The 10 most absurd reasons people are paying the Patriots' fine
Perhaps not surprisingly, the crowdfunding effort to pay the Patriots' $1 million fine is a rousing success. As of this writing, 1,035 people have donated a total of $14,497 (mostly in $12 amounts) and many have explained their motivation for donating to a multi-billion dollar business.
Because sports fandom is so wonderfully irrational, so are many of the reasons people are giving for their donations. To be fair, some people are providing reasonable explanations. Some disagree with the NFL's inconsistent and arbitrary disciplinary process. Others say they know the Patriots will never accept the money and encourage the page's creator to send the funds to any number of worthwhile causes.
Of course, many arguments were not as well reasoned. Here are the 10 most ridiculous ones.
• SI's complete coverage of Deflategate
10. A reference to the original patriots
9. "Roger Goodell is a dirty criminal"
8. "Overwhelming scientific evidence"
7. A Big Lebowski/George H.W. Bush reference
6. Brady is perfect
5. The Pats fans are coming
4. The refs did it
3. No one had a problem with Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson
2. A reference to the O.J. Simpson trial
1. Remember the words of Martin Luther King Jr.
- Dan Gartland
