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They may be Patriots, but they’re not patriotic to the unspoken rule of sports: Don’t cheat.
Following the New England Patriots’ rout of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Conference Championship game on Sunday, there have been a mass of rumors that the Patriots deflated footballs to seal their victory.
This is not the first time the Patriots have been caught cheating under head coach Bill Belichick. In 2007, there was Spygate in which the Pats taped defensive signals from the new York Jets’ sidelines. The team was fined $750,000 and lost a draft pick.
More fines and loss of draft picks could be on their way if the NFL determines that an ESPN report that 11 footballs from Sunday’s game were underinflated by two pounds of air each turns out to be accurate. The NFL would like to wrap up its investigation before the Super Bowl on February 2nd so as to not detract from the game. League officials are “disappointed, angry, and distraught.”
Whatever happens, this years playoffs will forever be tainted by what ifs.
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