Hypocrites unite! People have made mistakes - famous people!

What does that mean?

Well, we could forgive them and realize everyone makes mistakes.

But come on, what fun is that? Let's pounce. Let's act all holier than thou. It's much, much more fun that way.

Every year has controversy, but this one seems drenched with it. Whether it's Barry Bonds and his new home-run record with an asterisk the size of his giant head, Rick Ankiel and his fall from grace that happened quicker than his first stint in the majors or Bill Belichick's best Peeping Tom impression, there's proof all over that this isn't the summer of the role model.

You don't need me to report that news to you. Just turn on a television. It's negative news, so it's everywhere.

So why am I talking about this? What can I add to this discussion?

For one, these guys aren't murderers.

Now let's get this straight before I go to bat for these guys - what all three of them did was wrong and I'm not saying their accomplishments, both past and present, aren't tainted by their actions.

Are athletes and coaches overpaid? Of course.

Did these particular guys mess up? You bet.

But are they still human? At last check, yes.

(Please note, the previous statement is subject to change. Based on recent media reports, the sky may be falling due to these men's horrible actions and at least two reliable sources tell me they may, in fact, not be human.)

I don't know any of these people personally. There's a chance that some - if not all - of the guilty parties here are bad people.

But are you watching sports to see model behavior or do you tune in to be entertained?

Bonds allegedly took steroids back at a time when half of the league was doing it. Yes, I know others using steroids doesn't excuse Bonds from making the same mistake, but why is he the posterchild for everything that's wrong, while other probable users get a free pass? Should the cold shoulder Bonds gives to the media really determine his place in history?

Ankiel received eight shipments of human growth hormone (HGH) in 2004. He essentially went to bed as a Disney movie and woke up the next morning as a dirty cheater. Is that fair? Should this be an unforgivable act - especially since HGH wasn't even banned in 2004?

And then there's Belichick. He's been dubbed a coaching genius after lifting the Patriots to the closest thing to a dynasty the NFL has seen since the Dallas Cowboys in the '90s.

But does getting caught with his hand in the advanced scouting cookie jar make him a horrible coach? Are his past accomplishments really tainted beyond repair because of an act that many coaches of the past had done in one form or another?

More important, there are better things for you to worry about. Seriously, have you seen the outrage these incidents have caused? Belicheck looking at someone's defensive signals won't change the economy. It won't make it more difficult for little Timmy to walk home from school each day. And it won't raise the terror alert.

What these guys did was wrong. The fines and boos thrown on them are deserved. But they don't deserve to be eternally labeled guilty in the court of public opinion.

We'll leave that to O.J. Simpson.

- Bell can be reached at scotteb@umich.edu