Well the first step of course is to have an investigative process that doesn’t take 5 years so the people that actually get punished would be the ones that broke the rules. The next step is punishments that impact the team’s ability to win, draft picks and cap space in the NFL, scholarship count in the NCAA. Just look at the Paterno thing to see how rewriting history accomplishes nothing, nobody thought Paterno wasn’t still the winningest coach when he had those wins vacated, there was just an asterisk in the record book, and now the asterisk has been erased so the record book matches what everybody already knew.
In the NFL, each team brings 12 Wilson footballs to the game and uses its own. As such, the Patriots’ offense uses one set of footballs and those are taken off the field when possession shifts. The Colts then bring theirs into rotation. It is not uncommon for teams to try to alter, however slightly but within the acceptable limits between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds, the ball that is most agreeable to their quarterback.
So if New England was actually using an illegally inflated ball, it would only help their offense and not hurt the Colts’ offense.
I think we both agree that whatever the league does has to hurt enough to curb the behavior. I still don’t think the NFL goes far enough with their punishment. I still maintain for every time you are “caught”, there are at least one or two times you have not been caught. It has to hurt to the point of not even trying it. It’s like dealing with children. ..