The NFL has done the right thing regarding the NE Patriots cheating last weekend. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the cheating what it was:
"This episode represents a calculated and deliberate attempt to avoid longstanding rules designed to encourage fair play and promote honest competition on the playing field."
And he imposed a stiff fine - $750,000 in total fines; $500,000 for the coach and $250,000 for the team. In addition, the team will forfeit draft choices. If they make the playoffs, they will lose a first-round pick. If they don't make the postseason, they will give up their second-and third-round picks.
It was important for the integrity of football that the NFL not look the other way and slap the team on the wrist.
*But maybe it was just a slap on the wrist.
How can the league not suspend a coach who oversaw and condoned such cheating? Any player in any league found cheating is instantly suspended. Why should a coach be different?
Answer - he shouldn't be different.
Perhaps the most important thing to come out of this, however, is this - The Patriots are forever diminished in the eyes of the American people and their actions cast a shadow over every win* they have ever had.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't trying to figure out the signals of the other team an accepted and traditional part of baseball?
Is this something that is specifically against the rules in football?
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The Patriots are forever diminished in the eyes of the American people and their actions cast a shadow over every win* they have ever had.
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That's New England, right? I'm not really into the cult of pro sports.
Maybe their actions had something to do with the "Patriot Act." They thought they could tap into the other teams signals.
And that's not even the worst cheating scandal in sports today.
One of the two leading Formula 1 auto racing teams, McLaren, was found to have cheated at the expense of the other, legendary Ferrari.
Specifically, the Ferrari chief car designer (who was either bribed or had a grudge against his team; we don't know yet) gave blueprints to the McLaren chief car designer -- and apparently, some of those Ferrari-designed parts ended up on the McLaren cars. Furthermore, McLaren's lead driver, Fernando Alonso -- the two-time defending world driving champion -- apparently knew about it.
Here's a penalty for you: a fine of $100 MILLION (that's not a misprint), and a loss of all prize money and payments for travel to the races (which, in the glitzy world of Formula 1, is probably not much less than the fine).
You're right, in comparison to that, the penalties Commissioner Goodell gave the Patriots and Coach Belichick (which weren't bupkis) were a slap on the wrist.
I'd bet that any team in the NFL would gladly trade $750,000 plus their next year's first round draft choice for a Super Bowl victory. And that's what this is about.
This is not only specifically against the rules, the rule was re-sent to all teams before the first real game of the year. That re-sending was a result of New England doing the same thing last year, but getting away with it then. And coach Belichek "mis-interpreted" the rules? Only in a bizzaro-world could one call "the rules don't apply to me!" a "mis-interpretation.
The Commissioner gave his buddy, owner Robert Kraft, a gentle pat on the wrist. And the coach's fine? That's 1/12 of his annual salary. I imagine he'll get a bonus if the team goes to the playoffs this year.
So, now, it'll happen again. The penalty is just like the fines for speeding more than 20 mph over the limit. We all know how well that's worked.
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