After a long week of back and forth, I finally have solidified which side of the fence I am on. Although there is no excuse for cheating, the New England Patriots handled the situation with the same dignity and class with which we are accustomed. I am extremely proud to be a Patriot’s fan.

THE Daddy was actually at the game last night. He occasionally gets tickets from his vendors at work. I paid the karma bank forward on this one because I told him that he really should take his father this time. That was before I realized that the tickets were on the 1^st row…and well before all of the videogate controversy.

One thing that we didn’t get to experience watching at home: a standing ovation from the fans the second that Belichick hit the field pre-game. I was there for Tedy Bruschi’s come back game after his stroke and he said it was that times 1000. I was teary eyed with goose bumps for Tedy, so I imagine it was quite amazing. THE Daddy said that Bill stared down at the ground and seemed to be having a hard time finding his composure for a minute or so. Despite his tough guy attitude, the guy has heart.

Why were the fans cheering? Because Bill Belichick took responsibility, openly apologized and accepted the ruling. He didn’t whine or fuss. He did his best to focus on his job and his players despite the media’s attempts to turn it into a 3 ring circus. I don’t condone cheating, however, I do believe that he continues to be a great role model. We’re all human and make mistakes. This had the potential of bringing down an organization and poisoning the players against their leadership. Fortunately, it had quite the opposite effect. In fact, according to this Boston Globe article, Kraft actually gave the game ball to Coach Belichick after the game. I’ve heard rumblings outside of New England for him to be fired. I think Kraft stated his position pretty clearly with his actions!

My favorite quote from the Globe’s article: “San Diego could have used semaphore to signal in its plays and it wouldn't have mattered.”

In a separate AP article, Pats linebacker Tedy Bruschi declared, "This victory was for all the Patriots teams past and present,” and about the win, “This is the most satisfying because I've never been in a situation that doubted what we've done with past teams.” Calling this game his most satisfying says a lot coming from a player with 3 Super Bowl rings.

The Boston Globe reporter summed it up perfectly , “LT [Whom I refer to as Mr. Whinypants!] questioned the Patriots' class after New England 's 24-21 victory in last season's Divisional playoffs. Last night, he and the rest of the Chargers learned the Patriots are the class of the AFC.”