Belichick got his due -- but was due more

0 Comments | USA TODAY, September, 2007 | by Jon Saraceno

Stealing is stealing. Doesn't matter if it's 5 cents or, in the case of the New England Patriots, a sideline signal squirreled away from a nickel package through the use of banned technology.

In my book, that makes Bill Belichick a crook.

We all wanted to believe he was another rare coaching genius. Turns out that Belichick was dumber than we thought. As a serial swiper of game-day information that provided his Patriots a competitive edge, he also was quite arrogant and careless. His transgression forever will cast a long shadow on the franchise's Super Bowl legacy and his own sullied reputation.

What Belichick has wrought is something far worse for the league, and that is why the punishment the commissioner meted out Thursday cannot be considered...