Why NFL fans hate the Patriots

Patriot fans would make you believe that other fans hate them simply because they win a lot, they have a pretty quarterback and a grumpy coach. They are right with some of the haterade being poured upon them, but with the DeflateGate issue being pumped up to ridiculous proportions, it reminds us exactly why so many people really hate the Patriots and their fans.

First and foremost, the Wells Report called the Patriots cheaters and by all accounts, it sure as hell looks like it. Ross Tucker, a former teammate of Tom Brady, even mentioned that throughout the entire incident Brady just looked like he was guilty. Add in the suspicious circumstances surrounding the suspension of the two deflators in question from the Patriots organization to the random and inconsistent excuses given by Patriots owner Robert Kraft and you have a public perception issue that will haunt the Patriots regardless of if there was foul play or not.

During the initial backlash from the Wells Report, fans kept crying out for the Patriots to just take their punishment straight up. No excuses, no backpedaling and no whining about it. Yet Patriot fans and the organization itself had to come out with a large manifesto that declared their innocence in the most ridiculous of ways, waging a PR campaign against the NFL and all the fans that just wanted the issue to move on.

Now with reports coming that Roger Goodell and Patriots owner Robert Kraft had a long, closed door meeting; NFL fans are beginning to grow concerned that the Patriots are yet again bargaining their way out of the public punishment. Just like with SpyGate, fans never got a good conclusion to that issue because the tapes were reportedly trashed by the league and punishment was netted out as they saw fit. Despite the idea that the Patriots will begrudgingly take their lumps now after making a mockery of the entire investigation and the subsequent PR war, there is still a twinge of concern that Tom Brady will suddenly find his punishment lessened.

NFL fans will be rightfully outraged if Tom Brady's appeal finds itself successful. They will point to the idea that the Patriots suddenly kept their mouths shut and took their punishment while getting the public face of their franchise away with cheating. The league and Goodell will look like it can be bought off and the integrity of the game is less important than the back office politics of billionaires and the furthering of careers for football's politicians.

And that is really where the issue is when it comes to the Patriots. Because of Kraft and Goodell's friendship, the Patriots have often looked like they get away with anything they want while being able to set their own rules. With the NFL being a relatively 'common man' sport, seeing a runway model quarterback and a billionaire get their way just sits heavy with the average fan and irritates them, so they take to social media. There they find Patriot fans crying about unfair punishment and that the entire league is out to get them because they are successful. In the end, it all reeks of the rich kid complaining because they got a Porsche instead of that Lamborgini they wanted for their 16th birthday.

So to Patriot fans and the organization as a whole.... do us all a favor and just shut up please.