We are quick to judge others before judging ourselves. This has been the mantra taken by many NFL fans and reporters for over the past weeks when looking at the New England Patriots and their star QB, Tom Brady. Brady has been suspended for the first four games of the 2015 NFL season for probably being “generally aware” of the possible deflation of footballs for the 2014 AFC Championship against the Indianapolis Colts. The NFL also imposed sanctions to the team itself, handing then a $1 million fine and taking away their first round pick for 2016 and their third round pick in 2017 for the NFL draft. The public outcry is what’s expected; the labeling of the Patriots as cheaters, and Brady’s legacy tainted in the eyes of many. However, the reality of the events that transpired has been obscured by many, all which make the situation more complex that it really seems.
My Problem with DeflateGate
The biggest problem in this controversy has been the Wells report itself. How many of these so-called “analysts” really read the report in its entirety? How many only read the headlines? If one actually reads the report, in it can be found many obvious flaws, full of contradictory statements, uncertain conclusions and bad science, all based off of speculations. To call this report independent is unequivocally wrong.
Since most of the public only read the headlines and could care less about reading the entire report, or at least hear an entire testimony from someone who actually did, the perception and idea that it’s credible stays the same.
The NFL used this report to punish the Patriots and Brady in unprecedented ways. Whether you wish to admit it or not, the penalties for these probable actions are completely overblown and utterly unfair.
Let’s put things into perspective here. Deflating a football below the required standards has absolutely no competitive advantage whatsoever. This has been proven by how awful Brady performed using deflated footballs in the first half of the AFC Championship, and how well he played in the second half with fully inflated footballs. Breaking this rule should be consider a misdemeanor at most, but the NFL decided to turn this into a full on attack on the “integrity of the game.” This, no matter how many ways you look at it, is wrong.
I don’t care how much you hate Tom Brady and consider him a cheater for this; a four game suspension for probably deflating some footballs is not warranted. The punishment does not fit the crime no matter how much you think he bent the rules. Tom Brady deserved a penalty for his probable involvement, this is completely understood, but for it to be to a four-game suspension is illogical and unjustifiable. Any logical individual who is unbiased and neutral in this can agree.
I’m also curious to know why the NFL is not being more scrutinized for permitting this to happen in the first place. The NFL has allowed quarterbacks for over a decade to make modifications to the footballs as much as they could, and now they are making a big deal out of it? The Vikings and Panthers both tampered with the footballs and all they got was a memo to not do it again. I’m not condoning cheating, but in a league full of it, why are the Patriots the only team who is front and center of it? Why isn’t the entire league criticized? The hypocrisy of the NFL and its fans is showing, rushing in to attack the Patriots only to ignore or not care when others bend the rules.
This entire situation has been a mess from the start, but the NFL made this a bigger deal than it should’ve been by allowing it to turn into a media circus. If this goes to court (if Brady’s suspension is not completely overturned it probably will), and Brady ultimately ends up winning, it will once again come back to Roger Goodell’s inability to be consistent and fair in player discipline. It will show his incompetence and negligence more than it ever has, and it may well be the beginning of the end. With that being said, all these statements are based on assumptions and information that is not certain, so consider them more probable than not.
