[rypper11]

First off let me state that I think Arlen is an idiot. He's a crusader who thinks way too much of himself. Amorentz is completely right. Remember the USFL? They got a dollar from the NFL for "unfair monopolistic advantage."
The real concern of SPygate is the slippery slope or that there is more to the story that is being intentionally hidden. Usually evidence of a crime is kept and catalogued. If the Patriots wanted to appeal the decision that they lose a 1st round pick anytime before the draft (which, by law, is their right), there is now no evidence they ever did anything wrong.
The secondary concern is that the cheating was worse than Goodell and the Patriots are admitting. If it "significantly" helped them win Super Bowls and was against the self-regulated rules of the NFL, then more action would have to be taken against them. Why would Congress care about this? A lot of money is involved between interstate and international companies and consumers. Couldn't the Eagles claim consumer fraud if it was deemed that the Patriots routinely cheated and nothing is being done and they have subsequently been financially harmed due to their Super Bowl loss? From a dollar perspective, the Patriots make millions off of their liscensed merchandise world-wide. Obviously they would have made far less (especially outside of their market) if they had not won three Super Bowls.
The Patriots losing the SB further hurts their credibility. Brady has been known as the QB who can read a defense better than anyone else and always seems to know where to go with the ball before the play even begins. Against the Giants (and to a lesser degree the Chargers), he looked lost. Was it because he didn't know the defensive play calls like he normally does? I don't think this is the case, but it will be brought up in the coming months by those that are looking to discredit the Patriots success even further.