The NFL is Investigating the Patriots Over Cam Newton's Covid. Because of Course They Are.

Charles Krupa. Shutterstock Images.

Pro Football Talk - After the Titans’ outbreak began, it took the league several days to show up to investigate whether the team followed all applicable COVID-19 protocols. With only one positive in New England, the league moved much more quickly.

Per a league source, the NFL promptly launched an investigation into whether the Patriots complied with all relevant protocols, after news of quarterback Cam Newton‘s positive test emerged.

There hadn’t even been (and still hasn’t been) a second positive in New England. Which makes it a bit strange, to say the least, that the NFL moved so quickly.

It’s unclear whether the NFL also has launched an investigation in Kansas City regarding its single positive test, generated by practice-squad quarterback Jordan Ta’amu.

"A bit strange," Mike Florio? The NFL wasted no time sending their Secret Police to Foxboro to tear the place apart and rip up the floorboards looking for signs of wrongdoing and you call that "a bit strange." OK. Fine. But we have a different description around here. "Business as usual." 

This is just Kommissar Goodell doing what he does best. When it comes to Covid-19, like with minor rules infractions and non-infractions that appear to be infractions, he has high standards. And when the Patriots are involved, he has high double standards. Tennessee is living through the first act of "World War Z" compared to New England, but Ginger Satan did nothing about it for days. Kansas City has the same number of positive tests as the Patriots, but as far as we know no one sent the Virus Goon Squad to kick their door in. Only the Patriots get the "Round up the usual suspects" treatment. We've come to expect nothing else. 

I mean, what do they expect to find? The team recklessly letting tour groups of Covid-positive nursing home patients visit the locker room? Gillette hosting massive pool parties of maskless college kids? Ernie Adams' secret lab where he's trying to breed a super race of 6-5 safeties who can run like corners, and one of his genetic experiments went horribly wrong? The world can accuse this franchise of many things. And they have. In fact, they've never missed an opportunity. But suggesting they'd be careless and irresponsible with the health of anyone - especially the man they've built their entire offense around and are pinning their future success on, is just mega-stupid. 

But since when has that ever stopped the NFL? Meanwhile you look around the league and half the coaches and assistants are treating their masks like the big rubber kind you wear to a Halloween party and then immediately take off so you can drink while on the New England sideline they're obeying the protocol. But sure, let's suggest they're taking chances with their franchise quarterback.

I say they just cut to the part where they hire an outside counsel to look into it and we get to them losing draft picks over nothing. That's how this always goes. And I find myself saying yet again, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean everyone isn't out to get you.