Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

In his press conference today following yesterday’s meeting with former New England Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh, Senator Arlen Specter called for an independent investigation of the Patriots’ videotaping of opposing coaches’ signals — aka “Spygate.” He doesn’t feel the NFL’s investigation was objective and was unforgiving in his criticism of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Senator Specter said, in-part:

“What is necessary is an objective investigation. And this one has not been objective. They (the NFL) are enormous role models for everybody. If you can cheat in the NFL, you can cheat in college, you can cheat in high school, you can cheat on your grade-school math test. There’s no limit as to what you can do. I think they owe the public a lot more candor and a lot more credibility.”

Naturally, the NFL stood firm in their investigation, which had seemingly concluded until this request surfaced today. A statement from the league office this afternoon read:

“We respectfully disagree with Senator Specter’s characterization of the investigation conducted by our office. We are following up after yesterday’s meeting with Matt Walsh.”

Senator Specter said he would prefer the NFL arrange the independent investigation and was willing to wait several months before calling for Congress to take what he called “corrective action.” Such action could include hearings or a full-blown Mitchell Report-type investigation. He said public reaction would determine the NFL’s next step.

Once again, here’s my public reaction. Case closed. This is a waste of everyone’s time. I’ve heard enough about “Spygate.” The tapes have been turned over. The admission of guilt has been made. The punishment has been handed down. What more is going to come of this other than negative publicity for the NFL? I don’t believe Congress or any other investigating body is going to dig up any worthwhile information.

Senator Specter has had the same agenda since this story broke last season. He didn’t like the fact that some tapes were destroyed. (Commissioner Goodell has explained why the tapes were destroyed time and time again.) His meeting with Matt Walsh yesterday didn’t change that. He thinks he’s going to dig up some shocking new discoveries, but I think all his efforts will be a waste of time and resources.

Source: NFL.com, Photo: Newscom

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Specter Wants Further ‘Spygate’ Probe

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

As scheduled, former New England Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell early this morning for about three hours to discuss his part in the team’s illegal videotaping scandal — aka “Spygate.” As I said last week, Matt had eight tapes from six different games that he sent to Commissioner Goodell. On those tapes were signals from opposing teams — Miami, Buffalo, Cleveland, San Diego and Pittsburgh. And I’m glad I wasn’t in New York to cover the Commissioner’s press conference today because I would’ve had the opportunity to sit through several hours of those signals prior to it. I’d rather watch Matt’s home movies. There was no new news here.

The only thing from today’s proceedings I found interesting — and this was of the greatest interest anyway — was that Matt (in Patriots’ gear, no less) was on the field during the St. Louis Rams’ walk-through before Super Bowl XXXVI. He didn’t have a video camera and doesn’t know of anyone who did, but how the heck does he get (and stay) on the field when the opposing team is practicing? That’s just bizarre. I guess the Rams were so focused on their game plan that not even one person in the entire organization noticed that a member of the opposing team was standing there watching them.

At any rate, as of right now, I don’t see any new developments in terms of punishment to the Patriots or further investigation of “Spygate.” Pulling from my transcript of today’s presser, Commissioner Goodell said:

“As I stand before you today, and having met with Matt Walsh and more than 50 other people, I don’t know where else I would turn.”

Let’s turn away. This is over. I should mention that Matt also met with Sen. Arlen Specter for about three hours and the Senator’s scheduled news conference regarding their discussions was postponed until tomorrow. I think I’ll still manage to sleep tonight despite the tremendous anticipation.

Sources: NFL Media, NFL.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Matt Walsh Meets With NFL Commissioner

Blogcasting the National Football League, Blogcasting the NFL

It looks like the New England Patriots’ illegal videotaping scandal (aka “Spygate”) will be put to rest once and for all next week. None of the eight tapes reportedly presented by former New England Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh to Commissioner Roger Goodell’s office today involved pre-Super Bowl XXXVI walk-throughs of the St. Louis Rams or anything other than game-related taping. In other words, these tapes didn’t show us anything we didn’t already know. When Matt meets with the Commissioner to discuss the tapes next week, I think that’s where this whole situation will be put to rest.

Here are the games included in the tapes turned over by Matt Walsh to the NFL, according to a letter sent by Walsh’s attorney, Michael Levy:

• Tape 1: Signals vs. Miami (Sept. 25, 2000)
• Tapes 2-3: Miami defensive and offensive signals (Oct. 7, 2001)
• Tape 4: Buffalo signal camera (Nov. 11, 2001)
• Tape 5: Coaches’ signals vs. Cleveland (Dec. 9, 2001)
• Tapes 6-7: Signals vs. Pittsburgh (Jan. 27, 2002)
• Tape 8: Third camera vs. San Diego (Sept. 29, 2002)

I guess everyone still wants to ask whether these incidents gave the Pats an unfair advantage and whether they won games because of videotaping signals? Well, of course the videotaping gave them an unfair advantage. That’s why it’s against the rules. Did New England win games as a result? Who really knows? Of these above-mentioned six games, the Patriots won half of them. More next week after Matt Walsh and Roger Goodell have their meeting.

