Recently, the NFL has found some very damning evidence supporting the idea that the New England Patriots may have deflated 11 out of 12 game balls that the team provided for the AFC championship game played this past weekend, in which they defeated Andrew Luck and the Colts.
Whoever defended the Patriots on this issue before this report was released is going to need to change their tune after they hear these details.
Apparently, the NFL has found evidence that 11 out of 12 game balls were significantly under inflated during that game even though referees checked and approved the balls 2 hours before the game started. In depth details about football checks by referees and NFL game ball standards are provided by Chris Mortensen in a great piece he wrote for ESPN — here.
Given the fact that the NFL investigation is yet to be over and won’t be expected to conclude for another few days, its impossible to tell what kind of ruling and punishment the NFL can and would hand down. However, speculation has already begun to surge as to what would be an appropriate punishment for the Patriots team. While some analysts believe that a fine is all that should be handed down, others believe that a second offense such as this should be punished severely with a possible loss of a first round draft choice or suspension.
Judging from how the NFL has handled past issues with deception by a coaching staff, assuming Bill Belichick had prior knowledge of these actions, he could face similar consequences that Sean Payton faced in 2012 when he was suspended for a year for the infamous ‘bountygate.’
It is in my own opinion that the Patriots should be fined as an organization, Bill Belichick should be fined a maximum penalty allowed by the rules (whether he admits that he was aware of the illegal footballs or not), and the Patriots should be forced to forfeit both their 1st round and 3rd round draft pick.
Regardless of whether or not deflated footballs affected the outcome of the game, having 11 out of 12 balls qualifying as illegal stinks of intentional deception on behalf of the Patriots organization. Fans or supporters of the Patriots that believe that the game was not affected by the deflated footballs are missing the point entirely. Andrew Luck and the Colts lost the game by 30+ points and no one is saying that they should replace the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
The fact of the matter is that there is no place in the NFL for cheating, especially since players are putting their bodies and health on the line. The result of the AFC championship game is dismissed as irrelevant because of the score and the fashion in which the game was won by the Patriots. However, had the Patriots won the game by a field goal, the conversation would be extremely different.
The facts, once officially released, will make everything clear and if the league finds that the Patriots were guilty of cheating, even subtly, the league should have every right to make sure such a thing will never happen again. Making an example of the 2-time offending New England Patriots should be a great start.
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