I got to hear the punishment announced on my way home and it was stunning. The local sports talk hosts, central Texas, were focused on on how great it was that Brady will be back, if the suspension holds, in time for his first game to be in Indianapolis against the Colts, the team that turned them in.
So there is a thought about how the rest of the country views this.
As for me, I am almost certainly done with the NFL, I see it as just completely illegitimate now. We can say how much we love the Pats and pro football but that is just whistling past the graveyard. This ruling was the killer shot that finally killed the NFL, you can miss what you loved about the NFL but it isn't there any more. It is dead, and you are longing for what it was when it still alive.
That is understandable, but we'll all face reality in our own way. I am already starting the process of mentally separating from it.
The league is a dictatorship with a grudge against the Pats, and how do you thrive in a malevolent dictatorship that is judge, jury, and executioner, when you cannot challenge their rulings? You might kick yourself for ever letting them put you in that position, but that is the reality. The investigation was a farce and there was nothing proven against the Pats or Brady, but the hammer came down regardless. I could point out the discrepancy between punishment leveled against the Pats compared to other similar, or worse, offenses, but we Pats fans are already aware of that. This is more proof of that to clear thinkers but at this point it doesn't matter.
I saw the greatest dynasty, greatest head coach, and greatest QB of all time give me some of my greatest sports memories ever, and I thank them for that, but I will not spend any more of my time, money and energy on the corpse that used to be the NFL any more.
So the league found no proven guilt, and exonerated the schmuck and BB, but still hammered the franchise with the most severe punishment ever; we can only imagine what the penalty would have been if they could actually prove something against the Pats.
My hopes now are that Brady appeals the suspension and ultimately sues the NFL and the whole corrupt enterprise is exposed for what it is. Following that, once Brady has cleared his name I hope he immediately retires from the NFL; the league doesn't deserve having him in it.
I also hope BB resigns as head coach of the Pats and announces that he will never take another job in the NFL. I am sure he would be just as happy coaching a college team like Navy. Like Brady the NFL does not deserve BB.
I'll stick around to see how this all unfolds legally, but unless the legal challenges result in Brady and BB made completely whole, and all stolen draft picks and fines returned (except the 1 million dollars, I don't care about that), then I am done with the NFL.
All NFL records, honors, and accomplishments stop today, there will be nothing legitimate to compare to the past NFL going forward from today if this stands.