Why is football being referenced with the likes of baseball and basketball concerning corruption?

The fact that the Patriots, the team with the best record in football last year, not only broke league policy on taping, but also by practicing guys on the IR, leads fans to believe that the entire league suffers from the same inflictions. It creates the illusion of a community of corruption. The fact that neither baseball, nor basketball, nor football have stood up as strongly as many fans feel they should to the allegations is why they are referenced together.