Patriots taping since 2000

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

Bill Belichick has been taping since 2000, NFL boss Goodell tells US senatorThe Associated Press

Published: February 14, 2008

WASHINGTON: Bill Belichick has been illegally taping opponents' defensive signals since he became the New England Patriots coach in 2000, according to U.S. senator Arlen Specter, who said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told him that during a meeting on Wednesday.

"There was confirmation that there has been taping since 2000, when Coach Belichick took over," Specter said.

Specter said Goodell gave him that information during the 1-hour, 40-minute meeting, which was requested by Specter so the commissioner could explain his reasons for destroying the Spygate tapes and notes.

"There were a great many questions answered by Commissioner Goodell," said Specter, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I found a lot of questions unanswerable because the tapes and notes had been destroyed."

Goodell said Belichick told him he believed the taping was legal; Goodell said he did not concur.

"He said that's always been his interpretation since he's been the head coach," the commissioner said. "We are going to agree to disagree on the facts."

Specter wants to talk to other league officials about what exactly was taped and which games may have been compromised.

"We have a right to have honest football games," he said.

Goodell noted that "we were the ones that disclosed" the Patriots' illegal taping of the New York Jets' defensive signals in the opening game of last season. Further, Goodell said, they had an admission by Belichick.

"I have nothing to hide," Goodell said.

Goodell also told Specter that he doesn't regret destroying the Spygate tapes or the notes.

"I think it was the right thing to do," Goodell said.

Still, Specter wants to know why penalties were imposed on Belichick before the full extent of the wrongdoing was known and the tapes destroyed in a two-week span. Asked if he thinks there was a coverup, Specter demurred.

"There was an enormous amount of haste," Specter said.

He scoffed at the reasons Goodell gave for destroying the tapes and notes, particularly about trying to keep them out of competitors' hands and because Belichick had admitted to the taping.

"What's that got to do with it? There's an admission of guilt, you preserve the evidence," Specter said. As for keeping the tapes out of the hands of others: "All you have to do is lock up the tapes."

Belichick was fined $500,000 (€343,000) and the team was fined $250,000 (€171,500) because of the Spygate incident. The Patriots also forfeited a first-round draft pick.

Specter has questioned the quality of the NFL's investigation into the matter and raised the possibility of U.S. congressional hearings if he wasn't satisfied with Goodell's answers. Specter also raised the threat of Congress canceling the league's antitrust exemption and reiterated that in the meeting with Goodell.

Goodell also said he has not heard from Matt Walsh, the former Patriots employee who performed some videotaping duties for the team.

Walsh told The Associated Press last week during the Pro Bowl in Hawaii that he couldn't talk about allegations that he taped a walkthrough practice by the St. Louis Rams before the 2002 Super Bowl. New England, a two-touchdown underdog, won that game 20-17.

Goodell said he has offered Walsh a deal whereby "he has to tell the truth and he has to return anything he took improperly" in return for indemnity. Specter said he, too, wanted to talk to Walsh and perhaps offer a different deal.

Goodell also said he reserves the right to reopen the investigation if more information is uncovered.

dirty dirty dirty *****es. shame on you.

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[CRXBMPN 5,000+ posts]

go patriots :-D

 

[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

yet he still fails to beat my Broncos. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

brings a little doubt to anything they have accomplished since Belicheat came on board.

 

[ProgMtl 10+ year member]

And yet Goodell burned the tapes? Something sounds even fishier than it did before...good thing this isn't baseball or Belichickenshit would be up in front of Congress

 

[munchies 10+ year member]

wow I hate the patriots..

 

[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

I laughed http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2008/02/11/rough_welcome_for_patriots/

 

[thegreatestpenn 5,000+ posts]

who cares, allegedly all teams tape each other. He's just better at it I guess

 

[plushDJ 10+ year member]

A lot of teams do it, they just don't get caught.*

*source- the Jim Rome Show, and Jim Rome is G-O-D

 

[darkhunter139 10+ year member]

who cares, allegedly all teams tape each other. He's just better at it I guess

Or worse if he is the only one that got caught //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[plushDJ 10+ year member]

I've heard of videos where the opposing coach will actually smile and wave at the camera, fully knowing they're being taped. I bet there's a lot of shit that goes on in sports and nobody knows about.

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

"I don't know what that [booing] was all about," said Wilfork, who assisted on one tackle in the AFC's 42-30 loss.
"Everybody hates you when you're on top. We talked about it and we thought it was kind of funny. But we have haters everywhere we go. Even in Hawaii people hate us."

umm, everyone loves you when your on top jackass, havent you noticed that with your sudden influx of "life time" patriots fans? . they hate you because you are ****ing cheaters. i would of loved to see the patriots do a perfect season. but to cheat to get there?you can **** off for all i care, it doesn't mean shit.

 

[casper97ta 10+ year member]

God I truly despise belichick and the cheating *** pats. Punishment was not harsh enough and since they've cheated in basically every season they were any good in, they should have their precious super bowl rings taken away. Or better yet, Suspend or just all out ban belichick from play. I'm sure other teams have done it before but I just carry I true hatred for that bum.

 

[Jmac 10+ year member]

LOL, you know America's priorities are in the gutter when cheating in professional sports gets congressional hearings amongst all the much more important topics (economy, education, health care, etc.) ...

Anyways, everyone tapes everyone else, you know that right ? Why the hell do you think the coaches cover their mouths when they're calling plays on the field ? So the other team's lip readers can't tell what they're saying ...

Do I think it's wrong ? Yes ... but it's up to the NFL, a private organization, to decide if it's punishable and what the punishment should be (they already decided that it is and fined him half a million) ... not Congress ...

 

[AJ²06 5,000+ posts]

That.... is hilarious.

Never cared for the patriots tho.