Like most of us, I believe in punishment.
Like most of us, I believe the NFL needs a tough guy in charge.
But not this. Not strength with a lack of wisdom. Not toughness without judgment.
Like most of us, I have applauded suspensions whenever they have occurred, and I have cursed those who dared to protest their sentences in the face of logic. The world is a loony bin, and sports along with it. We have lived through murderers and rapists and drug abusers and cheaters and point-shavers.
And so, when a commissioner dares to say “enough,” I am usually right there with him. Ray Rice was not over-suspended. Nor was Adrian Peterson. Nor was Pete Rose. Nor was Alex Rodriguez. Nor was Bill Belichick. I grow weary of athletes who use the rule book for origami. I grow tired of athletes who cheat their fans, their teams, their sport.
But four games for Tom Brady?
Really?
On what planet does that make sense?
Look, I’m not a fan of the New England Patriots. I think the Belification of the NFL is one of the worst things to happen to the league. Belichick glowers at the media, and 31 other teams think that’s the key to his success, so they glower at the media. Belichick makes a joke of the injury report, and 31 teams think that’s why the Patriots win, so they make a joke of the injury report. Belichick marches through the careers of his best players, cutting them without a second thought. And 31 teams think that’s how it’s done, and they march through the careers of their best players, cutting them without a second thought. The league can only copy the worst traits of the New England coach, and because of it, much of the soul of this league swirls down the drain on a regular basis.
And while I admire what Brady has done, I’m not particularly one of his fans, either. Great quarterbacks either strike a chord in you or they do not. Johnny Unitas did, Bart Starr did not. Dan Marino did, John Elway did not. Joe Montana did, Troy Aikman did not. I can certainly applaud the Super Bowl rings, and how Brady has won with a constantly evolving roster. But no, I don’t have his face on a t-shirt. I don’t dislike him. I’m just not a recruit in his army.
But since when does taking a little air out of a few balls amount to a similar punishment as a drug suspension? Or worse?
Supposedly, this punishment is for Brady’s part in deflate-gate, a misdemeanor if the league has ever seen one. Remember, this is an NFL that laughed back when George Allen was spying in parking lots. This is a league that looked the other way when New England allowed a convict to drive a snow plow onto the field to make way for a field goal kick. It is a league of winks and eye rolls, where teams that aren’t cheating aren’t trying.
And suddenly, the air in its footballs is precious.
Hey, I don’t doubt that Brady had something to do with this. It defies logic that so many balls on one sideline were suddenly under-inflated, but all the balls on the other sideline were fine. It defies logic that the quarterback would have no knowledge of this, that it was some random equipment guy.
But instead of the league treating a guy who ran a red light as if he ran a red light, the league is suddenly in the hands of the hanging commissioner.
So, no, the opinion here isn’t that Brady was framed, or any of the other things that his fan-boys are spouting. I don’t believe for a second that he was.
But how about the punishment fitting the crime?
Isn’t that a concept?
If NFL commissioner-light Roger Goodell had any sense of justice, he would have rapped Brady across the knuckles. A game. Maybe two. A fine. Some charity work. An apology.
But one-fourth of the season.
Wow.
This is amazing to me? You know what Michael Pittman, the ex-Buc player, got when he drove his car into that of his wife and child? Eventually, he got three games. Albert Haynesworth once got five for stepping on a Dallas center. Chris Henry once got two games for possessing firearms. Lawrence Taylor got four games for drugs. So did Mark Duper, Darrell Russell, Aqib Talib and dozens of others.
So this is the equivalent of that?
How absurd is that? Goodell has done the unthinkable. He has turned Brady into an underdog, and he has turned his image into that of Judge Roy Bean. Whatever whim he feels, that’s what today’s punishment will be.
The thing is, if you had to guess, you’d guess that Brady would have gotten off easy. He’s a Boy Scout in this league, the most admirable thing about the admirable run of a franchise.
I’ve said it before. The league bears some responsibility in this scandal, too. If their precious footballs are so valuable, why don’t they have them entrusted to a league official. Goodness knows, there seem to be a thousand officials on a football field. Can’t one of them keep a watch on the balls to prevent scuffing and altering or deflating.
Here’s what I want to know. How often does this go on? How long has Brady been draining the air out of footballs? And you know those old Spygate tapes of Belichick? Did any of them catch anyone deflating footballs?
As it is, we get a quarter of next season without one of the NFL’s stars.
Hey, if he hit his wife, I’m all for it. If he used performance-enhancing drugs, I’m all for it. If he was in a gambling sting, I’m all for it.
But Brady?
He’s an air thief. He deflates footballs.
What a villain.
