InmanRoshi;1643509 said:
I disagree. Losing Belichick for 5 games would have been crippling for the Patriots this season. Their organizational structure is unlike any other in the NFL. No other HC has so much influence over offense and defense. Who is even second in command over there since Crennel, Weiss and Mangini left? They would have been rudderless for a month, and while they still probably would have won the AFC East they probably don't get homefield advantage which is huge in a highly competitive AFC.
The difference between the Wilson and Belichick penalties is the same double standard seen throughout the league ... 3rd string WR drops a critical pass or skips a meeting, he's cut to set a tough example. Superstar WR does the same thing, they look the other way. The general public eats the "tough guy" image up, but at the end of the day its all about it's all about who's expendible.
Yeah, it would have been crippling. But those are the consequences.
But, how many of the games they have cheated in have provided them with victories that allowed them to obtain homefield advantage? How much of it is Belicheat, and how much of it is the Pats knowing the other team's defensive signals? They deserved to be rudderless. Afterall they had motors in their boats while others were using the winds.
The difference between Wilson and Belicheat shows you the lack of balls from the commissioner and the fact that you can be buddy, buddy with an owner and have the latter suffer what amounts to really nothing except a punishment in "name only".
It's a microcosm of those who are officers of a corporation commit white collar crimes "earning" millions of dollars, get convicted and sent to a minimum security prison for a few years, pay a small fine compared to what they earn, but still get to reap the benefits of the millions they stole from people in the corporation when they get out.
Although I think this will taint the Pats, and we'll see "cheating" signs all over opposing stadiums by opposing team fans emphasizing this fact, this punishment amounts to nothing more than a slap on the wrist and a joke.