NFL Updates and All Things on Spygate

[Exe Gesis]

NFL sources tell the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Patriots coach Bill Belichick "cheated long before last year's game against the Jets."
This story doesn't appear to be going away. A field of reporters caught up with former Patriots videotape assistant Matt Walsh on Saturday, but he wouldn't comment on anything. The league is probably going to try to deal with the story as fast as possible.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

....

 

[Exe Gesis]

Goodell to meet Specter on Wednesday

NEW YORK (AP) -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Sen. Arlen Specter are to meet Wednesday to discuss the Spygate case involving the New England Patriots.

The NFL said Tuesday the afternoon meeting will take place in Specter's office in Washington. The Pennsylvania Republican has asked Goodell to explain his decision to destroy the tapes and notes from the case, which go back to 2002.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick was fined $500,000 and the team was fined $250,000. The Patriots also forfeited a first-round draft pick.

Specter's challenge to Goodell came two days before the Super Bowl, lost by the Patriots to the New York Giants on Feb. 3.

The top-ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee questioned the quality of the NFL investigation that followed the illegal taping of the New York Jets' defensive signals in the opening week of this season as well as the commissioner's decision to destroy video evidence uncovered by the league. He has raised the possibility of congressional hearings if he wasn't satisfied with Goodell's answers.

In defending the destruction of the notes, Goodell said "there was no purpose to them at all." Specter said Goodell's response "didn't make any sense at all" and also questioned whether there might have been illegal acts by the Patriots before the 2005 Super Bowl, when they beat the Philadelphia Eagles.

The punishment went beyond the confiscated Jets tapes. The tapes and notes dated as far back as 2002 and the NFL said in October that Belichick acknowledged to Goodell that there had been spying since he became New England's coach in 2000.

Last week at the Pro Bowl, Goodell was asked why only six tapes were confiscated by the NFL's security department.

"That's what they had," he replied. "My guess is that they taped over some of those from time to time. That's what video departments do. They did it more than six times because there were notes that reflected that."

NFL officials also said the investigation didn't find any illegal taping or other spying during the playoffs or the three Super Bowls the Patriots won in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

Matt Walsh, the former Patriots assistant coach who performed some videotaping duties for the team, said 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.

He would not say if he had been contacted by the league or by Specter's office.

"We were aware of this before," Goodell said, referring to 2002 allegations. "We pursued it and weren't able to get any information that was credible. We were aware of some of the rumors and we pursued some of them and we continue that. From Day 1, I said if we feel there is new information that's inconsistent with what we've been told (by the Patriots), I reserve the right to reopen it."

 

[manureid]

Spygate - See Rug, and swept-under.

 

[Exe Gesis]

I hope not! Here's hoping Specter comes down on Goodell and Goodell responds. I've heard Belichick would be suspended one year for his next infraction. Let's hope Matt Walsh's videos get opened up. Personally, I dont like Goodell either, so I hope something happens that he gets exposed for covering something up and gets booted.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

looking more and more like a cover up

Goodell: Belichick's taped since 2000

Pats coach told NFL commish he thought it was legal

Posted: Wednesday February 13, 2008 6:37PM; Updated: Wednesday February 13, 2008 8:45PM

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Bill Belichick has been illegally taping opponents' defensive signals since he became the New England Patriots' coach in 2000, according to Sen. Arlen Specter, who said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told him that during a meeting 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," Specter, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters after the meeting. "I found a lot of questions unanswerable because of 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, from Pennsylvania, 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 Week 1 of last season. Further, Goodell said, they had an admission by Belichick.
"I have nothing to hide," Goodell said.
Goodell also told Specter that 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 and the team was fined $250,000 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 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.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Thanks for the update TGBB

 

[Exe Gesis]

Ok, here's the deal...

If Belichick admits to having been taping opponents since 2000, and said he always thought it was legal....it doesn't matter about which evidence (tapes) can be found or not. The WHOLE era is asterisked BECAUSE if he thought it legal and has been taping since then, then it basically means he's been doing it consistently thruout that period....in regular and post-season games.

That right there is case to strip them of all their titles and award them to St Louis, Carolina and Philadelphia.

 

[Southerntakeover]

Ok, here's the deal...

If Belichick admits to having been taping opponents since 2000, and said he always thought it was legal....it doesn't matter about which evidence (tapes) can be found or not. The WHOLE era is asterisked BECAUSE if he thought it legal and has been taping since then, then it basically means he's been doing it consistently thruout that period....in regular and post-season games.

That right there is case to strip them of all their titles and award them to St Louis, Carolina and Philadelphia.

If they havent even taken game points off them for this year, what makes you think they'll take superbowl wins off them?

 

[Exe Gesis]

If they havent even taken game points off them for this year, what makes you think they'll take superbowl wins off them?

