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The Ballad of an Aloof Fan: Why the Patriots’ loss doesn’t upset me

Tom Lydon
UML Student

And so here we are again. The New England Patriots’ season ended in the Rocky Mountains at the hands of the Denver Broncos. Peyton Manning is on his way to his fourth Super Bowl, hoping to tame the Carolina Panthers and draw even with little brother Eli. Meanwhile, Tom Brady goes into the offseason with the NFL still wrongfully on his tail for the most pointless “controversy” in NFL history.

So, does it make me a bad person if I say I didn’t really care?

Perhaps I should explain. Ever since Deflategate became a thing, no thanks to the tattletales in Indianapolis and Baltimore, it’s become something that many people, present company included, have grown tired of. There were times where the topic went into hibernation, sure. But when it reared its ugly head, that’s when things started getting unbearable.

First, there was the unveiling of the Ted Wells report, which stated that it was “more probable than not” that Brady was “generally aware” of deflated footballs.

Then, it was Brady being suspended by the NFL for four games, with fines and lost draft picks levied against the entire Patriots organization. Owner Robert Kraft accepted the punishments, but the NFL still upheld its suspension of Brady.

There’s also the legal battle overseen by Richard Berman, but we know how that ended.

That’s just the basics of the Deflategate saga so far. So, you may be sitting there and saying to yourself, ‘He’s probably just burnt out on Deflategate news.’

And you’d be right. At least, you’d be partially right.

From the time the NFL announced its suspension of Brady up until it was overturned by Berman, the NFL issued several other suspensions for off-field actions. These included a lot of what major sports leagues deal with on the regular. However, if you thought about it, something seemed off. Many of these suspensions were the same length as, or even less than, the punishment that Brady received for his alleged involvement.

The case of Greg Hardy is a good example of this. Originally suspended ten games for domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend, the suspension was cut down to four games following a legal battle. This, for those keeping score at home, is the same amount that Brady received.

Or, if you want to look further back, there’s the initial suspension of Ray Rice two years ago. Rice was suspended two games at the time, while Brady was suspended for twice as long a year later.

And therein lies the big reason why the NFL has angered me so much in the recent months. Inadvertently, the NFL equated Deflategate to offenses like domestic abuse, drug scandals, and illegal ownership of firearms. In some cases, they’ve alluded to the notion that Deflategate is worse than those. That, in and of itself, flies in the face of all common sense. Deflating footballs is in no way worse than being convicted of domestic abuse. It’s not even remotely close to being that bad.

The point is that I spent so much of the offseason being angry with the NFL that it essentially diminished my ability to care about the outcomes of games. It’s sad, because I’ve been following the NFL ever since I was a kid. To see it where it is now…making up scandals while there are real issues damaging its reputation…is both disappointing and frustrating. And it took a lot out of my love for the NFL.

Which brings us all the way back to the Patriots’ recent loss. For what it’s worth, I’m still a Pats fan in the end, regardless of the criticisms and accusations they’ve received. I will continue to regard Tom Brady as the best quarterback to play the game today. And, yes, I sympathize with all of you and feel for the Pats, Stephen Gostkowski in particular. But as disappointing as the loss was, especially with how it ended, I can’t find the emotions to be too upset over it. You can blame the NFL and its ineptitude for that.

As for Super Bowl 50?

Well, let’s just say I’m interested as long as it’s not another case of the Broncos getting blown out like Super Bowl XLVIII was.

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2 Comments

  1. Conor McCarthy said:

    This was the worst article ive ever read. First of all, its judge BERMAN, not Richard Sherman, the corner for the seahawks. Dumbass. Second of all, if you dont care that the patriots lost, then you arent a real fan, let alone an “aloof” one. Your article is offensive and stupid. Go write more dumb articles and stop watching sports. Loser.

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