Source: ESPN.com

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Latest Videotapes Show No New Evidence, Matt Walsh to Meet With NFL Next Week

It appears that Matt Walsh, the former New England Patriots employee believed to have tapes of illegal spying by the team, is close to an agreement to turn over information to the National Football League. The NFL said in a statement last night that in the past week, lawyers for Matt and the league have made “substantial progress toward an agreement that will allow Mr. Walsh to be interviewed. Both sides are optimistic that any remaining issues can be addressed successfully and they are committed to reaching a full agreement as promptly as possible.”

This guy is currently a golf pro in Hawai’i. Does it get any better than that? Anyway, he’s been seeking protection from lawsuits and other legal action, whether by the Patriots or whoever. The two sides have been negotiating for almost a month after reports surfaced just before Super Bowl XLI that he videotaped a walk-through practice of the St. Louis Rams before the 2002 Super Bowl. Matt’s lawyer, Michael N. Levy of the Washington firm McKee Nelson, confirmed last night in a letter to the Associated Press that an agreement was near:

“I have consistently asked the NFL to provide appropriate legal protections for Mr. Walsh. In recent discussions I have had with the league’s lawyer, we have made substantial progress toward this end, and I am hopeful that we will be able to craft an agreement with the necessary legal protections so Mr. Walsh can come forward with the truth.”

Well, this should be very interesting.

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NFL, Matt Walsh Close to Agreement in Alleged Super Bowl XXXVI Spying Incident

By now I’m sure you’ve heard that former St. Louis Rams player Willie Gary (yeah, I’ve never heard of him either) is suing the New England Patriots for allegedly videotaping one of the Rams’ practices before Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. I didn’t write about it because I didn’t see any validity in his argument and I had never even heard of Willie Gary. Had Kurt Warner or Marshall Faulk filed a suit, it would have been a different story. Of course, they’re not that desperate. Anyway, the $100 million suit, which was filed in a U.S. District Court in New Orleans, names the Patriots, team owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick as the bad guys.

Here’s the breakdown. Willie Gary wants each member of the Rams Super Bowl roster to receive $150,000. According to Willie’s suit, each Ram should get $25,000, which is the difference between the bonuses paid to the losing team and the winning team, as well as $125,000 as compensation for not receiving a Super Bowl XXXVI ring, an amount Willie arrived at because he says that’s what a Super Bowl ring would fetch on eBay. The lawsuit also seeks a refund on behalf of everyone who bought a ticket to Super Bowl XXXVI. All this without any evidence that the videotaping actually happened. Humorous, isn’t it?

Well, Coach Belichick broke his silence on the matter last night in an interview with the Boston Globe, denying he told anyone to tape the St. Louis Rams’ walkthrough before the Super Bowl. He also apologized for all the attention generated by “Spygate.” A guy named Matt Walsh, a former Patriots employee, reportedly taped St. Louis’ walkthrough practice the day before the Patriots beat the Rams 20-17 in the Super Bowl. But Coach Belichick said he “couldn’t pick Matt Walsh out of a lineup” and added:

“In my entire coaching career, I’ve never seen another team’s practice film prior to playing that team. 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.”

Take what you will from that statement. My feeling is, when you’re convicted of one crime (as in “Spygate”), scavengers with too much time on their hands and too little money in their pockets will see the potential to profit off the momentum. In this matter, I don’t see the case going anywhere. But I do believe others will follow in an attempt to add to the Pats’ guilt. It will happen. You can count on that. Whether or not any of it will be valid is yet to be seen.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Bill Belichick Breaks Silence on Allegations, Denies Taping Super Bowl XXXVI Practice

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell met with Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter today to talk about “Spygate” and the questions that still surround the New England Patriots’ illegal videotaping scandal that was uncovered at the beginning of the 2007 season. They met for an hour and 40 minutes in Washington and I can tell you Sen. Specter isn’t happy with the answers he got from Commissioner Goodell, especially concerning the reasons why the tapes were destroyed.

This is really where the concerns are for Sen. Specter. Commissioner Goodell says he destroyed the tapes because he wanted to keep them out of competitors’ hands and because New England head coach Bill Belichick had already admitted to the crime. He felt destroying the tapes was the right thing to do. Case closed. Sen. Specter isn’t buying it. He feels the evidence should have been preserved.

I’ve rethought my initial impressions of this case somewhat and I guess it seems a little odd to me that the tapes were destroyed. Commissioner Goodell’s concerns that the tapes would get into competitor’s hands is a bit unusual. If they were under lock and key, how could anyone other than authorized personnel get at them? It just seems like something that would be kept in an NFL safe somewhere. On the other hand, if the Commissioner felt like the case was closed, he would be inclined to just trash the evidence and end it already. I’m sure he wanted the whole thing to be over. And with the admission of guilt from Coach Belichick a done deal and the hefty punishment already handed out, he felt it pretty much was. Honestly, I can understand both sides of the argument.

