Not long ago when we thought of football we thought of toughness, games outside in the snow in December, and the will of the players.
A game where my coach told me “no excuses” has become “we can’t beat them because the ball could be under-inflated.
So 22 men, supposedly tough guys can’t stop the trauma of a potentially underinflated football.
The sad part is that this event blown way out of proportion will now lead to teams playing “tattle tale” as they try and nail each other for tiny infractions.
A true leader in a commissioner would, even if Brady were guilty, have just hit him for an equipment violation and told everyone to “suck it up and get back on the field”.
By reacting to this “little thing” in such a way the Commissioner – and all the owners who support him – have opened the door to more petty squabbles and further league involvement.
I would be ashamed to tell my parents that we lost a football game because the ball may have been soft. The NFL players should be ashamed now if they believe a soft ball can deflate 53 tough men.
In the end all excuses are a form of weakness. If they can prove Brady did something then do it.
Meanwhile the NFL is ripping its own league apart and making itself weaker as a result.