Five words from Roger Goodell’s pithy remarks Saturday at the Hall of Fame explain where the NFL’s head has been at since January 18.

“The rules apply to everybody,” Goodell said as part of an answer about how an alleged minor equipment violation will impact the legacy of the most accomplished quarterback of the modern era.

Why would Goodell feel compelled to even point out that “the rules apply to everybody?” Who is under the impression that they do not? What would be the relevance of standing on that parapet when explaining his decision in a quick, drive-by interview?

Because this is all about symbolism. That this is about the “criminal” and not the “crime” is so much at the forefront of this case that the words fall from Goodell’s lips with ease.

Brady in particular and the Patriots in general have been targeted because of who they are, not what they allegedly did. This isn’t a parochial viewpoint. Even if you have a Patriots-themed urinal in your bathroom, you’d have to concede that the persecution of the Patriots and Brady has served a greater purpose for the NFL on multiple fronts.

The rules apply to everybody. The perception is that the Patriots flout them.

This case has shown the NFL will spend months, millions, untold man hours and aggravation and produce a ruling that was going to clog up the federal court system to show they won’t put up with the scofflaw Patriots.

The gist of Ryan Grigson’s fawning email to NFL VP of Operations Mike Kensil was that the Patriots so routinely cheat that the Colts GM needed Kensil, hero’s cape fluttering in the wind, watching over everything from his press box perch: “all the Indianapolis Colts want is a completely level playing field. Thank you for being vigilant stewards of that not only for us but for the shield and overall integrity of our game.”

The Patriots so routinely cheat that the whole league knows it. That was the accusation from Colts equipment man Sean Sullivan in his email to Grigson which was forwarded: “it is well known around the league that after the Patriots game balls are checked by the officials and brought out for game usage the ballboys for the Patriots will let out some air with a ball needle because their quarterback likes a smaller football so he can grip it better…”

The Patriots cheated us was the message from John Harbaugh the week prior to the AFC Championship Game as Harbaugh complained about the Patriots gadget formation: "They're an illegal type of a thing and I'm sure that (the league will) make some adjustments and things like that. …It was clearly deception."

Earlier that week, Don Shula was calling Bill Belichick “Beli-cheat”, Shula’s latest submission in a late-in-life campaign to discredit Belichick that says more about Shula than it does about his target.

What’s the common thread that binds these ankle-biting whines together? Or those of Marshall Faulk, Kurt Warner, Bill Polian, Eric Mangini, Mike Tannenbaum, Ryan Clarks, Joey Porter, etc. we’ve heard through the years? They all lost to the Patriots. And justification for losing in games of huge import couldn’t just be, “We got beat…” but “They cheat…” The drumbeat’s been going strong for more than a decade.

Go medieval on the Patriots, even for this, and see if the howling slows. Or if the Patriots shrivel a little.

The rules apply to everybody. Apparently, there was doubt. Not now. Who better for Goodell to prove his toughness with than Brady?

Waving an investigative endoscope (for which Brady would not bend over) and then following through with a massive punishment, Goodell took a sledgehammer to the notion he wouldn’t go after an icon. And Goodell quells the whispered perception among the league’s black players that race is a factor when it comes to discipline.

The rules apply to everybody. Even the organization owned by the man who shepherded Goodell to his position.

In planting his flag on Integrity Hill, Goodell and the league office showed the other 31 franchises he isn’t tucked in Robert Kraft’s jacket like a pocket square.

Most effective in bringing that dynamic to the fore was Richard Sherman who, on the first day of access at the Super Bowl, scoffed at the possibility of Deflategate discipline. "Not as long as Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell are taking pictures at their respective homes ... talk about conflict of interest."

Shiny object dangled, we in the media took the bait and made a day of it. And the rabbit-eared league heard every word. Talk about backed into a corner.

Not that the behind-the-scenes dynamic was any different when it came to Kraft-Goodell appearances.

Check out the congratulatory line of opposing owners happy to backslap Goodell for making and then sticking to the punishment given the Patriots. Logical to assume that, if Goodell hadn’t, he’d have pissed off every one of them.



“The integrity of the game is the most important thing,” Goodell said on Saturday. “The integrity of the game is something we will always protect. The rules apply to everybody. That is my job in particular, to make sure everyone from our players to our coach, to our fans and our partners, that they all recognize we’re going to play by these sets of rules, and that’s part of our values and standards.”





If this was about “integrity” we wouldn’t have so many instances of conniving, deceitful, scummy acts by the league and/or its attorneys since this started.

It’s been about the optics of propping up 345 Park Avenue while chopping down the Patriots. It’s been about symbolism. Words like “rules” and “integrity” are just shields for The Shield to hide behind since we’ve all sniffed out what this really is about.