Art Rossetti: Brady, Patriots are cheaters; vacate Super Bowl victory
To begin with deflategate was a big deal. Those who say it was minor are way off base. Imagine if a baseball team supplied balls that traveled farther whenever they were at bat.
It gave the Patriots a definite advantage. Softer footballs are easier to control when thrown and easier to catch. Yeah, the day they were caught the Patriots won easily, but how about the week before when they barely eeked out a win over the Ravens?
We’ve seen how cheaters have been treated lately. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens both accumulated numbers that would have gotten them in to the Hall of Fame had both retired at age 34 before ever sticking a needle in their butts. Neither has come anywhere close to getting the votes needed because they were labeled cheaters.
This isn’t the first time the Patriots have been caught in a scandal. Remember when they illegally videotaped other teams’ defensive signals? As Brady approached the line he could call a play designed to exploit whatever the defense was giving him. Now we find out about deflated footballs.
Not only should Brady be denied entrance to the Hall of Fame, but the NFL should vacate the Patriots’ Super Bowl win.
Art Rossetti, Manteca
This story was originally published May 12, 2015 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Art Rossetti: Brady, Patriots are cheaters; vacate Super Bowl victory."