I read an interesting analogy the other day.
Think of this Patriot’s season as a Ferrari. Sleek, beautiful, perfect, a joy to watch perform. How does hte cheating scandal fit in? A seven inch scratch on the side, and no matter how much you paint it, polish it, whatever, you can still see the scratch. Doesn’t take away from its greatness or performance but is an unsightly (and unecessary) flaw. No matter their likely perfect record and extraordinary performance, the cheating scandal will be a part of the legacy.
I have to admit (not being a fan or enemy of NE, just enjoy watching them play) that I get a huge kick out of NE fans —the team got caught cheating yet somehow they convinced themselves that everybody else is the bad guy. Kinda like Clinton.
While I like the analogy in regards to Patriots detractors, there was no elongated denial campaign.
They admitted the infraction, took the hit financially and draft-choice wise, and have gone on to win more games undefeated in a season than any team in NFL history while simultaneously dealing with the pressure of today's instant, anything-big-or-small-is-news environment.
What else could they have done? Said that no matter what happens this season, "...any success we achieve is illegitimate."?