I’ve been a little slow to cover this story, because I don’t think it’s been much of a surprise to anyone who watches football. There have been whispers of their shady tactics for years, the entire Patriots organization has gone out of their way to throw a veil of secrecy over seemingly unimportant details. So while their cheating isn’t exactly earth shattering news, there are two things about this ordeal that forced me to write.

1. Eric Mangini Snitched AHAHAHA.

It’s been no secret that Belichick and Mangini have this little rivalry going for the last few years. I don’t know if theres anything behind it aside from Mangini being Belichick’s former assistant, but it’s provided fodder for journalists nonetheless. So it was GREAT to find out Mangini was the one who tipped off NFL security which eventually led to them getting caught. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

A former assistant under Bill Belichick, Mangini arrived in New York last year with an insider’s knowledge of the Patriots’ sign-stealing surveillance tactics. He shared the dirty little secret with members of the Jets’ organization, a person with knowledge of the matter informed the New York Daily News on Tuesday.

It wasn’t until the fourth Mangini-Belichick showdown — Sunday — that the Jets were able to catch the Patriots. Tipped off by Jets security, an NFL security official confiscated a video camera and tape from a Patriots employee at the Meadowlands, and the evidence is believed to be damning.

The Patriots usually beat the crap out of the Jets because well… they’re the Jets. But this right here is the ultimate victory. The Patriots could win the next five matchups and it wouldn’t equal the executive smackdown New England is about to receive from Darth Goodell. Also, If Roger doesn’t rule with an iron fist on this It’ll be a huge injustice. You can’t play slave massa and give Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson, and Michael Vick huge penalties and let New England off the hook.

2. ESPN Is Full Of It

As this scandal has unfolded, ESPN has remained pretty objective through the majority of the coverage. Even keeled, responsible, you know… real journalism. Normally I’d have no problem with that. But the Patriots cheating reminds me of another story in which a professional athlete allegedly cheated, and ESPN didn’t exactly extend that same unbiased courtesy to… Mr. Barry Bonds.

So I’m watching SportsCenter today, and I seen the Sean Salisbury talking about the Patriots ordeal, and the following words came out of his mouth: “It’s not that big of a deal, it’s not like the Patriots are the ONLY team doing it!”

… What???

Half of Major League Baseball is juicing, and ESPN rips Barry Bonds to shreds on every turn. Raphael Palmeiro is/was a hall of fame bound player, he tested positive for steroids (something Barry has never done) and he hasn’t received a fraction of the ridicule that Bonds has. In fact, no player in baseball has been torn down like the home run champ has. One point people always make as a response to this argument is Bonds’ icy relationship with the media, which causes them to unleash their poison pens. Bonds doesn’t like the media, Bonds is rude to the media, he’s inaccessible, he isn’t fan friendly

You know who else shares those very same traits with Bonds?… None other than Bill Belichick.

I love ESPN, but I’ve lost a certain amount of faith in their ability to be fair, and I can deal with that. But I won’t deal with Roger Goodell letting New England off easy, we’ll have to see what unfolds…