This morning, Jeff Duncan linked to a 2008 Bob Ryan column from the Boston Globe on the Patriots' Spygate Scandal, to which a reader had directed him.
In the short nola.com piece, Duncan compares the two scandals a bit, speculates on how the league might see them as different, and encourages reading the Boston Globe piece to gain some perspective on what's happening now with the Saints.
Make the jump to see what I'd like us to do with these little ditties...
Over the last few weeks, I've read more than a few comments relating the two scandals and complaining about the unfairness of what's going on now to the Saints in comparison with what the Patriots actually did and how Goodell and the league handled that situation then.
Here's how Duncan framed it:
Saints fans will likely argue the Patriots weren't penalized as harshly for their crime/cover-up as the Patriots and indeed they weren't. The Patriots and Belichick received $750,000 in fines and lost a first-round draft pick, but Belichich (sic) avoided a suspension.
I'm only speculating here, but my guess is the NFL must believe the Saints were guilty of a greater crime given the league's emphasis on player safety and the extensive nature of the cover-up, which included the general manager, coaches and players.
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Please go read Duncan's piece, then read the Bob Ryan column, and then let us know how YOU frame it.
Are these two similar scandals being handled differently, or are they two very different scandals being handled very differently (or is the truth somewhere in between)?
I have a pretty full rest of the day ahead of me...watching Louisville take on Florida in the Elite Eight, updating my NCAA (for entertainment purposes only) brackets, compiling the Fleur-de-Links post, and completing my CSC Community Mock Draft write-up, among other items on my "to-do-list", but I promise to check back in on the discussion and drop my own thoughts and responses into the mix.