The NFL had to punish Tom Brady and the Patriots

There are plenty of people that feel as if the NFL was unjustified or extraordinarily harsh on Tom Brady and the Patriots in regards to deflate gate. Brady forced the leagues hand and it had to respond in such a manner. This decision was paramount to the Brand of the NFL itself, and I'll gladly explain why. It's also important to remember that the NFL has always been self-serving, and will protect "The Shield" by any means. With that said, I don't disagree with the rationale behind suspending Brady.

Tom Brady is arguably the greatest quarterback ever to play the game, and quarterback is without a doubt the most important position in the NFL, so in a way you could argue that Brady may be the most valuable player to ever play in the NFL. The fact that his teams have won so often, and played in 6 Super Bowls support that statement. That is also why the NFL had to be harsh in it's punishment, it looks too bad for a player who is one of the primary faces of the league to be caught up in a cheating scandal. There are teams and players that everyday unknowingly break the rules of the NFL. If that was the case here, it wouldn't be a big deal, but intent matters and Tom Brady intent was to circumvent the rules. They had a deliberate scheme to change the pressure in the balls after they had already been officially check. Could you imagine if LeBron James intentionally circumvented the rules in basketball? How bad would that look for the NBA. Sport leagues are their stars, and the NFL could not allow it to appear as if one of their biggest stars intentionally circumvented the rules and won championships and they turned the other cheek. It would be a substantial blow to its brand.

Speaking of brand, despite the fact that it may be a sham, "ethics" matter. If they didn't, Track & Field, Boxing, Cycling, and Baseball wouldn't have lost as much ground to the NFL and NBA as they have done over the years. This deflate-gate situation brought into question the integrity of the league. Even though the overall advantage granted to the Patriots can not be accurately quantified, it still does not allow them to bend rules however they see fit. Integrity is so important to selling the brand of the NFL and sports in general because there is no way to control the quality of the product. No one can predict the quality of a game beforehand, the only thing you have to sell is the fact that both teams have an "equal" chance of success under the rules. If teams and players can change or bend rules they think aren't important, then what guarantee can the NFL provide consumers (ummm I mean fans)? I know for one, I'm not as excited about spending my money on an intangible unknown product, without at least some assurances. If there are no ethics in sports then what is the point? The NFL is a highly regulated league, and all of its regulations do not provide a distinct competitive advantage, and that is not the intentions of those regulations either. The regulations are there to provide uniformity throughout the league, which is important for the NFL brand. We buy into the hype of big games, because those regulations provide assurances that each team got there "Equally", that a win in September at Baltimore, is the same as a win in Kansas City in December. Since every team does not play each other, regulation is even more crucial to maintaining brand equity.

Some people feel as if the circumstantial evidence should not be enough to punish Brady and the Patriots, and that the NFL doesn't have enough "hard proof". The NFL is not the criminal court system, and no where does it state that for punishment players have to be guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. All the NFL and other sport leagues need is probably cause that an infraction took place to act on it. They must do so to protect the brand at all cost. While it may seem a bit unfair to players, that is part of the reason popularity is so high and they make as much money as they do. People bring up allegations that players did in the 60's and 70's and that is part of the reason the league did not make as much money back then, because every potential consumer did not view the league as being "legitimate". That was also the pre-Corporate branding NFL period as well along with no social media. The NFL acts much like any major corporation now, and will do whatever to mitigate collateral damage.  In the NFL's opinion, Brady circumvented the rules intentionally which is a already an egregious offense, then refused to cooperate once the allegations were known because how it would affect him. If he's upfront with everything at the time, it's a possibility that he would have been suspended for a game, which would have been the Super Bowl. That is not lost on the league, which feels like Brady attempted to one-up them. The end result is that the Patriots ended up winning the Super Bowl during the year their star player circumvented the rules. The NFL needed swift and harsh punishment on Brady and the Patriots for that reason.

The Underappreciated Tony Romo

Antonio Ramiro Romo. The name brings up mostly negative reactions from sports fans and critics alike. Why do people dislike Tony Romo so much? If you resent the Dallas Cowboys because they receive too much attention (usually undeserved), I can understand that sentiment. But what I consistently observe from Cowboys "haters" is that they take pleasure when Romo plays bad (which is rare) or when he's hurt. Even Cowboys "fans" were ready to discard him for Johnny Manziel, and make him the scapegoat for every loss. Why does Romo bring out these emotions in people?

