I get it, the New England Patriots have been known to bend the rules a little bit. If you haven’t heard, the Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts 45-7 in the AFC championship to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. Controversy ensued with reports of the Patriots deflating 11 of  their 12 game balls to “gain an advantage” over the Colts. Yes, the ball can be gripped easier in wet/cold conditions, but it didn’t affect the overall score and outcome. They probably are guilty due to their constant denial, but quarterback Tom Brady, as well as head coach Bill Belichick, are still trying to give us plenty of reasons to believe that they are not guilty. In one press conference after another, the Patriots feel that they need to prove somehow that they did not violate any rules that commissioner Roger Goodell has set in place. But one thing people seem to be forgetting is that they won by 38 points. So, why are we still talking about this?

For some reason, all the media cares about is ludicrous speculation, making this story drag for days on end. ESPN and various media outlets have taken it upon themselves to constantly remind us of this scandal that they have so appropriately nicknamed Deflategate. This isn’t the Patriots’ first scandal with cheating either. They have been caught videoing the practices of their opponents to gain and advantage in 2007. Spygate should have been the end of this nonsense, but Brady seems to always be in the limelight. Whatever way you spin it, it’s laughable that the media fails to actually have an angle on this “story.”

There is no journalistic integrity to these ridiculous press conferences and speculation as to what the heck actually happened. If the media just talked about how the Patriots need to be punished and made aware that they can’t get away with cheating, then I would be fine. Some have actually legitimate opinions on the situation and I appreciate it, but again and again I hear constant talk of just the scandal in general. I agree that Brady and company need to be punished (not kicked out of the Super Bowl) for these crimes with possible fines and/or loss of draft picks. But the viewers shouldn’t be punished by being subjected to this nonsense.

Cheating should not be tolerated, but terrible journalism shouldn’t be either. I’m used to ESPN reporting on what LeBron James ate for breakfast and how Johnny Manziel screwed up now, but this is getting ridiculous. This story has been driven into the ground and is extremely annoying.

I am just tired of everybody focusing on the past and not the ultimate stage in pro sports. The Super Bowl is less than a week away, yet we are still talking about a game  that happened a week and a half ago. Cheating in sports should not be accepted or tolerated, but  this coverage is ridiculous and unnecessary. The media is spending time focusing on whether or not the Patriots deflated footballs instead of the overall teams actually playing in the Super Bowl.

Many out there might believe the Patriots are innocent and the media is doing a great job. New information is coming out everyday, but this doesn’t mean that a new story is happening everyday. But this continuous talk of the same information is what bugs me the most. As I mentally prepare for the biggest stage in sports, I can’t help but ask for sports coverage to be intelligent and stop with irrelevant  Deflategate stories being blown out of proportion.