Patriots scandal shows it takes only one bad action to put integrity on the line

by Dan Oswald

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And right now, the smoke is billowing out of New England. That’s because, once again, the New England Patriots are embroiled in controversy over alleged cheating. If you haven’t heard about “deflate-gate,” you haven’t been watching the news.

The day after the Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game to earn themselves another trip to the Super Bowl, it was discovered that 11 of the 12 footballs supplied and used by the Patriots were underinflated.

“What’s the big deal?” you might ask. Well, the league has rules about the minimum and maximum amount of pressure per square inch that a football can contain. And NFL quarterbacks are notorious for their pregame ritual of carefully selecting the perfect 12 game balls from a large selection offered to them by their equipment manager. Each quarterback has preferences for pressure and feel of the ball.

So when Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said he knew nothing about the 11 underinflated balls and referred all questions to quarterback Tom Brady, it wasn’t all that surprising. But when Brady denied any involvement in or knowledge of the deflated balls, well that raised some eyebrows. A host of former coaches and quarterbacks spoke out in disbelief. Former NFL quarterback and current Fox Sports announcer Troy Aikman said, “It’s obvious that Tom Brady had something to do with this. For the balls to be deflated, that doesn’t happen unless the quarterback wants that to happen, I can assure you of that.”

In fact, former players who have spoken out are so certain of Brady’s complicity in this scandal that one went so far as to say, “I’m so disappointed because I thought this was the perfect opportunity for Tom Brady to go and say, ‘You know what? I made a mistake. I blew it. I’ll take the blame here, and this will go away.’ He didn’t do that. I’m disappointed in you, Tom Brady.”

So why would Brady break the rules to play with underinflated footballs? Former NFL wide receiver Hines Ward said, “It helps Tom Brady, provides a better grip on the football, especially in bad weather conditions like rain.” Which is exactly the kind of weather the Patriots found themselves playing in against the Colts.

What’s more, this isn’t the first time the Patriots, under Bill Belichick, have found themselves surrounded in scandal. During the 2007 season, the NFL disciplined the team for breaking league rules by videotaping New York Jets’ defensive coaches’ signals from a sideline location. It was later discovered that Belichick had been engaged in the practice of illegally taping opponents’ signals since he became head coach of the Patriots in 2000. As a result, he was fined the maximum allowed, $500,000, and the Patriots lost a first-round draft pick. It also just so happens that the Patriots won three Super Bowls during the period they were cheating and haven’t won one since.

First Lady Michelle Obama once said, “We learned about honesty and integrity—that the truth matters . . . that you don’t take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules . . . and success doesn’t count unless you earn it fair and square.” These are words that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick need to hear.

Both have enjoyed incredible success throughout their careers. Their accomplishments stand at the top of their respective professions. Yet both have a cloud that hangs over them. There are many who believe that their success has been achieved by cheating. There are many who question their integrity.

Integrity is choosing your actions based on values rather than personal gain. I’m not convinced this is something that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick understand. It’s like Benjamin Franklin said, “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” I’m afraid their actions are enough to call into question their integrity.

So why spend this time revisiting a topic that has been so overdone in the news? Because there is a lesson in it for all of us. At some point in your career, you’ll be faced with a decision. You’ll have an opportunity to make a decision that will take you down one of two paths. If you make the wrong decision, you’ll be risking your reputation. You’ll be putting your integrity on the line. If you make the right decision, things might not work out the way you’d like, but your good reputation will remain intact. Here’s to making the right decision.