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Judiciary Committee raising questions that the Patriots cheated
By Stefani Rebekah Black February 2, 2008 |
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After some 20 weeks after the NFL and league commissioner Roger Goodell assessed disciplinary action against the New England Patriots, and team head coach Bill Belichick and the team pulled off one of the NFL's greatest coups and went perfect, US Senator Arlen Specter Penn (R) is questioning why did the NFL eliminate of all the notes, video tapes, and evidence connected to the Patriots being implicated in cheating in a game against the New York Jets defensive signals on opening day. Specter is considering calling Goodell into a Judiciary Committee hearing to ask Goodell what happened to the video tapes and notes related to the Jets claim that the Patriots spied on their defense in that opening game. Goodell said to the media in Glendale gathered there for Super Bowl XLII that he has no regrets that he destroyed critical evidence relating to the Jets complaint that showed Patriots personnel video taping the defensive plays and stealing signals from the defensive coordinators from the Jets. There was also notes dating back to 2006 suggesting that the Patriots spied on other teams and those notes were also destroyed. Belichick after the notes and videotapes went to Goodell was fined $500,000 and the team was fined $250,000 and the team was penalized a first round draft pick for spy gate. The Patriots made history becoming the first team in NFL history to get fined of that amount against a head coach and losing their first round draft pick. Specter did also raise the issue of the fact that no team had ever gone 18-0 before and now here are the Patriots on Super Bowl Sunday ready to finish off the job having Specter and others on the Judiciary Committee asking "how did that happen"? Even if Specter can not get that question how did that happen? answered he certainly will ask Goodell, "How did those video tapes and notes get destroyed?" "They may have collected (the tape) within rules, but we couldn't determine that, so we felt it should be destroyed." said Goodell referring to the press getting leaked access to one of six tapes. All tapes eventually were destroyed but Goodell reasoned that destroying the evidence was done because he didn't want the press to get any more leaked information regarding to the Patriots spy gate. Specter told the Associated Press that the destruction of such evidence the video tapes and notes "didn't make any sense at all." Matter of fact the world knew about much of the way the Patriots went about filming the Jets defense on opening day but what Goodell was afraid of was the conjecture of a team going perfect in a season which sold millions of tickets, millions in merchandising, and millions in TV revenue that would result in damaging the reputation of the league if it ever got out that the Patriots cheated on more than just the Jets as Goodell was asked at the press conference. The issue was raised about specific teams that could have also been spied on and did those tapes contain that evidence. Specter is considering calling in those who caught the Patriots cheating and filming the Jets. Jets representatives were not ready to comment yet but inside sources have told Ken Gimblin and Joe Cronin of Sportstalk Radio that the Jets are willing to step forward and will consider it even further if other NFL teams are willing to come forward with what they have on the Patriots filming and spying on their teams during games. If the Jets are called into a Committee hearing of some kind they could actually launch a widening scandal as to the way the Patriots filmed them and maybe more teams will step forward. The Patriots are the league's meal ticket it'll be interesting if anyone is will to step up against the league in this way. If it comes proof positive that there were more than just the New York Jets who were spied on opening day this Super Bowl XLII could put a large asterisk on the New England Patriots and maybe even in their past Super Bowl championships. Like the steroids issue in baseball no one in football or especially on the Patriots are talking. Everyone is profiting from the bottom line and the Patriots are the showcase of the NFL and no one wants to cross that line. "The actual effectiveness of taping and taking of signals from opponents it is something done widely in many sports. I think it probably had limited, if any effect, on the outcome of games, that doesn't change my perspective on violating rules and the need to be punished," said Goodell at the press conference at the Super Bowl. If it comes out by the Judiciary Committee that teams or even the Jets come forward that New England cheated and a hearing is scheduled and punishments are meted out than Goodell could be one of those punished for ordering the spy gate tapes destroyed. Stefani Rebekah Black is covering Super Bowl XLII with Shawn McCullough, Daniel Dullum, and David Zizmor listen to them all on 1690 KFSG Sacramento. quote source: ap |
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