The Patriots are either the victims of one of the biggest character assassination attempts in pro sports or they are the Lance Armstrong of the NFL.
On the heels of Tom Brady's victory over commissioner Roger Goodell and the league over Deflategate come two reports accusing the 21st-century dynasty of widespread cheating.
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New England recorded 40 games of opponents from 2000-07 under the auspices of Spygate, refuting Goodell's statement before the Super Bowl in 2008 that the NFL had destroyed six tapes -- some from the 2007 preseason and some from late in the 2006 season -- of Patriots recording opponents to learn their hand signals, ESPN's Outside the Lines reported.
SI.com then released another report about the Patriots, indicating that a number of franchises contacted the Seahawks before Super Bowl XLIX, advising them that they need to have stringent security of their practices because of the opponent.
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"Their message was clear: You're not playing John Fox's Broncos again," SI.com reported was the teams' message to Seattle. You're facing Bill Belichick and the Patriots. You never know who might be watching."
Ironically, Super Bowl XLIX was decided on a perfectly read play by Patriots safety Malcolm Butler, who jumped a Russell Wilson inside pass intended for wide receiver Ricardo Lockette.
The Patriots released a statement in regards the ESPN report, refuting the accusations.
"This type of reporting over the past seven years has led to additional unfounded, unwarranted and, quite frankly, unbelievable allegations by former players, coaches and executives. None of which have ever been substantiated, but many of which continue to be propagated," the Pats said, according to ESPN.
It's possible that the jealousy of the Patriots' success has drawn up the unsubstantiated claims. But with so many accusations against the franchise -- remember, it also seems possible the Patriots' practices are similar to those of Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner who maintained his innocence for years but was finally brought down for PED use after he retired.
The Patriots were discovered to have cheated over Spygate, which may have led to the lynch mob mentality against them.
Either way, it's another black eye against the NFL and the Patriots.
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