Player Survey Shows Majority Don't Consider Patriots 'Cheaters' for Deflategate

A survey of more than 100 NFL players by ESPN shows most of them believe the New England Patriots knew about the deflation of footballs. Yet a majority of them aren't upset by it and don't consider the Patriots "cheaters" because they think the manipulation of game balls is commonplace throughout the league.

Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com passed along the results of the 13-question survey, which also covered more general questions about cheating by NFL teams. Here is a look at the results to the inquiries about the Patriots and, more specifically, Tom Brady's alleged actions:

Question	Yes	No
Do you think the Patriots deflated footballs?	72%	28%
I am upset with the Patriots for allegedly deflating footballs.	16%	84%
I think the Patriots are cheaters.	42%	58%
Do deflated footballs impact the outcome of games?	48%	52%

Other notable responses include 78 percent of players stating Brady's suspension should have been for fewer than the current four games, with the average answer being 1.5 games. Many (88 percent) also agreed Commissioner Roger Goodell shouldn't handle player discipline.

In terms of tampering with footballs, 68 percent believe opponents do something illegal before games. As noted in the table, however, only about half believe it actually impacts games.

Finally, more generally speaking, the polled players believe nearly one out of every three players (30 percent) engages in some form of cheating. Interestingly, the number barely drops (29 percent) when asked whether players on their own team cheat, according to the ESPN poll.

The results are good news for the Patriots and Brady. As the national focus has shifted more toward the NFL's handling of the entire ordeal, it appears even players in other locker rooms don't think the Deflategate issue warrants this much attention.

Now would be an easy time to jump all over New England in an attempt to diminish its accomplishments over the last 15 years. Instead, 84 percent aren't even upset about Deflategate, and the ESPN poll also notes 80 percent have moved past the previous Spygate issue, too.

Of course, the court case surrounding Brady's four-game suspension carries on with the start of the new season now less than a month away. It sounds like most players are just ready to move on.