Belichick vs Rex Ryan: The Double Standard Continues

I guess it pays if you have won several Super Bowls, and you have a Hall of Fame quarterback to lead your team.

There is a double standard in the way the league looks at conduct, especially involving the New England Patriots.  It just isn’t right.

Bill Belichick, head coach of the Patriots, following last night’s defeat of the Jets, embraced his son Stephen as he walked off the Met Life Stadium field.  He then to, frankly, have a Rex Ryan moment.

“Thirty-seven points on the best defense in the league, s— my d—,” the  Patriots coach said in celebration.

Unprovoked, the coach makes a comment like that.  But is it a story?  No.  You have to go to the local New York papers to know that the incident even occurred.  www.nfl.com?? Nope.  No mention of it at all.  Is the NFL looking into it?  No report that they are.  I guess if you wear a hood and have Tom Brady as your quarterback, you can behave however you like.

In his Monday press conference, here was Belichick’s response “I don’t remember it that way..”  Oh, I guess it didn’t happen, oh great sainted Belichick.  Behave how you like, clearly the league doesn’t care.

However, Rex Ryan responds to a fan, by telling him to “Shut the f— up”.  Provoked?  Yes.  Stupid.  Absolutely.  If you watch the tape, Ryan had only 5 more steps, approximately, to be in the tunnel, and away from the screaming fans.  Is it a big story?  Of course is it!  Rex Ryan did it.  It has to be a big story now.  Is the league investigating?  Of course.  A league spokesman confirmed that “we’ll take a look at it but don’t want to speculate on any outcome.”

Of course Rex Ryan will be fined, when it is all said and done.  And he absolutely should be.  I am not saying that he shouldn’t.  If a fan attacks you physically, or throws something at you, you can respond all you like.  Physical harm is a different ball game.  But there is no reason to respond to a verbal attack.  Walk into the tunnel and be done with it.  The league is looking into it, as well it should.  That is not the point.

The point is, that every coach should be held to the same standard.  Just like when Tom Brady commented early in the year that the fans should get drunk before a late game started, and he was allowed to get away with it?  That is wrong too.  Had Rex Ryan made a similar comment, heads would have rolled.  Same thing here.  Bill Belichick should be held to the same standard as Rex Ryan.  If Belichick steps out of line, the league should “look into it”, as they do with Rex Ryan.  It’s a double standard if they don’t.  And it’s wrong.

It’s just plain wrong.