Spygate II: Denver Broncos?
February 25, 2008 by Jodie Lynn Boduch
Filed under Football, Sports Rumors
The rumor mill continues to churn about videotaping in the NFL . . . and the latest dish doesn’t involve Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots, or even Sen. Arlen Specter.
Did the Denver Broncos videotape the San Diego Chargers practicing?
The report came out on Yahoo!—without any cited sources—and is recapped here on the San Diego Tribune. Seems Chargers GM A.J. Smith kicked up security a notch or 12 when he took the helm in 2003. Why? Smith “won’t go down those roads” but the Yahoo story does, alleging that ”Denver spies” inspired the change in tactics.
As to the videotaping:
“The NFL had been aware of it for several years (at least one NFL official had seen one of the tapes), but didn’t step in because it was considered a team issue.”
What did the Denver Broncos have to say about the report? Nada. What did the San Diego Chargers offer for comment? None.
Make of that what you will.
Our take? Roger Goodell has only reached the tip of the iceberg, and Belichick, if he’s guilty, is in good company.
I would guess that if one team is doing it, they would all be attempting it at some point. You can’t let your opponent get the edge on you. What needs to happen is The NFL needs to make a stand and have a 100% no tolerance policy for this. If you get caught going forward taping an opponent the team is penalized 1st draft picks, the coach responsible is suspended for a year, etc. – make it really tough on them and they won’t do that anymore. It’s pathetic they’d stoop to that level anyway. Whatever happened to fair play?
Well said, Jason. I have a feeling this could be the football equivalent of the steroid abuse scandal plaguing baseball–something many do, few talk about, and hardly anyone admits. Why do you think Goodell & Company were eager to sweep Spygate under the rug? Because they knew that digging deep would reveal dirt on other teams and videotaping issues, too.