Jared Max: Sports Often Emulate Life -- Many Lie, Cheat And Steal
By Jared Max
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When I initially read about the deflated footballs a few hours after the AFC Championship game last Sunday, I smiled and shook my head. "Belichick! … Again," I said to myself. I sounded like Jerry Seinfeld grunting, "Newman!"
Then, I tweeted:
With all we know about cheating inherent in Major League Baseball -- stealing signs, scuffing balls, pine tar, petroleum jelly, steroids and PEDs -- I am intrigued by the level of surprise, collectively that underhanded "gamesmanship" occurs in the NFL -- our most prolific major North American pro sports league regarding player arrest rates.
Why should we believe that white collar crime does not exist, too?
The NFL is unique among our major leagues in that official game balls are provided by both teams, but neither uses the other's balls. In basketball and hockey, this concept is impossible because possession of the ball and puck, respectively, changes several times every minute.
In baseball, like football, possessions are divided. While the home teams provides each game's supply of official game balls, the teams do not have access to the balls once they have given them to the umpire before the game. As stated in Major League Baseball rule 3.01(c): The umpire shall inspect the baseballs and ensure they are regulation baseballs and that they are properly rubbed so that the gloss is removed. The umpire shall be the sole judge of the fitness of the balls to be used in the game.
Imagine if equipment managers could maintain physical possession of the baseballs that would be thrown by their team only, as games proceed. Lack of trust would be rampant. So, why is this allowed by the NFL?
Unable to think of a worse year in NFL public relations history, it is fitting that this season is ending like this. Super Bowl week will be consumed by "Deflate-gate." Not only will the Patriots' players and coaches be unable to avoid a multi-pronged assault of questions about deflated footballs and cheating, the Seahawks' personnel will be slammed, too. "Will you be concerned about possible cheating on Sunday if the Patriots . . .?" Blah. Blah. Blah.
This story is the most interesting sports story I recall being uninterested in listening to people discuss. Aside from journalists who need to use legal-safe language — words like "allegedly" and "suspected" — this seems a cut-and-dry case.
Guilty.
In regards to what they publicly stated about their knowledge of Deflate-gate, I don't believe Belichick or Brady. Who does? When the claims are this serious, no less following a victory that sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl, what else would you expect them to say?
My father worked his career in the trucking industry. He told me that whenever he confronted drivers about failed drug tests, their responses were uniform. A failed test for marijuana yielded an initial denial. But, after being told that a treatment plan was available that would allow a driver to keep his job, he admitted to smoking pot. But, when confronted about a failed test was for a more dangerous drug -- like cocaine — there was a repeated response: Deny. Deny. Deny.
As insinuated in my rendition of The Band's classic, "The Weight," (titled "Deflate"), I believe that the Patriots ball boy used one of those pins that we affix to a pump to withdraw air. It's short, thin and easy to conceal. My belief is that this practice has been in effect for a long time. And, while we can't be charged twice for the same crime (unless you're Ray Rice), Belichick's past makes him a fair candidate for profiling. He reminds me of somebody with a dirty rap sheet whose successes have outshone his flaws. Until now.
Will Belichick's legacy be similar to that which follows around Barry Bonds or Alex Rodriguez? Generally, fans agree that Bonds didn't need to use steroids to be one of baseball's greatest hitters. Because I don't trust that Rodriguez has been clean since he started playing, I see him differently than Bonds. In this spectrum, where does Belichick fall? Would he be in position to join Chuck Noll as the only NFL head coaches to win four Super Bowls, had he never resorted to unscrupulous behavior? What do you think?
Tweet Jared at @Jared_Max
