Problem with the Patriots is the cheating

In his Jan. 23 column on New England Patriots, Barry Rozner wonders "Why all the hate for New England Patriots, Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady?" He asks if, among other possibilities, " ... it is the arrogance? ... they do not smile enough? ... Or is it simply the winning?"

I do hate the Patriots, but for none of the reasons Mr. Rozner mentions. I hate the Patriots for the most obvious reason, the one Mr. Rozner chooses to ignore: they cheat.

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are like Barry Bonds. Each could have been one of the best ever at his job simply by playing it straight, but that was not good enough - each had to cheat to get that extra edge, that little something more, to increase the chances of winning and coming out on top.

I admire competitiveness, the drive to succeed, the desire to win - but I want the rules followed. Former Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi is the type of man who deserves praise in this regard. No one wanted to win more than Lombardi, and he did win - and did so honestly.

They say that cheaters never prosper. Unfortunately that is not true. Cheaters prosper every day, in business, in politics, in sports. I expect that Barry Bonds, Roger Clemons and others of their ilk eventually will be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame despite their cheating - and enshrined without an asterisk indicating their respective achievements occurred during, and were tainted by, the "Steroid Era."

I suggest people rethink their position if they believe that in sports, the end justifies the means and that anything goes as long as it results in success.

Kenneth N. Marshall

Lombard