Deflategate has reached an apex, seeing Tom Brady suspended, The Patriots fined $1 Million, and some draft picks; New England fans are more than upset. Seeing the Messiah of the Northeast treated more harshly than Ray Rice who beat his fiancé on camera worse than Drew Brees beat the Colts in 2011 is something to be upset about. The truth of the matter is, regardless of the actions of The Patriots, these fines and suspensions are far more damaging than the usual slaps on the wrist Mr. Goodell is notorious for.
Many see Brady and The Patriots as scapegoats because of Roger’s lenient policies of the past. It’s true that Goodell has gotten a lot of complaints in the past few years; however, most of this outrage has been for things done off the field. It’s inappropriate for Goodell to try to clean up his image by hobbling a good team for a season just for allegedly deflating a few balls slightly.
The Goodell news about this is that hopefully the NFL will be cracking down on the criminal and immoral activities of its members. Let’s face it, the NFL and The Patriots have more serious problems to think about; for example: Aaron Hernandez who shot a guy in the face and is now getting indicted for witness intimidation and being charged with a double murder in Boston. The bad news is that the NFL looks tough on deflated balls and soft on a woman’s undeniable right to not, I don’t know, be viciously assaulted?
It’s ridiculous that the NFL would choose this as a turning point when they had so many missed opportunities to make right with their policies. Ray Rice was suspended half the time Brady will be suspended. Yes, Goodell did attempt to make it better, but Rice appealed and won. By the way, Kraft and Brady will also appeal and people are already hoping they will be successful. #FreeBrady
Nobody will ever deny that what The Patriots did was wrong – cheating of any kind is always unacceptable. But in the world of sports, everybody has an unfettered enthusiasm and drive to win; many dedicated people that will do whatever it takes. It’s inevitable that these things will happen and that’s why the NFL exists – to make corrections. But when the corrective actions don’t match the crime, then the whole thing goes out of balance and just tips over.
This punishment will most likely be overturned by appeal, but what does that say about Roger’s authority? Yes, he goes out of his way to lay out harsh punishments but they don’t stick? This sudden turnaround from Goodell is his unashamed attempt to shake off the shame involved with the Ray Rice incident among many others, and it’s not going over well with fans and members. Hopefully though this is the marking of a new era of the NFL trying to condone more safe and appropriate actions by its members, and a shift away from its legacy of domestic violence and cheating scandals.