One of the first rules in criticizing others is that if you're going to fire away, you should make sure your own house is in order.

That's why, from this viewpoint, Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice looks a bit foolish today.

“This goes back to 2007 -- Spygate,” Rice told ESPN affiliate 95.7 The Game in the week leading up to the Super Bowl. “We already know that in 2011, Tom Brady said he liked his ball underinflated. He felt like he could grip the ball better and also, the ball came out of his hands with a lot more velocity and stuff like that. ...

“So it's just one of those things -- how you want to be remembered, your legacy? It's just unfortunate that something like this has occurred because we should be talking about the Super Bowl. Instead, we're talking about cheating. ...

“I think you have to really put an asterisk on it, because this is going to follow them, you know, for the rest of their lives."

Rice is remembered as one of the greatest receivers who ever played the game, but given his own standards, perhaps we should now put an asterisk next to his own name. That's because, in an ESPN feature last month, he admitted to using illegal Stickum on his gloves during his playing career.

On Saturday, perhaps sensing a rising tide against him, Rice tweeted the following.

I apologize ppl after doing my research about stickum! The NFL banned this in 1981. All players did it! #equalplayingfield — Jerry Rice (@JerryRice) February 7, 2015

C'mon, Jerry. You're better than that.

Like others, such as former Dallas and San Francisco defensive end Charles Haley, you're entitled to your opinion. But here's a suggestion: Take a deep inventory of your own career and how closely you followed the rules before firing away at others.

Otherwise, you might soon be referred to as Jerry Rice*.