Patriots Are Nixon of the NFL
By Ed Bouchette Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Good morning,
Some stuff pertaining to the hot topics of the day:
--- That is now two convictions for the Patriots for cheating. One more and the three-strikes-and-your-out rule should prevail and they should join their tight end in the pokey down the road.
--- Robert Kraft’s outburst against the NFL is laughable. First, in January, he said the NFL should apologize if investigators found no evidence that the footballs were intentionally deflated for what the Patriots “have had to endure this past week” before playng in the Super Bowl. Should that be a written apology, Bob, or is the Wells Report enough?
And then after reading that report, Kraft came to an entirely different opinion about who did what to what than just about every other fooball person and fan not living in New England: The Patriots did nothing wrong. Again.
--- Maybe not all of the Patriots did anything wrong, maybe Kraft knew nothing about what was going on. It is hard to believe that micro-managing coach Bill Belichick knew nothing, but even if he did not, at least three Patriots employees knew and one of them is named Tom Brady. They worked for the Patriots and cheated to try to get an edge.
--- Robert Kraft should hire Louis Freeh to do his own internal report on the matter. He’ll get out the facts, for sure.
--- Patriots fans, of course, will point to the lopsided score run up by their favorite team in the second half against the Colts in that AFC championship game after the balls were re-inflated by the officials at halftime. This is supposed to prove what? That they did not need to cheat to beat the Colts? True, but it does not erase the fact they DID cheat, just as they did with Spygate.
Richard Nixon did not need to cheat in 1972 to beat McGovern either but he did, he got caught and he paid a big price. Watergate. It was the start of all the Gates.
--- Bill Belichick or Tom Brady should stand at the podium and announce “I am not a crook.’’
--- Do not think for a minute that the AFC championship game was the only time Brady had those boys deflate footballs. Coaches on other NFL teams can tell you many times all of the shady goings on that occur when they play in New England, including the sudden loss of radio communications.
--- The NCAA calls it lack of institutional control. It’s time the NFL hit the Patriots with the same and issues strict punishment. Loss of draft picks, heavy fines and at least a two-game suspension for Brady. What, they did not come up with solid proof against Brady? They had none against Ben Roethlisberger either and it did not stop Roger Goodell from giving him a four-game suspension.
to read rest of story:
http://sportsblogs.post-gazette.com/...s/201505060006