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The Detroit News' Mike O'Hara thinks the NFL should auction off that first-round pick the Patriots lost for cheating. Whether or not you think NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's punishment was fair, O'Hara makes the point that the league's actions didn't address the groups most affected by New England's skullduggery: the 31 other teams.

So what to do? O'Hara explains:

[The lottery] should be the last pick in the first round, No. 32 overall. Each team should get a number of ping pong balls based on the won-lost record this year -- 31 chances for the worst record, one for the best.

There should be more sanctions, tied directly to the lottery pick. The NFL should televise the lottery drawing and call it "The Patriots Bonus Pick" all the way through the draft. Make it a week of shame.

O'Hara goes on to write that the league should punish the Pats further by charging them the salary-cap value of the contract given "The Patriots Bonus Pick," roughly $2 million a year for five years. From an economic perspective, this is a much more efficient solution than some arbitrary punishment from Goodell. Plus, you can't beat the name. That alone is reason enough to give it a go.

NFL Should Auction Off Pats' Lost Draft PIck - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog