The Road to Glendale: NFL Playoffs discussion

[Jackalope]

No one is taking their AFC Championship away. I don't think the under-inflated balls had that much to do with a 45-7 schlubbing.

The problem for the Pats is that they have gotten caught cheating so many times, oftentimes right before a Super Bowl. (Spygate) If they win, it's just another asterisk.

The issue is, how does the league handle it?

I doubt it would have altered the outcome of that game. It was a thorough ass kicking, more so than is explained by one team using out of spec footballs - but that's largely beside the point, and it's insufficient to examine cheating based on the outcome, it's more appropriate to do so in the light of intent and integrit of the game.

The Pats have been caught cheating before, and allegations have surfaced many times. Belickick's Pats are a team who have demonstrated they're willing to do anything to win, including violating the integrity of the game.

Of course I can't know, but I would be surprised if there weren't more instances of cheating.

Last time, Belichick was find $500K. It appears that hasn't deterred him. This may sound harsh, but I'm leaning towards wanting to see him suspended or banned, for at least a year.

Pete Rose was banned from baseball for what? Gambling on baseball, including betting on his own team. (It would be far more damning to bet against one's own team, in my mind.) No allegations of in-game impropriety whatsoever, as far as I can recall. The man liked to gamble (which is not uncommon in professional sports), and he made the career-ending decision to bet on the outcome of baseball games he had a stake in. For that, he was banned from the game of professional baseball for life, which made him ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, to which he would have certainly been otherwise inducted.

Fining Belichick again is insufficient. Players are suspended for less.

I have no illusions as to whether the league will do so or not. They won't, but they should.