Penalty For ‘Deflategate’ Should Be More Severe Than ‘Bountygate’ [opinion]

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spews a lot of rhetoric about "The integrity of the game." He's pretty inconsistent about backing it up. His mishandling of the Ray rice episode was appalling. He claims nobody at NFL headquarters saw the complete video 'til it hit the internet. The guy dropped her on the floor, unconscious, in front of witnesses. What more do you need? He conversely hammered the New Orleans Saints with unprecedented penalties in the 2012 "Bountygate" episode, never producing evidence they committed any infraction. All the player suspensions were ultimately vacated by an outside arbitrator. The forfeiture of multiple draft picks, along with playing an entire season without a head coach, has proven to be a severe blow. Two of the team's three subsequent seasons were sub .500. Everyone in the Patriot's camp is pleading ignorance. I don't buy it. Someone allowed, or even encouraged this to happen. The AFC  championship game was played outdoors, in Massachusetts, in January. An under inflated ball would clearly be easier to handle. The Patriots have been caught cheating before. The punishment should be historic. You may say I lack objectivity, being a Saints fan. Hall of fame quarterback Troy Aikman recently expressed a similar perspective on a Dallas radio show.