By Christian Steiner

The New England Patriots are the reigning Super Bowl champions and have received the Lombardi trophy three times in a row. They are known for their winning streak and their win against the Indianapolis Colts during the AFC championship of last year’s playoffs seemed no different from their others.

However, during this game, it has also been concluded that they intentionally deflated balls- a direct violation of NFL rules.

The team has been under investigation since it was found that all twelve balls used during the game were under the 12.5 PSI minimum set by the NFL.

Attorney Tom Wells was assigned to the investigation and reported last week that the deflation was almost certainly intentional and it was probable that quarterback Tom Brady was involved.

The New England Patriots were fined $1,000,000 and lost a first-round draft pick in 2016 and one in the fourth-round during 2017. Brady has also been suspended for the first four regular-season games of this year.

The punishment comes after the Commissioner faced criticisms for his handling and involvement of the Ray Rice scandal and claims of being in the pocket of Patriots coach Bill Belichick who has been suspected of cheating numerous times before.

Many question Goodells moral judgment when Ray Rice was only initially suspended for two games after a video was released showing him dragging his limp wife through a hotel. It almost as if Goodells is just trying to prove that he’s not a pushover and is taking it out on his punishment on the Patriots.

Tom Brady will be appealing this suspension as the evidence was inconclusive to his involvement. The NFL has the right to punish prior to reasonable doubt as it isn’t a legal establishment. However, his involvement and suspension truly would put a damper on his hall of fame worthy career.

Another reason for the harshness of the league is that this is the team that went on to win the Super Bowl and it speaks poorly of the league and the team if they did so dishonestly.

The million dollars is nothing to the Patriots who have the third highest budget in the NFL. The hardest hits would be the loss of their star player and super bowl MVP Tom Brady and two draft picks.

A first round draft pick is one of the most important contributions to teams each season. The Patriots are not getting that chance to reorganize or even trade the draft for a new player. The fourth-round draft pick is not nearly as highly regarded or omnipresent, though it speaks heavily that Brady himself was drafted in the sixth round.

The Patriots have enough talent to survive four games without Brady, but the blemish this leaves on their franchise and public outlook will weigh heavy.  There are many defenders of the team -as they have a diehard fan base- and everyone likes to cheer for the winners even when they did so fraudulently.