What's with the Patriots?

I don't understand the New England Patriots.

How could one of the most successful franchises in professional sports be involved in so much controversy?

First it was "Spy Gate." You may recall the Patriots were found to be cheating when they were caught spying on the sidelines of the New York Jets. The event was so pointless, one wonders what in the heck Bill Belichik and company were thinking? It wasn't as though the Jets were a heavy favorite.

Actually, the Patriots were. And, New England ended up beating the Jets handily in spite of its nefarious spy tactics.

So, the ball club got itself into trouble over nothing at all.

In fact, the Patriots went undefeated that season until being clipped in the Super Bowl by, ironically, another team from New York. I felt it was poetic justice for the New England Patriots to get beat in the championship game by a team that shared its home with the club that was cheated on.

I was so relieved that the 1972 Miami Dolphins preserved their one unique perfect season; the only one in NFL history. The Patriots, on the other hand, were an undefeated team with an asterisk; a notation of "Spy Gate" and the Super Bowl loss.

Then, in early 2015, there was the notorious "Deflate Gate."

Once again, the Patriots found themselves at the center of controversy over nothing. New England pounded the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC title game, so the deflated footballs didn't matter one iota to the outcome of the game.

So, why in the heck did the Patriots put themselves in this position again?

The old saying goes, "fool me once, shame on me; fool me twice, shame on you." And shame is exactly when New England got. It has, sadly, overshadowed the ball club's fourth Super Bowl championship, obtained with a knuckle-biting victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Instead of talking about New England's place in NFL history as one of the league's most successful clubs, the talk is all about "Deflate Gate."

How sad. The Patriots, for some strange reason, aren't content with winning cleanly. They prefer to win dirty.

Until New England decides to play by the rules, and stops trying to bend them for its own advantage, my respect for this ball club will continue to circle the drain of the toilet bowl. Of the 32 teams fielded by the NFL, the New England Patriots are at the very bottom. The reason is clear.

Cheaters never prosper in the end; even with Super Bowl trophies.