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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady gestures during an event at Salem State University in Salem, Mass., Thursday, May 7, 2015. An NFL investigation has found that New England Patriots employees likely deflated footballs and that quarterback Tom Brady was "at least generally aware" of the rules violations. The 243-page report released Wednesday, May 6, 2015, said league investigators found no evidence that coach Bill Belichick and team management knew of the practice. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)

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Deflategate poll: Did the NFL make the right decision on Tom Brady?

Nearly four months after Deflategate became the latest controversy to engulf the NFL, Commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision to <a href=”http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-brady-nfl-deflatgate-20150512-story.html#page=1&#8243; target=”new”>suspend</a> quarterback Tom Brady and punish the New England Patriots was met with cheers and jeers from football fans. Many believe that the league is justified in handing down a four-game suspension to Brady. An…
<a href="https://highschool.latimes.com/author/houstonmitchell/" target="_self">Houston Mitchell</a>

Houston Mitchell

May 12, 2015
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady gestures during an event at Salem State University in Salem, Mass., Thursday, May 7, 2015. An NFL investigation has found that New England Patriots employees likely deflated footballs and that quarterback Tom Brady was "at least generally aware" of the rules violations. The 243-page report released Wednesday, May 6, 2015, said league investigators found no evidence that coach Bill Belichick and team management knew of the practice. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady gestures during an event at Salem State University in Salem, Mass., May 7. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Nearly four months after Deflategate became the latest controversy to engulf the NFL, Commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision to <a href=”http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-brady-nfl-deflatgate-20150512-story.html#page=1&#8243; target=”new”>suspend</a> quarterback Tom Brady and punish the New England Patriots was met with cheers and jeers from football fans.

Many believe that the league is justified in handing down a four-game suspension to Brady. An NFL investigation determined that he probably was involved in a deliberate effort to deflate footballs used in the Patriots’ AFC Championship win over the Indianapolis Colts on Jan. 18. However, others feel that the league overstepped its authority by issuing a suspension based on its conclusions that it was “more probable than not” that Brady was “generally aware of the inappropriate activities.”

Goodell said he issued the penalties based on “the critical importance of protecting the integrity of the game.”

Some fans are also questioning why the team was penalized when the NFL’s investigation concluded that Brady and two locker room attendants were the only ones involved. In addition to fining the Patriots $1 million, the NFL took away the team’s 2016 first-round draft pick and the fourth-round 2017 selection.

So what do you think about penalties imposed on Brady and the Patriots? Did Goodell make the right decision or did the league go too far?

 

Poem: To My Target Panic

Poem: To My Target Panic

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I remember the first time I met you, the first Sunday of September. Before we met, archery was predictable; my routine was reliable. The weight of my quiver, the resistance of my string, the curve of my limbs, and Sunday morning practice, it was always the same. But...