Because when it first all happened Goodell was covering up the extent of it, destroying the evidence, and handing out a quick penalty to wash his hands of it and hope it all happily blew away into the sunset.

But with pressure from Congress, fear of the anti-trust being affected, etc, Goodell will have to get real. Otherwise he falls on the same sword as Belichick and Kraft if he tries to protect them.

 

[celtic_pride]

OBSESSION !!!

Build a bridge GG you moron ...

 

[Exe Gesis]

OBSESSION !!!

Build a bridge GG you moron ...

How is it obsession when all year the whole Spygate issue has been suspicious, with many journalists etc, calling for a deeper investigation. Where months later finally it bubbles over, Goodell under weight of suspicion forced to visit a Senator and after the visit more light comes on the matter, such that the lid could very well blow right off ... leading to further punishments on Belichick and possibly the Patriots otherwise the NFL could suffer tremendously from the threats of further congressional investigation and punishments.

How is looking for the truth, and demanding integrity in all things, obsession?

If, hypothetically, this all blows open, Walsh's tapes brought to light, further evidence and details, and it leads to the Patriots being fined and punished even more, having their titles stripped, what are you going to say about all that? That it was unfair? The crazed obsession of Patriot-haters? That the Patriots didn't deserve those punishments?

 

[Exe Gesis]

And I'll prove there was a cover-up....

When Spygate happened, and even when Specter first started nosing around, Goodell said that there was NO evidence that the Patriots had been taping BEFORE 2006. Etc.

Yet, now, he admits that Belichick admitted that he'd been taping since 2000!!

On top of that, Matt Walsh stressed that he DID try to alert the NFL about the tapes he had in his possession that showed evidence of taping going back to 2000/2002, and Goodell ignored him. No wonder Goodell wants those tapes back....he'll probably destroy them before Specter sees them.

 

[usalion]

Teams starting to speak up on the issue...from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

****************

Steelers support NFL's response to spying by Patriots
Friday, February 15, 2008
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney said today that the team supports the NFL's response to the "Spygate" case against the New England Patriots and the punishment meted out by Commissioner Roger Goodell.

In a statement released this morning, Rooney said:

"We consider the tapes of our coaching staff during our games against the New England Patriots to be a non-issue. In our opinion, they had no impact on the results of those games.

"The Steelers fully support the manner in which Commissioner Goodell handled the situation and the discipline that he levied against those who violated league rules," the statement said.

"We are confident that the Commissioner has taken appropriate action in his investigation of this matter, and will do so again if new information arises which requires further investigation and or discipline."

Rooney's statement came in response to criticism by U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter of the NFL's handling of reports that the Patriots routinely videtaped opposing coach's signals in violation of NFL rules. Specter told the Post-Gazette yesterday that Goodell confirmed to him that four Steelers games were involved, including two AFC championship games.

 

[JeffDunne]

I can't see anything to be gained by teams criticising the NFL or commissioner.

Would seem like a death wish to me.

As usual with all things US, I see legal action is being launched by a couple individuals against the NFL and the Patriots in relation to the supposed filming of the Rams practice prior to the SB. I don’t have the link and can’t be bothered looking for it as it’s clearly a frivolous claim, but it’s an indication that these stories won’t go away any time soon.

 

[usalion]

I can't see anything to be gained by teams criticising the NFL or commissioner.

Would seem like a death wish to me.

As usual with all things US, I see legal action is being launched by a couple individuals against the NFL and the Patriots in relation to the supposed filming of the Rams practice prior to the SB. I don’t have the link and can’t be bothered looking for it as it’s clearly a frivolous claim, but it’s an indication that these stories won’t go away any time soon.

Apparently a couple of the Lamb players and fans who went to the SB....the US is a lawyer's dream, of course.....

 

[Exe Gesis]

Firstly, a big law suit has been filed by former rams against damages. The fact that something like that has even come up is rather embarrassing to the league and pats

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_y...5DubYF?slug=ap-patriotssued&prov=ap&type=lgns

Secondly, Matt Walsh basically said that if the NFL will protect him if he is truthful he will come forward with more video materials.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-mattwalsh-tapes&prov=ap&type=lgns

Spygate ain't going away. The NFL swept some of this stuff under the rug because it was embarrassing to them and the Pats were the so-called model franchise. It could be like the Michael Vick thing, seemed like very little at first but then really got out of control. If more is found against the Pats, you could see the punishments raining down.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Belichick Denies Taping Rams Walkthrough

February 18, 2008

BOSTON (AP) -- Patriots coach Bill Belichick broke his silence on New England's twin taping controversies, denying he told anyone to tape the St. Louis Rams' walkthrough before the 2002 Super Bowl and apologizing for all the attention generated by Spygate.

