SPECTER SAYS PATS CHEATED STEELERS IN 2004

[packers11]

pft.com

POSTED 10:19 p.m. EST, February 13, 2008

SPECTER SAYS PATS CHEATED STEELERS IN 2004

In a press conference conducted after his Wednesday meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said that notes surrendered by the Patriots to the league showed that the Patriots engaged in videotaping of defensive signals against the Steelers in 2004.

The significance? When the Pats and Steelers played during the regular season that year, the Steelers ended New England's NFL-record 21-game winning streak. When they got together again in Pittsburgh in January 2005 (I was there, and I still have a couple of frozen body parts from it), the Pats could have used the information gathered during the regular-season game to topple the Steelers.

[packinpatland]

surprise, surprise, surprise......

[packinpatland]

Call me 'obessed', but I didn't write this:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7790654/Specter:-Belichick-has-been-taping-since-2000

Specter: Belichick has been taping since 2000Associated Press
Updated: February 13, 2008, 9:28 PM EST 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

[packers11]

This piece of shit BB should be banned for the year... I cannot imagine how pissed I would be right now if my team had lost to the patriots in the playoffs and now it turns out that they cheated to help them get the Win...

[BallHawk]

If Arlen doesn't watch out he's going to end up like Jimmy Hoffa.....and, yes, they will bury his body by the end zone at Gillette Stadium

[RashanGary]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EU1O-hGxgg

This song rings true more and more every month that goes by.

[KYPack]

Last year before any of the Spy Gate scandal broke, I was listening to a Black Sports talk radio show here in Cincy. I don't recall the names of the guests, but I believe one guy was TJ. they told of a Bengal Pats game in which the whole Bengal team was positive the Pats were both jamming the Bengal helmet radio and intercepting the radio transmissions.

The Bengals had to counter by waggling in the offensive plays. They also sent in dummy plays over the radio to coerce the Pats into wrong covers.

After the season Marvin Lewis supposedly complained to the league offices, but nothing came of it.

I heard a little of this around the time of Spy Gate, but nothing since.

This would be hard as hell to prove, but I'd like to see them suckers get caught.

[RashanGary]

They're done now. With congress and the anti-trust exemption talk, the NFL will be VERY carefull with all of this. There will be so much pressure on BB and everyone in Patriot land to clean it up that even he won't be able to find willing accomplices for his scams.

It's too bad this team won this way, but history will remember it for what it is. The worst part is seeing the great QB's like Manning and Favre of today get downplayed for the QB of the team of cheaters. As this Pat team falls apart, I think that will get put in the proper perspective as well.

[mmmdk]

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.

Goodell is either an idiot or a BB lover, maybe both. Goddell & BB; I hope you're done in the NFL - sooner rather than later.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Last year before any of the Spy Gate scandal broke, I was listening to a Black Sports talk radio show here in Cincy. I don't recall the names of the guests, but I believe one guy was TJ. they told of a Bengal Pats game in which the whole Bengal team was positive the Pats were both jamming the Bengal helmet radio and intercepting the radio transmissions.

The Bengals had to counter by waggling in the offensive plays. They also sent in dummy plays over the radio to coerce the Pats into wrong covers.

After the season Marvin Lewis supposedly complained to the league offices, but nothing came of it.

I heard a little of this around the time of Spy Gate, but nothing since.

This would be hard as hell to prove, but I'd like to see them suckers get caught.

I don't believe anything a black man says. They just hate whitey.

[KYPack]

Last year before any of the Spy Gate scandal broke, I was listening to a Black Sports talk radio show here in Cincy. I don't recall the names of the guests, but I believe one guy was TJ. they told of a Bengal Pats game in which the whole Bengal team was positive the Pats were both jamming the Bengal helmet radio and intercepting the radio transmissions.

The Bengals had to counter by waggling in the offensive plays. They also sent in dummy plays over the radio to coerce the Pats into wrong covers.

After the season Marvin Lewis supposedly complained to the league offices, but nothing came of it.

I heard a little of this around the time of Spy Gate, but nothing since.

This would be hard as hell to prove, but I'd like to see them suckers get caught.

I don't believe anything a black man says. They just hate whitey.

Scuttlebutt was that Jon Gruden had a similar beef, if you need European verfification, there Cracky.

+ Don't we get to quit pretending that you are an AA crackhead living in a box. We have real 3rd worlders on here (like our blue leader, Mad)

Aren't rhey enuff?

[Tyrone Bigguns]

Last year before any of the Spy Gate scandal broke, I was listening to a Black Sports talk radio show here in Cincy. I don't recall the names of the guests, but I believe one guy was TJ. they told of a Bengal Pats game in which the whole Bengal team was positive the Pats were both jamming the Bengal helmet radio and intercepting the radio transmissions.

The Bengals had to counter by waggling in the offensive plays. They also sent in dummy plays over the radio to coerce the Pats into wrong covers.

After the season Marvin Lewis supposedly complained to the league offices, but nothing came of it.

I heard a little of this around the time of Spy Gate, but nothing since.

This would be hard as hell to prove, but I'd like to see them suckers get caught.

I don't believe anything a black man says. They just hate whitey.

Scuttlebutt was that Jon Gruden had a similar beef, if you need European verfification, there Cracky.

+ Don't we get to quit pretending that you are an AA crackhead living in a box. We have real 3rd worlders on here (like our blue leader, Mad)

Aren't rhey enuff?

You can think about me anyway you like...just realize I will CUT YOU!! Tyrone hates all crackers.

White, black, or yellow..tyrone doesn't trust black people. call me self hating if you will.


Perhaps you missed all my points on BB...tyrone thinks he is a cheater. Bulldog hates tyrone cuz tyrone devalues the QB from a team of cheaters.

[Deputy Nutz]

I simply could not give a fuck what a crusty congressman thinks. Goodell handled it, he fined the team 750,000 dollars and took away an all important draft pick. He did what was best for the league, BB is a cheat, but now the league has the Evil Empire, which every team will want to bring down, it makes for a good story line.

[GoPackGo]

BB wanted to win so badly that he had to go to those lengths for an edge? Maybe he had other reasons, like gambling?
Unless a huge story breaks about my conspiricy theory, I'm happy with the way Goodell handled it.

[red]

i agree, he should be banned for at least a year, and the pats should be stripped of MANY draft picks for this

but i know what to know how far this matter spreads in the nfl. do all teams do this, and the pats were the only ones to be caught? or were they the only ones to do this?