New England Patriots

[mattstick]

Would you go to jail for someone else, even if it meant you had a good couple of months?

[shoreline99]

I'm just sayin....

[rowjimmy]

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[blatboom]

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that the best * you could do??

perhaps you'd like one of these?

[alcoholandcoffeebeans]

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that the best * you could do??

perhaps you'd like one of these?

damn...
where'd this smart ass come from today?!?! 

:wink:

[blatboom]

 :lol:

RJ just let me down with his baby asterisk  :wink:
it actually made me laugh, I bet it's cause he posted from his phone...

[rowjimmy]

Twas from my phone.
*
That better?

[mattstick]

Your phone can't do size tags?

Code Select Expand

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[sls.stormyrider]

from the NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/02/sports/football/02nfl.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=sports&pagewanted=print

February 2, 2008
Goodell Defends Handling of Patriots' Spying Case
By JUDY BATTISTA

PHOENIX — N.F.L. Commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday he was willing to meet with Senator Arlen Specter, who Thursday said he would call Mr. Goodell before the Senate Judiciary Committee to explain why the league destroyed the tapes from its investigation into spying by the New England Patriots.

Mr. Specter, a Republican from Pennsylvania and a longtime Philadelphia Eagles fan, is the ranking minority member on the committee.

Mr. Goodell, speaking at his annual state of the league address before Super Bowl XLII, defended his decision to destroy six tapes and pages of notes taken from the Patriots after they were caught videotaping the defensive signals of Jets coaches during the first game of the season. Mr. Goodell said that one tape was made during the 2007 preseason and the rest were from the 2006 season. He said there was no indication the tapes might have benefited the Patriots during their three Super Bowl victories. And he said he believed that the practice of trying to steal opposing coaches' signals by videotaping was not uncommon. On one tape, Mr. Goodell said, an opposing coach was seen waving at the camera, indicating that he knew he was being taped.

The decision to destroy the tapes was driven, in part, by a concern that they could be leaked to the public, Mr. Goodell said. In fact, the tape from the Jets game was leaked. And Mr. Goodell said he wanted to assure that if any tapes surfaced in the future, he would know that the Patriots had not given him everything when he had asked for it.

"The reason I destroyed the tapes is they were totally consistent with what the team told me," Mr. Goodell said. "It was the appropriate thing to do and I think it sent a message.

"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."

The Patriots' owner, Robert Kraft, sat in the audience but he declined to comment when he was asked about Mr. Specter. Coach Bill Belichick said it was a league matter. Mr. Belichick was fined $500,000 and the Patriots $250,000, and the Patriots lost their first-round pick in the 2008 draft.

According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics and its Web site, opensecrets.org, Mr. Specter has received $100,000 in campaign contributions since 2003 from the political action committee, owners or employees of Comcast Corp., the Philadelphia-based cable operator that is engaged, along with other cable companies, in a contentious battle with the N.F.L. over distribution of the NFL Network.

When Mr. Goodell was asked whether he thought Mr. Specter's relationship with Comcast was a factor in his desire to call him before the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Goodell laughed and said, "I'm not addressing that point."

Mr. Specter first wrote Mr. Goodell about the tapes Nov. 15 and again in December but the letters, the N.F.L. said, were sent to the league's general fax number. The league said it could not account for the receipt of the faxed letters, the N.F.L.'s executive vice president for public affairs and communications Joe Browne said. The N.F.L. never received the letters by regular mail or by e-mail. The league said it only became aware of the issue last week, when a lawyer asked the league's Washington office if it was aware of the letters. Mr. Specter said the N.F.L. told him last week that it would respond after the Super Bowl. Mr. Specter decided to go public Thursday, four days before the Patriots play the Giants.

Mr. Browne said the N.F.L. had been in contact with Mr. Specter's office several times in recent weeks about "everything from routine legislative matters to Super Bowl ticket requests but the issue of these letters was not discussed, either by us or by his office."

Mr. Specter said Thursday that because the N.F.L. has an antitrust exemption in relation to its television contract, the public is entitled to be sure about the integrity of the game. And he compared the destruction of the Patriots' tapes to the C.I.A.'s destruction of tapes showing the interrogation of terrorism suspects.

"I do believe that it is a matter of importance," Mr. Specter said at a news conference in Washington on Friday. "It's not going to displace the stimulus package or the Iraq war, but I think the integrity of football is very important, and I think the National Football League has a special duty to the American people and, in turn, to the Congress because they have an antitrust exemption."

Mr. Browne said, "We are having a hard time at this point trying to connect the dots between the violation of an internal N.F.L. policy and that same broadcast exemption."

N.F.L. owners, some of whom were in attendance at Mr. Goodell's news conference, have supported him in his handling of the spying controversy. Mr. Kraft said he thought the punishment was too harsh. But three other owners, in interviews earlier this week, endorsed the destruction of the tapes. Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts, said he spoke to Mr. Goodell about the tapes only a few weeks ago because he was concerned about the perception that the league was trying to hide something by destroying them. Mr. Goodell gave Mr. Irsay the same explanation he gave to reporters Friday.

"It's not sweeping anything under the rug," Mr. Irsay said. "You dish out punishment and people abide by the punishment and people have to go forward. You can't keep punishing people over and over again."

The Pittsburgh Steelers' owner, Daniel Rooney, one of Mr. Goodell's closest confidants, talked to Mr. Goodell before he decided how to punish the Patriots. He, too, favored getting rid of the tapes. On Friday, Mr. Rooney was asked what he thought about Mr. Specter, who represents Mr. Rooney's state.

"Do you want me to go to jail?" Mr. Rooney replied.

He then added, "He didn't get my vote."

[rowjimmy]

Your phone can't do size tags?

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It can if I'm not too lazy to type them.

[thechad]

18-1

FYP   :-D :evil:


GO G-MEN!!!

[mattstick]

According to a source, a member of the team's video department filmed the Rams' final walkthrough before that 2002 game. The next day, the Patriots upset St. Louis, 20-17, on a last-second field goal by Adam Vinatieri for their first championship.

That's just shameful.  If I lived in New England I'd hang my head low today...


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* cheated

[antelope19]

Senator Arlen Specter told the AP Wednesday that commissioner Roger Goodell informed him Bill Belichick has been illegally spying since 2000.

That's when Belichick took over as Patriots coach. Per Specter, Goodell said Belichick claims he believed videotaping of other teams was legal. It's still unclear what Belichick taped and which games were affected. Feb. 13 - 9:01 pm et

:-o

Give'em back.  Give them ALL back. 

[tet]

[antelope19]