A news report is a news report and should always be taken with an enormous grain of salt in the 21st century.
That said, pushing the ethical boundaries that seems to be the M.O. of the Pats can ruin what is otherwise one of the most remarkable runs in the history of sports.
But the Pats have shown that even being punished by losing a 1st round pick is acceptable if it can lead to a Superbowl championship. Sigh.
