Playing the Game the Right Way

Even when it’s tempting, cheating is never the right thing to do. That extends to sports, no matter how easy it may be to get away with the trickery.

Both teams participating in the upcoming Super Bowl have been accused of cheating. Last season, many Seattle Seahawks players were suspended for their use of performance enhancing drugs. The New England Patriots have long been a top target for controversial league practices. Whether it’s spying on teammates or taking advantage of the rule book, the team has been no stranger to finger-pointers. The NFL recently confirmed that 11 of 12 balls used by the team during its AFC Championship victory over the Indianapolis Colts were illegally deflated. For the league’s top scapegoat, it seems like just another day at the office.

The accusations don’t sit well with either organization. These teams want to win the right way without critics pointing to cheating as the primary source of their success. Coaches of young athletes can use these examples as valuable teaching tools on their team websites. By educating youngsters about the wrongs of cheating at an early age, coaches may prevent this kind of activity in future years.

Patriots accused of deflating footballs

According to ESPN, a spokesman with the NFL confirmed the league’s investigation into the deflated footballs from last Sunday’s game between the Patriots and Colts.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady laughed about the accusation, which he called “ridiculous.” Coach Bill Belichick said that he didn’t know much about the investigation, but is willing to cooperate with the league.

“I can’t imagine,” Belichick told Boston radio station WEEI, according to ESPN. “I really don’t know what to say or know anything about what we’re talking about here. Whatever it is, we’ll cooperate with them the best we can.”

Seahawks players suspended over PEDs

Last season, the NFL suspended a number of different Seahawks players, including defensive end Bruce Irvin, for PED use. Jim Harbaugh, then coach of the San Francisco 49ers, used the spate of suspensions as an opportunity to preach the morals of the game, CBS Sports reported.

“It has no place in an athlete’s body. Play by the rules,” Harbaugh told the news outlet. “ You want to be above reproach, especially when you’re good, because you don’t want people to come back and say - ‘They’re winning because they’re cheating.’ That’s always going to be a knee-jerk reaction in my experience, since I was a little kid. We want to be above reproach in everything and do everything by the rules.”