The
New England Patriots: Dirty Cheaters?
By Jake Bailey,
TheSportsStand.com (9/12/07)
No doubt most have heard about the latest scandal
to hit the NFL. I shall enlighten those who have not. The
Patriots recently were caught with a camera on the coaches of the New York
Jets and Eric Mangini turned his former mentor in. This is blatant
cheating and the Patriots are suffering the consequences for their actions.
Not only is it illegal, bu
t
against the spirit of the game and gives a team an unfair advantage.
On top of that, this is not the first time. The Patriots have been
caught twice before, and it wasn't reported in. There is no doubt in
my mind that as of right now, the Patriots reputation has been scarred.
Is this done more often? And was the punishment fair?
Many players have already voiced their displeasure of it, and if I were a player, I would too. Many coaches have been remained mum about it. Perhaps there are more coaches who do this? It leads me to believe that there are. While players must execute the game-plan, the advantage that is given is too big to ignore. There have been other cases reported of similar situations.
Was the punishment fair? I think yes, but it could have been significantly more. The ruling was: a draft pick (1st round if the Patriots make the playoffs, 2nd or 3rd round if they do not), $500,000 to Bill Belichick, and $250,000 to the Patriots team. Wade Wilson, QB Coach of the Cowboys, has voiced his displeasure with the final ruling. The reason that he was suspended was because what he did was actually illegal. For the Patriots, it was quite fair in terms of the draft pick. The loss of a first round pick is huge. Luckily for the Patriots, they have two, the San Francisco 49ers and theirs. They will lose their draft pick in the first round (I'm assuming they make the playoffs). Monetarily, I think that the fines could have been significantly more because Belichick obviously makes a lot of money, and the Patriots generate far greater revenue. Still don't think it's fair? Think about this: It's the biggest punishment in the history of the NFL. Also, Goodell still can add more on to this punishment if he finds out more about this.
I applaud Goodell on cleaning up the NFL. I support his efforts, and wish him well. He is doing a great job as Commish.
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