Saturday, May 09, 2015

What I Would Do


Earlier this year, New England Patriots Quarterback, Tom Brady, opined on his balls. This is what he said:

"When I felt them [His Balls], they were perfect. I wouldn't want anyone touching those. I would zip those things up, and lock 'em away until I got out on the field and had an opportunity to play with them." It was a response to allegations that someone, perhaps even himself, had, in fact, handled his balls before the quarter final playoff game. Handled them in such a way as to deflate them. (Tom Brady is know to have quite some well-inflated balls.)

Now, we discover that he did participate in the manipulation of his precious balls. He allowed not just one man, but two men to fondle his precious balls before the game. John Jastremski and Jim McNally went all the way with his balls inserting a metal needle into each one in order to relieve some of the pressure and make them easier to toss.

For this act of cheating and subsequent lying, Tom Brady will be suspended from playing in a couple of games sometime next week. Don't get me wrong, I don't know shit about football or give a rats ass about Tom Brady. I do know about playing with balls, and in any other circumstance would have found this much ado about nothing.

But this isn't really about nothing. It's not even about balls. It about cheating. It's about privilege and the idea that you are above the rules. That some people and organizations can get away with cheating because they have the power to intimidate those who are charges with enforcing the rules.

It's not enough to be suspended from a couple of games. That won't stop others from cheating. The game in question should be vacated and then NO Winner should enter the stats for the 2014 Super Bowl. Further, the New England Patriots should be denied access to compete in the 2015 Super Bowl. And then I bet you, no one will every again poke needles into their balls to gain some advantage over their opponents.

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