“Integrity of the game”… THIS from the league that’s changed the way defenses play in order to favor the offense. Why? To enhance the experience of fans involved in what amounts to online betting (fantasy football). The NFL changed their on-the-field rules to promote BETTING!

Gimme a break: “integrity of the game”. But back to “cheating”, which just happens to be a tradition carried out since the early days of the NFL….

The National Football League has kept many instances of “cheating” low key, because to be honest, they concerned teams (and/or players) few really care about in the grand scheme of things. But while the League and the media’s decided to make an example of the New England Patriots, the NFL’s integrity is shit and there are many examples that have occurred south and west of Connecticut and Rhode Island….

New York Giants, Ben McAdoo fined $200K total for walkie-talkies
Okay, it’s 2016. Who uses “walkie talkies” anymore? Your average young person is probably Googling as we speak to find out just what we’re talking about here. Sorry, but a “walkie talkie” isn’t something we bring with us wherever we go, let alone just happen to have a set ready during an NFL playoff game.

Or maybe some teams do…?

Atlanta Falcons lose 2016 pick for pumping fake noise
For those out there who actually know something about the game, increasing crowd noise can adversely affect the play-calling ability of the visiting team’s offense and special teams, most often resulting in frequent “false start” and/or “delay of game” calls (resulting in negative penalty yards) and a disruption of the team’s rhythm and making scoring more difficult.

Packers’ Aaron Rodgers prefers overinflated footballs, likes to push the limit
Probably not as easy to notice if referees and the League aren’t tipped off.

Chargers fined $20,000 after ‘Stickum’ towel inquiry
In wake of Chargers Stickum accusations, some NFL alums say cheating is part of the game
Talk about a mixed message: the NFL said the use of “stickum towels” wasn’t a violation, fined them anyway, meanwhile former players say cheating is business as usual. A sentiment that doesn’t match the anguish of the sanctimonious.

Speaking of stickum, as mentioned in a previous post….

Jerry Rice on stickum use: ‘All players did it’
Cris Carter: If Jerry Rice used stickum, he cheated
San Francisco 49er Jerry Rice wasn’t just another player. His resume was a no-brainer when it came to voting him into the NFL Hall of Fame. Whether or not he deserves an asterisk next to his name is a discussion that may be coming sooner, rather than later.

And as for holier-than-thou, Mr. Integrity Cris Carter…?

Cris Carter admits to bounties
Whoops.

But while the clueless in the media (who I often point out couldn’t tell you what division the Tennessee Titans are in but yet are experts on the Patriots’ “history” of cheating) point their fingers of guilt at New England, there are teams whose notorious reputations for cheating are quite extensive and documented.

According to the website Your Team Cheats*,

“So you think there’s only one NFL team that cheats? You’re wrong. All 32 NFL teams cheat. Yup, even your favorite team is a dirty cheater, but since they are not that good, nobody really cares.”

Great point.

Its creators rank each team’s documented “cheats” for severity — the Patriots actually fall in the middle of the pack among the NFL’s biggest cheaters at No. 15. Also — and we’re sure this is purely coincidental — here are the top four cheaters in the NFL, again per the site’s arbitrary rankings:

1. Denver Broncos
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. New York Jets
4. Indianapolis Colts

Coincidentally, those four teams probably would be considered the Patriots’ four biggest rivals. Not only that, the New York Giants — who have defeated the Patriots twice in the Super Bowl — come in at No. 6, and New England’s other biggest rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, come in at No. 7.
— NESN, 5/15/15

And one can’t fault the Patriots in not trusting the ability of the League to fairly conduct an investigation when internal, anonymous NFL “sources” arbitrarily release juicy little tidbits to the media for the expressed purpose of leading public opinion in a desired direction.

The investigation found the footballs were inflated 2 pounds per square inch below what’s required by NFL regulations during the Pats’ 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, according to sources.
— ESPN, 1/21/15

The other 10 balls that reportedly were two pounds under may have been, as the source explained it, closer to one pound below 12.5 PSI.
— NBC Sports, 1/25/15

Meanwhile, Fox Sports and NBC Sports have cited unnamed sources who claim that an unidentified attendant who took 24 game balls into a bathroom before the game is being eyed as a person of interest in the scandal.
— MSNBC, 1/28/15

In conversations I’ve had with several key sources who always have a good sense of what goes on at 345 Park Ave., there is little doubt that Goodell considers Brady’s role in DeflateGate a serious violation.
— New York Daily News, 5/8/15

If the NFL is really interested in the public’s perception when it comes to the “integrity of the game”, then they shouldn’t go about making cheating appear to be something isolated to ONE team and then whisper selective, incriminating, albeit circumstantial evidence to manipulate public opinion.

A fish rots from the head and that starts with Roger Goodell on down and when it comes to the “integrity of the game”, also take a look at the half-assed officiating. The Dallas Cowboys would probably agree.