Rules are rules. That’s what it comes down to.
Rules are to be followed so that every team is on a level playing field, and the NFL can maintain the integrity of the game. You lose integrity, and consequences follow. From fans, TV viewers, advertisers, etc.
That’s why NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell needs to show up and lay the hammer down on the New England Patriots, owner Robert Kraft, and especially head coach Bill Belichick.
Brady and Belichick have had incredible success, but one can only wonder what lines they may have crossed to get there.
Fining both the team and coach Belichick, and taking away draft picks isn’t enough. If it was, we would not be here again.
The Colts believed the Patriots’ footballs may have been tampered with after D’Qwell Jackson intercepted Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the second quarter. He returned to the sidelined and was curious about the pressure of the ball. The word then got passed around to the higher-ups within the Colts organization and then to the league.
At intermission, the officials tested the footballs and 11 of the team’s 12 were under-inflated by two pounds per square inch (PSI), ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported late Tuesday night. Two pounds.
In the cold weather, a few of their dozen football may have lost some air, but not that many — and not by that much. This was done intentionally, but by whom? That’s the big question. Ultimately, it falls on the head coach.
“We use designated K balls,” Colts long-snapper Matt Overton tweeted Wednesday morning. “However we were warned that shitty K balls were being used week prior.”
As NFL investigates Deflate-gate would be wise to speak to Ravens. Some there believe kicking balls used in their playoff game underinflated
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 21, 2015
This wasn’t the first time the Colts were concerned. During their first meeting in Indianapolis back in November, the Colts thought Tom Brady thrown balls were a little light and informed the league, according to the exceptional Adam Schefter of ESPN.
With the Patriots, we have been here before. In 2007, it was “Spygate.” Now, in 2015, it’s “Deflategate” — and makes you wonder what else Belichick and his team has been doing, any number of small items that could boost their chances.
More video taping, locker room spies, listening to opponents’ headsets or to what is said in the coach’s room in the press box. The possibilities almost seem endless. The NFL has inspectors to evaluate the field conditions, measure the goal posts, check the pressure of the footballs, observe player gear, etc. But the Patriots’ history suggests there is more.
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
There’s a reason why at Colts training camp, media is kept to a sequestered spot away from the action in a small marked off area. We could not shoot any video after stretching. (Now, this may have more to do with the paranoia of former exec Bill Polian and Peyton Manning, or the team simply does not want any video getting out to other teams. Especially to New England.)
Bill Belichick, who’s worked in the NFL since 1975, has perhaps seen it all, and knows exactly where he can poke holes in the rulebook. Under his leadership, the Patriots are headed to their sixth Super Bowl. His NFL-best 21st career postseason win came Sunday in Foxborough, where the Patriots manhandled the Colts 45-7.
No, Patriots fans, under-inflated balls would not have altered the outcome. The Patriots were far and away the better team than the Colts on Sunday.
Related: Former NFL ball boy explains the preparation of footballs
This is about a team blatantly breaking the rules for a small competitive advantage that would help the Patriots players grip, catch, and hold onto the football. Patriots or not, playoff team or not, it doesn’t matter. This isn’t about setting an example, either. This is about enforcing league rules and making things right.
Goodell now can have his Adam Silver moment. The first-year NBA Commissioner’s first big decision was the handling former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. A strong suspension and fine was expected, but Silver threw everybody off by announcing that he had banned Stering from the NBA for life.
BOOM.
Goodell doesn’t need to go to that steep of measure, but it’s time for him to be the leader of America’s top sports league like he is. Especially after the incidents that have occurred during the season — Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, official rulings.
Belichick should not be coaching in the Super Bowl, but it’s very unlikely he’ll get pulled from coaching the biggest game of the year. The NFL will want to continue to look into the issue, talk to other teams, players, and complete a full investigation.
It’s no secret how close NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Patriots owner Robert Kraft are. Will it affect Goodell’s ruling?
I have a hard time believing Belichick did not know what is going on. Head coaches know everything because they need to know everything that goes on within the football operations.
What should be done: Belichick should not be coaching next season. Just like Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints was banned from the league for a season, Belichick should be, too. (Maybe it won’t matter. Maybe he retires after this one. Probably not, but you just don’t know.)
Goodell, by all accounts, is close friends with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, making it even more unlikely that he comes down with a penalty of any real significance.
But he should.
It’s not enough to fine him and the team and to take away a couple draft picks. Individuals have to feel a loss to correct their action. Like when Colts owner Jim Irsay was suspended six games this season, the NFL has to take away what Belichick knows and loves: Coaching.
Cheaters cheat. They find a way, at least until they are caught. Then, they find another solution.
Belichick went outside the lines in 2007 and the NFL has found that he has done it again, this time by making it easier for his offense to pass, receive, and possess the football in wet conditions.
The integrity of the game has been compromised. You’re up, Mr. Goodell.