Lee Geiger

Spare your outrage for things that are outrageous.

Scott Van Pelt

Tom Brady lied, and I don’t care.

I’m a hard-core NFL fan, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t summon any false outrage about Tom Brady, either to defend or denounce him. Why? Because I can’t pretend to be outraged for something that isn’t outrageous. I just can’t. And I won’t.

Let’s be honest. If this was about Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals, would we care? Would there be an appetite for this story? I don’t think so. Brady has four Super Bowl rings, and he carries the burden of being married to a supermodel. He’s on top of the world. And in today’s culture, it’s our duty, our calling, and heck, even our responsibility, to yank him off his pedestal and destroy his reputation in 140 characters or less. This exercise in social mutation accomplishes two things; first, it provides a plethora of content for the media. Second, it makes a legion of internet trolls feel better about themselves.

And what of the crime, the deflation of footballs? Was this against the rules? Yes. But so is spraying your uniform with cooking oil to make it more difficult to grab, and applying stickum to your hands to help a catch a football. It’s a competitive edge, and every team in the league does it. By the way, for what it’s worth, I exceeded the speed limit driving to work this morning. So did every other car on the road. It’s speeding, not murder. And while we’re on the subject, let me ask a question. Based on the amount of media coverage, which Patriots player do you think committed the worst crime, Tom Brady or Aaron Hernandez? You get my point.

The real crime is the cover-up. Ten days before the Super Bowl, Tom Brady lied to a roomful of reporters about his role in what has become known as Deflategate. Guess what? He’s not the first guy to stand up in front of a microphone and hide the truth. It happens every day. Why did Brady lie? Who knows? Maybe Tom took a look at his options and decided he wouldn’t get to play in the Super Bowl if he told the truth. He lied and lost, and for this he deserves to be punished. My parents punished me when I lied, and I did the same to my kids. We used bad judgement. But that didn’t mean we’re evil.

My soapbox soliloquy begs the question: what’s worth getting outraged about? That depends on who you ask. Here’s my take.

Politics? Politics makes me cynical, not outraged. Obamacare? The Keystone pipeline? Campaign finance reform? Liberal or conservative, it’s not worth raising my blood pressure. I’ll do enough to stay informed and add my less-than-insightful perspective to the conversation, but otherwise, wake me up when it’s time to vote.

Religion? I believe in God, but I worship at the altar of Can’t We All Get Along. Maybe I’m stupid, or naïve, or both. Or I simply don’t get it. Either way, when it comes to matters of faith, I don’t want to choose a side. I’ll do my best to respect what you believe, just so long as you respect what I believe. Or don’t believe.

So what does get my blood to boiling? ISIS, domestic violence, and kids with cancer are at the top of a very short list. But after yesterday’s announcement by the NFL, I can add a new distressing development to my list. ESPN, in their infinite wisdom, broke into their regular programming with a screaming headline of “BREAKING NEWS,” followed by a solid 90 minutes of non-stop Tom Brady/Deflategate coverage with NOT ONE SINGLE COMMERCIAL INTERRUPTION.

Really? Don’t television networks do that when presidents get shot?