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The NFL world is still buzzing about the Patriots' videotaping indiscretions and the punishment the NFL gave the team and its coach. It is possible that this was an isolated (albeit brash) incident, but it more than likely was just the tip of the iceberg. If only Bill Belichick had heard of the French company Ibila. If he had, then much like Woody Woodpecker going directly to the police, "none of this would have happened."

Ibila, for those of you who have yet to master the art of reading words backwards, is a company that provides people with alibis. The service says it is designed to protect families by allowing cheating spouses to cover their tracks, and therefore not get caught. Way to take a moral stand, huh? Costing anywhere from $30 to $200, depending on how elaborate the cover story, Ibila will provide its clients with phony hotel receipts, fake restaurant bills and will even create fake business convention souvenirs as a way of covering up infidelity, should the need arise. The company even makes phone calls pretending to be a co-worker, just to give the customer a clear window to run off and do whatever mischief they had planned.

While the business is still in its infancy, one can easily imagine the implications if the service were to catch on. "What do you mean holding on 73, ref? I was busy dining in the Hamptons on that last running play, and here's my credit card receipt to prove it. Pick up the flag, man." OK, maybe it won't actually find its way to the football field, but we are definitely headed down a slippery slope to an ethical wasteland, and fantasy football commissioners may well be some of the last guardians of integrity left.

I received a question from Mickey in Michigan, who, in the wake of the New England mess, wanted to know whether or not fantasy owners who started players from the videotaped game had a right to some sort of justice. What I think he was asking is that if the Patriots had been required to forfeit the game, as some suggested Roger Goodell should have decided, what would fantasy commissioners do with the "tainted" stats from that Patriots-Jets game?

That would indeed be a nightmare scenario, which, if it had occurred, could not simply be dismissed. I don't think it is reasonable to assume that the Pats were using the videotape in question to get an edge during their Week 1 game against the Jets. If they used any of their taped information at all, it most likely would have been during the return matchup against New York in Week 15. So, with a heavy fine and a loss of draft picks being doled out as punishment, there's no need for anyone to reasonably assume that the results and the stats from that game need any alteration, in reality or fantasy.

However, what if an outright case of in-game cheating does someday result in a voiding of a game's results? It could very well be up to the individual fantasy league's commissioner to determine whether the stats should count, or if not, whether to replace affected starters with bench players, or even to void the week's games entirely. As a fantasy player, the bigger fear I would have is that I'm not sure in every case that I would trust my commissioner to make the fair decision -- instead of the decision that benefits him directly.

I have been a fantasy football commissioner since Drew Bledsoe was a young gunslinger fresh out of Washington State. I know the ins and outs of running a league backward and forward -- and sideways as well. It would be very easy for me to cheat if I wanted to. Trust me. It's likely easy for your commissioner, too.

Are waivers processed at a certain time each week? They are in my league, and I have access to everyone's selections. If I was having a tough time deciding between two free-agent pickups, and I wasn't sure which guy I should hold until the second waiver round. By looking at what other owners had done, it would be very easy for me to determine which course of action to take, and then adjust my picks accordingly.

Similarly, are lineups due at a certain time? Have you ever had computer problems and had to e-mail your lineup in? Your commish then went in and made adjustments after the game had already started. Well, if he can do that, then he also can go into his own starting lineup and make adjustments during the game. Or he could wait until just after kickoff and see how all the game-time decisions played out.

Certain league Web sites even allow the commissioners view all messages you send to another owner. Did you just propose a trade? He knows about it. He can use this inside information to send out a better offer to the owner you are negotiating with, and possibly steal the player you've been targeting right out from under your nose. Or maybe he'll merely talk to the other owner and dissuade him from making the deal with you. Either way, it doesn't take rigging of a league veto vote to void a trade, if your commissioner is intent on using his powers for evil instead of good.

And the biggest shame of all? There's very little remedy for this cheating, if it is even discovered at all. Yes, you could expose him, but he'd deny it. Maybe you quit the league, but he can easily find a willing owner to take over your team. You don't have the ability to fine him $500,000. You don't have the benefit of the national media talking about him 24/7. If you're playing with a group of friends, maybe there's a bit of peer pressure that can be utilized, but if he's willing to cheat his friends, that probably won't have a huge impact.

Sadly, the punishment will not fit the crime, and that's why it is essential that your league's commissioner is somebody you can trust. If you don't? Then start your own league and take the job seriously, and perform it with the integrity that it is due. Take your stand.

All rise ... The Court is adjourned!

A.J. Mass is a fantasy football, baseball and college basketball analyst for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him here.