Yeah, because that was the only time they ever did it... unless, of course, you read the article and the text conversations, and realize that they had a pay schedule set up for it, multiple payoffs made for it, and it happened often enough for the deflator to feel like he was getting shortchanged from time to time, and get unhappy with Brady personally.
But apparently cheating is okay in your book, as long as it wasn't actually needed in the end, right? And this is only the third time they've been caught cheating in different major ways. Nothing to worry about there. Pete Rose merely bet on games, and created the impression that cheating might be taking place, and he was banned for life. Brady and Belichick get caught, repeatedly, in several Super Bowl years, and that's nothing to worry about. Right? Lance Armstrong should get his titles back, numerous NCAA Bowl wins should be restored to Miami and USC and others, SMU should get their Death Penalty reversed, and boxing should be trusted in all of their results. Right?
And Barry Bonds shouldn’t be a pariah
The Patriots cannot win on their own, and need multiple assists that bend to rules to gain their success. Imagine the number of cheats that we haven't found out about yet. Drugs? Drug testing cheats? Illegal payments to players so that the salary cap isn't violated? (Numerous Pats players took pay cuts over the years "to stay on a winning team", most notably Brady and Mankins and Amendola and Mayo and lower roster players like backup Danny Zolak. Maybe they really didn't, but the Pats still got to stack the roster.)
Ah, The Patriot Way.
Please...probably did something wrong - as stated in the reported, is not a standard of evidence I would want to rely on to punish anyone. The 4 Colt balls tested were also deflated....should they also be subject to fines or banned games? And to even compare this to Pete Rose or Lance Armstrong, is silly. How much did you lose betting on the Colts? Or was it Seattle?
He cheated, so be a big boy and pay the consequences.
I say suspend him for a couple of games and pay a fine which can be used to buy pressure guages that the refs can use. AND change the rules, why two sets of balls, in baseball there is one set, same should be true for football.
Fine him a million dollars, that should cover the ball expense.