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Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham greets fans before a game against the Kansas City at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday, September 27, 2009. Martin Griff / The Times. Cunningham and tackle Al Wistert will be inducted into the team's Honor Roll with a halftime ceremony during Sunday's game with nearly 50 other Eagles alumni scheduled to be present. Martin Griff / The Times

(Griff, Martin)

Randall Cunningham has more than enough reason to pay attention to the various scandals involving the New England Patriots and the NFL rule book.

Cunningham — the former Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens quarterback — was at the helm of the 1998 Vikings offense that took the league by storm, led by a passing attack that included Hall of Famer Cris Carter, Randy Moss and Jake Reed at wide receiver.

The Vikings set the record for most points scored in a season — a mark that stood until 2007, when the Patriots, led by quarterback Tom Brady and Moss, broke the Vikings' record with 589 points. That record is clouded by the SpyGate scandal, and that doesn't sit will with Cunningham.

"If you look back to when they were scouting and all that stuff, that was back when I was with the Minnesota Vikings and we held the record for most points scored in the history of the league, 556 points," Cunningham said on ESPN Radio's His and Hers this week. "They broke our record. Now they've got that. There's kind of an uneasy feeling for me, knowing that someone had to manipulate or cheat or do something like that."

As for the two-week-long saga of DeflateGate, which has sparked a league investigation into deflated balls used by the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game victory over the Indianapolis Colts, Cunningham said it's not that shocking in today's sports culture.

"It's part of the game," he said. "I think that when you look at what's happening nowadays, you have to do something about people that cheat. Kids can't take steroids. Pros can't take steroids whether it's the NFL, NBA, Olympics or anything like that. You've got to stay clean."

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MDLombardo@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardo975. Find NJ.com Philadelphia Sports on Facebook