Not harshly enough at all. That's the worst kind of cheating. Yes, knowing your opponents play calling has a huge effect on the game, and throwing away a few draft picks won't affect a team with as much talent as New England. I'm really pissed, because obviously they have only been caught twice, but they have done it multiple times. I'm a Colts fan and I used to have respect for our New England rivals... but I have lost that entirely.

New England Pats will win the super bowl this year....


Im a pats fan...im not mad Because Other teams got warned Also...So Idc

If the whole team Took Roids i would not like football anymore

What they did is equivalent to playing madden against someone who looks at all the plays you pick. It is a huge advantage. The penalty was way too light.

I am sure other teams do similiar things, although I am not sure they go to the extent of using spy equipment. However those teams haven't been caught.

Teams with integrity don't do that. It's dirty, underhanded, and they deserve no respect from anyone.

The only reason anyone cares is 'cause it's the Patriots and everyone hates them for winning 3 superbowls in 4 years. Every team does shady stuff like this, bugging the visitor's locker room, taping the other team from the media box or from the stands, sneaking around during practices, signing away players from other teams just to steal their signals. Not to mention all the playbook stealing fiascos in the NFL and in college football.

Heck in baseball stealing signals is just a part of the sport, if you don't like it make 'em more complicated. Putting in complicated rules for no real reason is just stupid, football is overly complicated as it is anyway.

 That doesn't mean you get to do it too.  I don't know about you but when I was growing up I was always told "two wrongs don't make a right".  And its easy for us to just say "oh let it go" but really thats just a cop out and not wanting to deal with the issue.  If teams are doing this then they should be punished, its not an issue of "well everyone does it...".  You make an example of anyone you catch doing it so the other teams get the idea that its not worth it.

Maybe the game is over complicated but what does that have to do with this issue?  The facts are that they have a rule against what they did, they were warned before, and they broke the rule again.  How does the speculation that lots of teams do the same thing change the fact that they broke the rule?

Clearly the punishment is done and over with and the league is not going to make any changes, but I still think its interesting to see the reactions from fans and it seems like a lot of people are unhappy with the punishment that was applied.  Some of that I'm sure is rivalry talking but some of it is genuine.

I don't know how as a Patriots fan someone could hear about something like this and not be absolutely pissed at Bilichick and pissed at the team for doing this.  It taints the championships and makes the entire team look bad, in the end it is always going to be haunting them in the background. And its always going to be mentioned anytime they make the playoffs for the next few years and people will always wonder.

Lets not forget these people are supposed to be role models.  I don't know many people who tell their kids "If you're not cheating, you're not trying to win.".