Bench Bill

I hate to return to the blog with another Roger Goodell related post, but here goes. What is even more loathsome are some of the arguments against punishing the Patriots and Bill Belichick.

Some people are defending the Pats by arguing that everyone tries to steal signals. They point out that sign stealing is an accepted, maybe even celebrated, part of our national pastime - baseball. The difference between trying to steal signs and using illegal methods to steal signs is that the Patriots broke the rules. That's it. If the Pats want to steal signs legally, go ahead. When preparing for exams, students often try to figure out what questions will be on the tests. I was never very good at it, but I had one friend that was fairly proficient (no, I'm not saying he cheated). What's the best way to figure out what's on the test? Well, go steal one! I knew a different kid in high school who went in to talk to a teacher, and when the teacher left, he snooped around and found a copy of the test. He still had to be able to answer the test questions, but that wasn't nearly as difficult because he knew the exact questions he had to answer ... so he could prepare more efficiently.

Roger Goodell punted an excellent opportunity to send a message to the NFL. Not only did he not go for the jugular, he shanked the damn thing out of bounds. In his punishment of the Pats, he essentially said that the integrity of the league is less important than the image of the players. The legal system is in place to help Goodell keep tabs on players. Goodell is THE authority on NFL related matters and he needed to make people understand that cheating (which directly impacts the league and it's credibility) is not acceptable. His punishment reeks of apathy towards the issue. Apparently, coaches taking HGH is a bigger deal than creating after being warned that such actions would not be tolerated.

Perfect.