within the confines of the rules, like they did against the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round of the playoffs. But the audacity to even attempt something like this is not only foolish, but disrespectful to the game itself.

If this were the first time the Patriots ever got caught cheating it wouldn’t be as severe. But since 2007 they have had to try and be very careful about their image to the media following the spygate scandal. Former co-worker Eric Mangini revealed to the media that Belichick had been known for getting tapes of opposing teams practices prior to games.

Following that revelation the Patriots hushed most doubters by going to four straight AFC Championships and appearing in two more Super Bowls. It seemed that despite the cheating the Patriots’ winning formula was a force to be reckoned with regardless. And following their recent AFC Championship victory over the Indianapolis Colts, Brady was on his way to his sixth Super Bowl, which is an NFL record.

The argument most Patriots fans presented following spygate was that the Patriots had overcome it by having a ton of success following the scandal. But for this whole new can of worms to be presented en route to their sixth Super Bowl is a new pile of dirt that leads to even more speculation from fans and people in the media. Have Belichick and the Patriots been doing stuff like this all along? This is without a doubt the worst time this could occur for the Patriots, with the media spotlight on them as they head to Glendale, Ariz.

It takes a certain audacity to even attempt this. The whole reason this scandal was unveiled is because Colts safety Mike Adams intercepted a pass and noticed it felt funny. With that in mind, did the Patriots think they could get through the entire AFC Championship without having a single turnover? It’s incredibly arrogant but it’s undeniable that this entered their minds.

Shame on Belichick. Shame on the Patriots organization. And shame on Brady for acting like the question was ridiculous the first time it was presented to him. In all likelihood the Patriots will receive punishment in next year’s draft. But if they win the Super Bowl, is that punishment sufficient? If that’s the case Belichick would likely see the decision as valid and have no regrets.

The NFL has been given a difficult task. What punishment is too harsh and what is too light? Should they suspend starters in the Super Bowl for a quarter or even a half? Many would say that’s too much. Should they lose draft picks? Many will argue that’s not enough. It’s a complete circus in the NFL right now, and it all could have been avoided if the Patriots had just played by the rules. It’s shameful, outrageous and a complete embarrassment to the game of football as a whole.

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