The Patriots Are A Shame

A few minutes ago, I got a text from buddy of mine. It read, "Did you just get that ESPN notification? The Patriots had 11 of their 12 balls under-inflated."

I had to turn off Friends (it's a nightly ritual with my wife that's better than watching The Bachelor, okay?) and pop open my laptop. Sure enough, my Twitter feed had exploded with the latest opinions on "DeflateGate." Rightfully so, Bill Belicheck and Co. are being called cheaters. And, for once, I'm with the majority opinion. 

I'll be honest, when I first heard the deflated ball rumors, I was convinced they were exactly that-rumors. I thought the Pats were better than that. Besides, it seems like everybody these days wants to point fingers at the refs or the opponents to blame for their loss. It reminded me of how everybody was up in arms during the Lions-Cowboys game a few weeks ago with that controversial pass interference reversal. Fans were simply blowing something out of proportion that shouldn't be. 

However, as this rumor persisted, with pretty boy Tom Brady denying the balls being deflated all the while, it was apparent that something was different about this scandal. And, as Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported, there is substance to it. NFL sources have informed him that the balls were indeed deflated. 

I understand that the Pats probably would have still beaten the Colts. That AFC Championship was a joke, and Indianapolis didn't look like they even belonged on the same field as New England. But, what about the Baltimore game? What about all of their close games for that matter? Would they have won had they not been cheating? 

Let's not forget about the Spygate scandal a few years back. This team has a history of cheating. They don't deserve to be in the Super Bowl. If I were Roger Goodell, I'm putting Baltimore or Indianapolis up against the Seahawks. I'm banning team management and Belicheck from football. After all, Pete Rose was banned from baseball for betting on his team. It's about time that the NFL shows some backbone and takes care of these clowns. 

Okay, that whole banning bit may have been a little bit overboard, but you get the picture, right? I still don't think they should be allowed to play in the Super Bowl. I'm not changing my stance on that. In all seriousness, there needs to be some kind of investigation with that organization. Any time that a team has more than one cheating scandal in less than ten years, they need to be investigated. What else have they done, or could be doing? They could have been cheating during every single one of their championship runs. I'm sorry, but I just don't trust one word that comes out of Belicheck and Brady's mouth anymore. Also, there should really be some kind of investigation on the refs. How could they not tell that the balls were deflated? The only reason that it has all been brought to light was because of an Indianapolis interception. Are the refs really that clueless?

I just hate cheaters. Always have, and always will. There is no room for cheating in sports. Those who do cheat should pay the price. 

That's why I'm glad they are facing Seattle. If they aren't punished, Seattle is going to lay a whooping on them much worse than what the Pats put on the Colts. And, guess what? They don't need to break the rules.