I’ll skip the discussion of the travails of the actual incident in questions. It’s pretty much blatant and obvious. I’m going to move right on to my opinions of the NFL’s response. I think it’s a total sham. What a freaking crock of excrement.
First and foremost Belichick doesn’t have even have to pay his fine because the Patriots are doing it for him.
Secondly, Belichick earns $4.2 million per year so even if he HAD to pay it, it’s about 12% of his salary. In that regard, it’s pretty minor. Sure, nobody wants to lose 12% of their salary, but I’d see many people giving up 12% for my Vince Lombardi trophy. This fine is insulting to the fans and the other teams.
Thirdly, Belichick has been accused of this in the past and has been warned in the past. He went and did it anyway. That’s a pre-meditated offence and deserves the harshest punishment for him and his team. I don’t believe for one second that the team wasn’t aware of his actions. I think it’s fantastic they got busted. I hope it serves as a distraction to their entire team. (I feel bad for their fans and ex-players because now their entire legacy under Belichick is now tarnished and in question.)
Fourth, the annual revenue of the New England Patriots is $250,000,000 (on an estimated worth of $1.1 billion dollars) — yes about $250 million dollars per year. So a $250,000 fine is 0.1% of their annual revenue. Yes, ZERO POINT ONE PERCENT of annual revenue is the amount of their fine. That’s probably a day at the concession stands at best, or maybe the take for parking. It’s a disgrace.
Fifth, the draft picks are a minor detail. They should be, at minimum, barred from the playoffs for a year or three and possibly have their last title stripped from them too. Belichick should be suspended for a year or two and not be allowed to coach or attend any games. The league needs to make a huge statement that it will not tolerate this sort of behaviour. This is far worse than what has been done by the players and it creates a double standard.
I’d cheat every game if I were disposed to be a cheater. What the NFL has done is create a situation where it pays to cheat. It’s absurdly disgraceful. They need to do something FAR more severe, but they won’t. For $250k per game, or a few million dollars a year, you can cheat at every single game. Even the team with the lowest revenue rakes in over $167,000,000 per year and is worth 3/4 of a billion dollars.
I think cheating destroys the integrity, honesty, and character of a sport. It’s inexcusable and must be discouraged in a meaningful way.
(Belichick — to catch the people who can’t spell it right)