Lynn principals see ‘deflategate’ as a bad example for young fans

With a 45-7 rout of the Colts in the AFC Championship game on Sunday, the Patriots earned a berth into Super BowlXLIX. It is the Patriots’ sixth AFC title since 2002.
Since Sunday, though, the Patriots have dealt with fallout from scandal. The NFL’s investigation found that the Patriots used underinflated footballs in Sunday’s game. How the footballs got that way is still not known and the NFL’s investigation is ongoing.
Although NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has yet to announce any sanctions — the league has been investigating all week and has reportedly conducted 40 interviews with Patriots personnel and game officials — the Patriots’ problem is worsened by the fact that this isn’t the first time they have been caught bending the rules.
In 2007, the Patriots were caught illegally filming defensive signal callers for the Jets, resulting in a $500,000 fine to coach Bill Belichick. They were also accused of filming a walk-through practice of the St. Louis Rams beforeSuper Bowl XXXVI, but the reporter who broke it later admitted he was wrong.
Belichick has said the team is fully cooperating with the NFL in the investigation.
The majority of Patriots fans are sure to stand by their team in times like these. After all, Brady and Belichick have authored one of the great runs in NFL history, leading the team to six Super Bowl appearances — and three wins, but none since Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 — in the last 14 seasons.
But, does a win-at-all-cost mentality send the wrong message to the Patriots’ youngest fans. Will kids in school think that it’s OK to bend the rules in order to receive a slight advantage?
There are those who will argue that if the Patriots are found guilty, at the very least they will owe their fans an explanation, and perhaps an apology.
Lynn Classical principal Gene Constantino and his Lynn English counterpart, Tom Strangie, agreed that bending the rules is wrong and sends the wrong message to younger fans.
“I think it would be sad if it were true,” Constantino said. “Whether they want to be or not, they’re role models for everybody else. I think it influences high school students especially if they look up to that person.””The whole issue of winning at all costs just doesn’t send the right mentality,” Strangie said.