This is why I believe the league office should have had a discussion on best case-worst case scenarios on the deflation allegations before proceeding. It doesn't seem like they ever considered how it would look if their initial impressions were wrong and the Patriots were innocent. Instead, they ran a smear campaign on a team that did nothing wrong and leaked false information that distracted them from their SB preparation.
I also think this plays a part in why most in the media has been reluctant to point out the ramifications of the league sending out damaging, false information or any of the other lies and misinformation the league has distributed on a regular basis over the last 7 months. If more fans begin to question the motives and decisions made by the league, it damages the product.
As someone noted earlier, it doesn't have to be a preponderance of one-side calls, just when they occur. Look at the two Cowboys playoff games from last season:
- Late in the game against the Lions, a Cowboy linebacker committed what appeared to be straight-forward PI. The officials picked up the flag and Detroit had to punt. The officials also ignored Dez Bryant coming onto the field to argue the initial PI call. Dallas goes on to win.
- Late in the game against Green Bay, Bryant appeared to catch a pass that would have put Dallas on the GB 1 or 2 yard line. After review, the pass was ruled incomplete. Dallas ends up losing.
Both of those calls could have gone either way. Were they just cases of the officials making bad or tough call? That depends on what team you root for. If people begin to suspect the league might be manipulating things, then people will wonder if the NFL wanted Detroit to lose because Dallas-GB would be a much more marketable and competitive game. And maybe they wanted GB to advance because the Cowboys had already beaten Seattle in Seattle and they needed an easier road for the Seahawks to return to the SB.
These scenarios sound far-fetched, but if the perception exists that the league is capable of manipulating games like this, it's bad for the NFL's business.