What should the NFL do about Patriots cheating?

[Rich]

I don't know all the facts of the case

And yet still decide to grace us with your opinion.

[MaineDolFan]

I find a few things about this story amusing.  Call me silly, maybe it's the former detective in me, but I'm a facts guy:

>> Eleven of the 12 footballs used in the first half were judged by the officials to be under the minimum of 12.5 PSI, but just one was two pounds under. Many of them were just a few ticks under the minimum

Source:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000466783/article/more-details-on-the-investigation-of-patriots-deflated-footballs

>>2 PSI is less than the weight of a dollar bill.  Reference John Brenkus, Creator, Executive Producer and Host, ESPN's Sport Science:

http://media.weei.com/a/101371627/dale-and-holley-john-brenkus-from-espn-sport-science-1-28-15.htm

So, after all this, I believe Brenkus (who doesn't have an axe to grind or a "horse in the race").  Additionally, after all the hoopla, it turns out only one ball was 2psi under, the rest were "only a tick" which, and, per Brenkus, all are easily explained.

Objectivity, at times, is a lost art.  I understand the Patriots are the center of all evil which runs through the planet, but man.

[MikeO]

^^ 11 of 12 Pats balls are under pressure but NONE of the Colts balls are under pressure. On that field on that day in the same weather condition the Colts balls stayed "legal" while 11 of the 12 for NE were under pressure.

Hey Maine, I got a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell ya!

[CF DolFan]

Whether a person is a fan of NE, the Colts or whatever I really don't understand any argument that is was ok. Even if every single person in the NFL knew about it they wouldn't have the rule, and QBs would care, if it didn't help them in some way. It's cheating and as Joe Montana stated only one person cared if it was deflated and would have had them deflated. There is no freakin way Brady didn't purposely break the rules.

[Phishfan]

>>2 PSI is less than the weight of a dollar bill.  Reference John Brenkus, Creator, Executive Producer and Host, ESPN's Sport Science:

http://media.weei.com/a/101371627/dale-and-holley-john-brenkus-from-espn-sport-science-1-28-15.htm

This would be great if the weight of the ball has anything to do with the reason it gets deflated. No one cares about the weight. The grip is the purpose for deflation.

[Pappy13]

>> Eleven of the 12 footballs used in the first half were judged by the officials to be under the minimum of 12.5 PSI, but just one was two pounds under. Many of them were just a few ticks under the minimum

I actually hadn't heard this before and this does sway my opinion a bit that it's possible that NE didn't tamper with the balls, but still 11 of the 12 were under the minimum when none of Indy's were and that was after several teams had already notified the league about under inflated balls and was the main reason the league checked them again at halftime in the first place. So the fact that only one was 2 pounds under and was not the norm still doesn't change the fact that almost every single one was under inflated to some degree. That still sounds like a pattern to me. I'd still have to go with this was done purposely and not merely a coincidence. Couple that with the fact that the ball boy was videotaped going into the bathroom with the balls and you have enough circumstantial evidence that the balls were tampered with. So on this point I'd have to say that this still meets the beyond reasonable doubt standard used in courtrooms.

[Sunstroke]

...I understand the Patriots are the center of all evil which runs through the planet, but man.

They're not the Yankees, but they're definitely on the Evil High Council...

^^ 11 of 12 Pats balls are under pressure but NONE of the Colts balls are under pressure. On that field on that day in the same weather condition the Colts balls stayed "legal" while 11 of the 12 for NE were under pressure.

This would be great if the weight of the ball has anything to do with the reason it gets deflated. No one cares about the weight. The grip is the purpose for deflation.

How dare you two confuse the issue with logic!!

[Spider-Dan]

With the result of yesterday's game, I think the NFL is now in a position where they cannot do anything to NE.  It would come very close to delegitimizing NE's win (and this entire NFL season).

This will be swept under the rug with frightening speed.

[Brian Fein]

^^ Bingo.
If they were going to do "something" it should have been done prior to the Super Bowl.  Any discipline now basically puts the old Barry Bonds asterisk on the 2014-15 NFL season.

Thanks for ruining football, Brady.

[Fau Teixeira]

*

[Pappy13]

I'm not so sure. If he does nothing then he's going to take it even bigger in the shorts then if he punishes the SB winners. I think the majority of people want him to do something big and if he does nothing they are going to scream that it's only because it's the SB winners and that he's playing favorites with Kraft. He almost has to do something big now or the backlash is going to be even bigger than it would have been had they not won the SB. If NE didn't win the SB it would have been easier to slap them on the wrist because the heat they would have taken wouldn't have been as bad. With them winning the SB, if he doesn't punish them harshly people are going to assume that it's because they won the SB. Peyton got a year, but Belichick won the SB so he doesn't get punished? How's that going to fly?

I think the big factor is going to be the owners themselves. How badly do the owners think that the Patriots should be punished? If most of the owners are on board with punishing them, Goodell is gonna oblige them if for no other reason to avoid looking like he went light on Kraft. I know that a lot of people are not happy with Goodell, but how do the owners feel about him? I haven't seen much negativity from the owners. I think he's doing pretty much exactly what they want and he'll do it again here, SB or no SB.

[Spider-Dan]

[Brian Fein]

I really don't like the comparison between Payton and Belichick.  Sean Payton got suspended for a year because his team was deliberately trying to injure opposing players.  This directly undermines everything the league has been trying to do with recent rule changes and gameplay protocols addressing player safety.   They can't have a loose cannon coach out there deliberately headhunting opponents, and at the same time, preach about enhancing player safety.

On the other hand, let's assume for the sake of argument that Bill Belichick was the mastermind of this scandal.  Let's say he manufactured the deflating needles, tested the process, built the shady private deflation room, and hired the minion to do the dirty work.  Its STILL not as bad as headhunting opposing players.  Not even close.  Its cheating, yes.  Its against the rules.  But it has no impact on player safety, or any other league initiative.  (If anything, it enhances the league's effort to increase offensive scoring per game).

So, to compare Sean Payton's 1 year suspension to this deflated ball scandal, to me, seems like apples and oranges.

[Spider-Dan]

Belichick is a repeat offender.  That makes it worse.

[MikeO]

I really don't like the comparison between Payton and Belichick.  Sean Payton got suspended for a year because his team was deliberately trying to injure opposing players. 

The comparison is the correct. Payton had no knowledge of the bounty scandal but since it was his team and he is the defacto CEO of the team he got punished. Same here, if Belichick didn't know that's not the issue, he is the defacto CEO and he has to take the fall.