Belichick also told the Boston Globe he "couldn't pick Matt Walsh out of a lineup." Walsh, a former Patriots employee, reportedly taped St. Louis' walkthrough practice the day before the Patriots beat the Rams 20-17 in the championship.

"In my entire coaching career, I've never seen another team's practice film prior to playing that team," Belichick said in a story posted on the Globe's Web site Sunday night. "I have never authorized, or heard of, or even seen in any way, shape, or form any other team's walkthrough. We don't even film our own."

Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli also told the newspaper that part of the reason Walsh was fired in January 2003 was because he secretly recorded conversations between himself and Pioli.

Michael Levy, Walsh's attorney, said Pioli's account was a "complete fabrication."

"This is a predictable and pathetic effort to smear Mr. Walsh's character rather than confront the truth about the Patriots' conduct," Levy said in the Globe story.

Levy has said his client is willing to turn over videotapes he made for the team if the NFL guarantees Walsh protection from lawsuits or other legal action.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he offered Walsh a deal requiring him "to tell the truth and he has to return anything he took improperly" in return for indemnity, but Levy has said the deal doesn't go far enough.

Goodell fined Belichick $500,000, the Patriots $250,000 and took away a first-round draft choice after the Patriots were caught taping New York Jets' coaches in last year's season opener, a 38-14 New England victory.

Belichick said he misinterpreted the rule, which he felt only prohibited taping that could be used during the same game.

He also apologized for the controversy the taping caused.

"I respect the integrity of the game and always have and always will," he said in the Globe story. "I regret that any of this, or to whatever extent, it has in any way brought that into question or discussion or debate. The decision was made by the commissioner, the practice was immediately stopped, and we're not doing it.

"Just going back over the whole taping incident, if I contacted the league and asked them about the practice, I'm sure they would have told me -- as they have done -- that it is not permissible. Then I could have avoided all of this.

"I take responsibility for it," he said. "Even though I felt there was a gray area in the rule and I misinterpreted the rule, that was my mistake and we've been penalized for it. I apologize to everybody that is involved -- the league, the other teams, the fans, our team, for the amount of conversation and dialogue that it's caused."

The day before the Patriots' 17-14 loss to the New York Giants in this year's Super Bowl, the Boston Herald reported New England taped St. Louis' walkthrough before the first of the Patriots' three Super Bowl victories. In a walkthrough, teams practice plays at a slower pace than normal without pads or helmets.

Patriots spokesman Stacey James did not return phone calls or an e-mail seeking comment Sunday night.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Walsh says he will turn tapes over to NFL but only if he can keep copies in case he needs to defend himself etc etc

The lawyer for Matt Walsh, a former Patriots employee who has hinted he has tapes that could prove damaging to the team, including one of the St. Louis Rams' walkthrough prior to Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, said his client will turn over those tapes to the NFL if the league will agree to indemnify Walsh as long as he tells the truth.

"He's willing to provide the materials to the NFL, but I need the ability to keep a copy so that I can defend him against allegations that he didn't tell the truth," said Washington-based attorney Michael Levy.

Levy said the NFL's offer to Walsh leaves his client unprotected legally against unfounded or unproven allegations and would force him to turn over to the league the very materials he would need to fight such charges....(click link for more)

 

[greennick]

Walsh says he will turn tapes over to NFL but only if he can keep copies in case he needs to defend himself etc etc

It will be interesting to see what he will come out with.

I am particularly interested to see if there was any malice in him leaving the Pats.

 

[Exe Gesis]

It will be interesting to see what he will come out with.

I am particularly interested to see if there was any malice in him leaving the Pats.

Only two things can happen now....

One huge rug for everything to be swept under.
One huge can of worms opened.

I'm hoping on the latter.....and get a bulldozer right thru the NFL fixing up all and any bias, corruption, cheating, or skeletons in the closet.

 

[Kirk Hinrich #12]

Cheats

 

[CONS_SS]

what was Belichick thinking....wanna know what the opposition is up to? Just ask Jimmy Johnson. All he had to do before the superbowl to see what Buffalo were up to was to flick over to ESPN which was showing the Bills practice, and in particular the shuffle pass! Easy...no cheating necessary

 

[SNIPER_]

gg loves this new spygate.... Another reason to continue the hate....
Gotta love him.....

 

[greennick]

gg loves this new spygate.... Another reason to continue the hate....
Gotta love him.....

Haha!

But, he does have a point!

Regardless of if it is driven by some hatred of the Pats or what, they cheated and therefore there needs to be an appropriate investigation about the extent of that, so an appropriate punishment can be handed out, instead of that slap on the wrist they got.

 

[Exe Gesis]

I dont hate the Patriots! I hate cheaters!
Seeing as the Patriots ARE cheaters, then there you go.