This disagreement, however, will almost undoubtedly lead to a congressional hearing on the matter with Sen. Specter’s threats of Congress canceling the league’s antitrust exemption possibly hanging in the balance. As much as I feel this hearing is inevitable, I hope it doesn’t turn into the circus that is baseball’s multi-year steroid scandal.

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Commissioner Roger Goodell Talks ‘Spygate’ With Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell delivered his annual “State of the NFL” address (aka the Super Bowl press conference) today and was questioned on a wide variety of subjects from NFL International to concussions, steroids and player conduct (among others). The first and most prolific topic of conversation was not only the New England Patriots “Spygate” scandal from earlier this season, but also Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter’s public opinion of it from earlier in the day. Yes, earlier in the day. Good timing, Arlen. It was Senator Spector’s opinion that the NFL should not have trashed the evidence and he felt Commissioner Goodell’s explanation as to why he discarded the evidence “didn’t make any sense at all.” (In case you didn’t know, Commissioner Goodell said he was convinced the Patriots had forwarded to him all the evidence for which he had asked and he didn’t want any more leaks — like the one that allowed Fox network to obtain a copy of the taping against the Jets.) Sen. Specter then called the Commissioner before the Senate Judiciary Committee to talk about what he described as “the inexplicable destruction of the spygate tapes.” Commissioner Goodell’s response was:

“… of course I am more than willing to meet with the senator. I think there are very good explanations for the reason why I destroyed the tapes or had them destroyed by our staff. They were totally consistent with what the team told me. There was no purpose for them. I believe it was helpful in making sure our instructions were followed closely, by not only the Patriots, but also by every other team. I think it was the appropriate thing to do. Our discipline sent a loud message, and I think the team should be congratulated on their success.”

When pressed further about the issue in regards to unanswered questions like, “Why did the Patriots do it? How long were they doing it? What advantage did they get from doing it? What did they do with the information? And did it help them win any games?” the Commissioner said:

“First off, the answers to why they did it have to be answered by the New England Patriots. That is not something that I was really concerned with. As far as it relates to what we found, it was totally consistent with what the team told us. Many of you saw it because it was leaked, one of the tapes. It was very clearly a coach making signals and it shows the down and distance. I believe there were six tapes and, in fact, in one of the tapes, one of the coaches was waving at the camera, indicating that they understood that they were being taped. I think as far as the actual effectiveness of taping signals, as you all know, taking signals from opposing football teams or in other sports is done and it is done quite widely and teams prepare for that. There isn’t a team that doesn’t go into a game prepared for that because of the complex nature of the way they handle either their wristbands, different coaches sending signals in live or not. They all protect against that. I think it probably had a limited effect, if any effect, on the outcome of any game. But that doesn’t change my perspective of if you are violating the rules, you should be punished for that. You should be disciplined, and I think we did that very aggressively.”

Very aggressively, indeed. Commissioner Goodell fined coach Belichick $500,000 and docked the team $250,000 and a first-round draft pick. It was the biggest fine ever for a coach and the first time in NFL history a first-round draft pick has figured in a penalty.

This is old news and I think we ought to put it to rest. If the Patriots win Sunday, it will continue to be a topic of conversation forever. I’ve said before that “Spygate” does taint this undefeated season for the Patriots, even if ever-so-slightly. It’s just a fact they broke the rules. But I don’t think the videotaping had any effect on that lopsided win over the Jets, which was just one of 18 wins so far. What New England has done has been incredible and we ought to recognize it for the amazing achievement that it is. As for Sen. Specter, I think he should just stick with politics and keep his nose out of the NFL.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Answers ‘Spygate’ Questions in Annual Address

Some mainstream media were calling it a “Spygate Rematch.” No. It was just another stop for the New England Patriots on their world domination tour of the National Football League. Maybe it wasn’t the most convincing of victories for the Pats this season, but they’ll take a 20-10 win any day, especially considering the bitter, wintry conditions.

The Patriots didn’t win this game on the strength of Tom Brady’s arm. Tom was 14 of 27 for 140 yards and no TDs. Instead, they did what they had to do under the circumstances. They ran the football with Laurence Maroney (104 yards rushing). It was only the fourth time this season that a New England RB has gone over the century mark. As a result, however, Tom remained five TD passes short of breaking Peyton Manning’s record of 49. And Randy Moss still needs four scoring catches to break Jerry Rice’s mark of 22. But before you think the Patriots have cooled off, just remember how difficult it is to win any NFL game, let alone go through an entire season without losing even one. What New England is doing is unbelievably difficult. And what I admire most about them is their ability to adapt to any kind of situation. They will find any number of different ways to win a football game (illegal videotaping not included) using all three phases — offense, defense and/or special teams.

As for the whole “Spygate” fiasco, there was nothing to it on this Sunday. Some of the mainstream made it up to be an issue, but everyone’s tired of hearing about it. The crime was committed and the punishment handed out. It’s over. Let’s give it a rest. I know it will be an asterisk on New England’s season, but this whole Belichick/Mangini feud is enough already. Does Coach Belichick like Coach Mangini? Do they hate each other? What did they say to each other after the game? Who cares?

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No ‘Spygate Rematch’ as Patriots Just Win