I don't get people defending the Patriots. Since when did cheating become OK if it "didn't matter anyway in the result of the game". or "it was only a half a PSI, or a ton of other excuses Patriots fan will cry. So what they are saying is it's OK to cheat and the only reason people complain is because everyone is jealous. Using the excuse that it doesn't matter because everyone does it, doesn't fly either. If you can prove a team is cheating, prove it and they should be punished evenly across the board.
Perhaps it's my jealousy taking, but didn't the Patriots get caught cheating twice now? When does it stop being jealousy and start being a pattern of behavior? It seems like it would be pretty easy to look like a genius, Belicheck, if you have film of the team's signals and you know what plays the other team is calling. Perhaps he didn't have the videos when he was with the Browns.
Also, please stop with the Peterson and Rice comparisons. Neither of their issues had anything to do with their in game play or cheating. Both committed acts outside of the game, yet both were punished by the game, formally and informally. Rice, IIRC, had his contract terminated and has not been able to find any further employment within the game. Peterson was out for a year and now is having similar issues figuring out where he will play. Both of them suffered severe punishment for their behavior, deservedly so. Brady got a 4 game suspension. Personally, I don't think that is a particularly severe punishment for cheating in a playoff game, regardless of it's effect on the outcome. The crime is the intent of the action not the effect. It is still a crime even if a person is trying to kill someone, but misses the shot. It's a different crime(attempted murder instead of murder), but still a crime.
Brady was involved in deflating balls to gain an advantage. Belicheck videotaped the Jets to get their signals to gain an advantage. Even if neither action resulted in an actual advantage, they still tried to gain an illegal advantage, nonetheless.
Definition of Cheating
1) act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game or examination.
Hmm. Sounds like the Patriots were cheating. I am jealous of the Patriots winning as much as they have. I can admit that, BUT what they did is still CHEATING. When you have a pattern of behavior like this, after a while, you have to start to wonder if all their winning is a result of honest skilled play or habitual cheating.
I didn't video tape opponents signals. I didn't deflate balls. I didn't make them cheat. They only have themselves to blame and deserve what they have gotten.
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