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00000176-770f-dc2f-ad76-7f0fad990000Monday at 5:44 pmEmail Sports at Large

Sports At Large: Dear Tom Brady, Cheating Is Wrong, Even If The NFL Doesn't Seem To Mind

TheBrit_2 via flickr

  It’s hard to imagine New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady leading the team’s Bible study, if, in fact, such a thing exists. But, after the last week, it might not be a bad idea for Brady to get himself immersed in the Good Book, or at least with the seventh verse of the sixth chapter of Galatians.

It’s there that the apostle Paul cautions that a man will reap what he sows. You could argue that the Patriots and their on-field leader Brady have been getting a bit of comeuppance since last Sunday. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that the Patriots have been up to their neck in controversy over whether they deflated footballs they used in their 45-7 pasting of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship game. To recap, an ESPN report indicated that 11 of the 12 footballs used by the Patriots in the first half were dramatically below the low end of pressure allowed by the NFL. Further complicating matters was the idea that the footballs were apparently deflated after they had passed inspection by the officiating crew and given back to sideline staff right before kickoff.

This comes at the absolute worst time for the NFL, which already spent this season battling questions about how it punishes misbehaving personnel in the wake of the Ray Rice debacle. Now, on the verge of its annual bacchanal, the Super Bowl, the league is again in the crosshairs of an examination of nothing short of what is proper sportsmanship. Once again, the leadership of Commissioner Roger Goodell will be scrutinized. He’ll have to demonstrate that the league can thoroughly investigate this matter as well as prove the NFL can properly punish the Patriots if they are found to have cheated the system to gain an improper edge.

The Patriots, already under a microscope after a 2007 incident when they were found to have filmed the New York Jets’ bench to figure out what signals they were sending in, won’t get the benefit of the doubt from anyone outside of New England. Their coach, Bill Belichick, has operated with an air of superiority for some time. Three Super Bowl wins gives you some license, but Belichick can come across at times as if he believes he invented the sport. And that arrogance has been handed down to his quarterback, Brady, who regularly berates officials with impunity.  

It may very well be that sense of haughtiness from Brady that got the Patriots in their present predicament. After New England beat the Ravens three weeks ago, in part, using trick formations that initially seemed questionable in their legality, Brady taunted Baltimore coach John Harbaugh at the postgame press conference, suggesting that he check the rule books. Harbaugh reportedly did Brady one better, by calling Colts coach Chuck Pagano to warn him that the Ravens suspected the Patriots were using doctored footballs. The Colts took advantage of a first half interception to notify the league of their suspicions and here we are.

So, the next time Tommy Brady wants to strut his stuff, he might do well to remember St. Paul, who also cautioned against boasting beyond one’s measure.  Those are rather appropriate words given the situation, wouldn’t you say?