Back In January, the New England Patriots were questioned in the “deflate-gate” scandal, in which the team was accused of using under-inflated footballs in the AFC championship game against the Indianapolis Colts.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady denied everything. After their win in February’s Super Bowl, the topic died down. Until now.

The punishment they received from the NFL is stiff, but maybe not enough. The Patriots should not have been able to go to Super Bowl because they cheated their way by playing by their own rules.

The Patriots received a $1 million fine for being uncooperative with the NFL’s investigation, and also lost the privilege to pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, along with the fourth round in 2017. Brady has been suspended for the first four games of the season.

Hopefully, these consequences will make the Patriots — and other NFL teams — think twice before trying to get away with similar tricks.