Tony Romo is not without his faults as a player, but he's an elite quarterback. I can say that with confidence because there is not a measurement for quarterbacks in which he does not rank well in. He hasn't had the playoff success you'd like, but that's a team achievement. Tony Romo has spent much of his career on Cowboys teams that have constantly been in salary cap trouble and have compounded that by constantly giving out bad contracts. The tide seems to be changing recently, but as a result, Romo has spent much of his career playing on very flawed teams. There has been several seasons (Top-5 worst defense in league history last year), where his play has kept the Cowboys from being a bottom-feeder.

Tony Romo represents everything that is good about sports. Small town kid, with humble beginnings. Allegedly, as a youth he rode his bike in the snow in Wisconsin to sporting events (He was a 4-sport star). From there he went to Eastern Illinois, where he won the Walter Payton Award for best player in 1-AA. Despite his outstanding collegiate career, Romo went undrafted and signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Take a quick look at the quarterbacks drafted over him. For 3 years he was on the verge of washing out the league as Quincy Carter, Drew Henson, Chad Hutchinson, and older versions of Vinny Testaverde and Drew Bledsoe kept him at the bottom of the depth chart. Romo worked on his craft, and received a couple of breaks (he probably would have been the odd man out if Quincy Carter didn't fail a drug test), and ultimately rose to the top of the depth chart. The rest is history. As a player he has been given absolutely nothing. In an era of entitlement in sports, that speaks volumes.

You aren't interested in another underdog story, you say? Well what about the fact that Romo has never been in any type of trouble. His toughness can never be questioned as he's played through an assortment of injuries. I've never seen an interview where he has thrown his teammates or coaches "under the bus" despite having several reasons to over the years. Despite media backlash, he has always been cordial and respectful. He's never disrespected the game of football or a fellow opponent. He's never taken the opportunity to take shots at people who have taken shots at him. He has always been accountable for his play, and has taken accountability for teammates errors as well. If you told me to combine everything I wanted in an athlete, that guy might end up being similar to Tony Romo.

So why doesn't Romo receive the dues that his production warrants. I don't know the answer to that question. In many ways, Romo is more of an underdog than even Tom Brady. Brady was highly recruited, and played at powerhouse Michigan before an unimpressive combine dropped him into the 6th round of the draft. He gets credit for being a classic underdog and deservedly so, but why doesn't Romo. Can he not be a successful story as long as he plays for "America's Team"? Once again, I don't know the answer to that, but what I do know is that Romo is having an MVP caliber year. Casual fans probably would not have known because I don't recall if any mainstream media outlets have even mentioned him for the award. Right now his quarterback rating is 111.4, which is second only to Aaron Rodgers. Improved offensive line play and large doses of  DeMarco Murray has helped his play. Of course it has, but Romo also put up quarterback ratings over 100 running for his life behind makeshift o-lines and with no running support either. Romo suffers from confirmation bias of the fans and media. People formed their opinion of him a long time ago, and never objectively changed it. So they wait for him to make a mistake or play a bad game. Although it rarely happens, when it does that's when they come out of hiding, joyously shouting, "Look, I told you Romo wasn't really all that good"(Stephen A. Smith, I'm looking directly at you). They cling to his lowlights, despite the fact that his highlights drastically outnumber the former.

Wrapping this up, Tony Romo has been a great player throughout his career. He hasn't been perfect, but he's definitely a quarterback you should be excited to go to battle with. At the very least, Dallas Cowboys fans should at least appreciate him. Or maybe we've taken him for granted and have forgotten that Tony Romo saved us from mediocrity. I remember Anthony Wright, Clint Stoerner, Hutchinson, Henson, Carter, and Ryan Leaf. Without Romo, we may have toiled in a dark place for a decade much like the 49ers did before Harbaugh. Tony Romo does not have to be your favorite quarterback, but enough is enough. Start giving the man the respect that he has earned. Keep on hating the Dallas Cowboys. As a fan of another team, that is your right, but when it comes to Antonio Ramiro Romo there should be some appreciation.

Extra Thought: I used to dislike Romo seemingly nonchalant attitude, but I've come to respect him as someone who has a great sense of priority and what's important in life as I've gotten older. The following quote is well-stated.