ESPN Outside the Lines Report: Goodell went easy on Spygate

[Buehler445]

It's been all over ESPN Radio all morning. Report says that Goodell threw the book at Brady because he gave them a break on Spygate.

I didn't hear it all, but they alleged that the NFL destroyed evidence because they videoed a shitton of practices and Goodell wanted to limit the exposure to a few games. They said that Belichick even admitted to doing like 40 games but Goodell covered it up.

A couple other points that were brought up that were interesting was that Martz came out and said Goodell asked him to put out a statement saying he was satisfied with the investigation for the good of the league and he is absolutely not.

Also, the reporter said that former Pat players admitted to the Pats sending a low level guy to the other lockerroom while they were warming up to steal the scripted plays that most teams start with.

I haven't seen the piece, but a lot of the things this reporter spouted off were pretty damning. Usually OTL is pretty good, but this had a lot of conspiracy theory tone to it.

Has anyone read it?

[Tombstone RJ]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

It's been all over ESPN Radio all morning. Report says that Goodell threw the book at Brady because he gave them a break on Spygate.

I didn't hear it all, but they alleged that the NFL destroyed evidence because they videoed a shitton of practices and Goodell wanted to limit the exposure to a few games. They said that Belichick even admitted to doing like 40 games but Goodell covered it up.

A couple other points that were brought up that were interesting was that Martz came out and said Goodell asked him to put out a statement saying he was satisfied with the investigation for the good of the league and he is absolutely not.

Also, the reporter said that former Pat players admitted to the Pats sending a low level guy to the other lockerroom while they were warming up to steal the scripted plays that most teams start with.

I haven't seen the piece, but a lot of the things this reporter spouted off were pretty damning. Usually OTL is pretty good, but this had a lot of conspiracy theory tone to it.

Has anyone read it?

I'll just leave this here:

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/...patriots-apart

[Don Corlemahomes]

Why would patriot staffers try to cover up their team logos and say they were with "kraft productions" if they were following the rules?

The answer is because they weren't. Even prior to 2006, filming was not legal on the sidelines, in the coaches’ booth, in the locker room or at any other locations accessible to club staff members during the game.

And that doesn't even begin to explain staffers sneaking into the locker room of opposing teams and stealing their plays.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

So you're for punishing Brady for something someone else did earlier because that person wasn't punished enough? That sounds just. Using spite is something a dictator in a totalitarian system would do. Ya' know there is a whole team there and personnel.

Sounds to me like Goodell metes out justice based on public sentiment about him.

This is ESPN so, I ain't gonna accept it on face value. Afterall, I heard two versions on this: 1) It wasn't even a rule until Goodell put out the memo on it. 2) Goodell had to refine the rule as it was previously not worded clearly.

It's still legal to video signals from other locations.

I'm not pushing any agenda here. I'm just passing on what was reported.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by Tombstone RJ

I'll just leave this here:

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/...patriots-apart

It is literally the first post after the OP.

[jspchief]

Originally Posted by Cunning Linguist

Why would patriot staffers try to cover up their team logos and say they were with "kraft productions" if they were following the rules?

The same reason they would sneak footballs into a bathroom after the refs had checked them for proper inflation.

Cheating ****s. Belichick should be banned from the NFL.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by DaFace

You know, I was just thinking "Man, I haven't heard enough about the ****ing Patriots lately. I hope there's some new news to stir up controversy and cement them as the only god damn team you ever hear about."

The Pats are systematic cheaters, but there's not much we can do about it. Time to move on.

Eh. I was bored on the tractor and for the first time in almost ever they were talking about something interesting.

There were a couple things I found interesting that I didn't know or didn't pay enough attention to the first time around.

-Sending some schmo in the other locker room to steal the scripted plays. WTF? That's not gamesmanship. That's blatant.

-The whole story from the camera guy. I understand his account is largely uncorroborated, but there isn't anyone rushing to straighten the story out as of yet.

-What they were doing with the film with that crazy recluse creeper dude.

-The whole Martz thing was news to me. He may be a crazy old man, granted, but the whole thing stinks.

-Which ties into the biggest thing about what a goddamned cluster**** from **** the "investigation" was. I didn't know a lot of that about the destruction of tapes, Goodell never asked how many there were, how quickly it all happened, etc.

All in all I thought it was worthy of discussion. But I'm with you. I'm tired of them too. But it was absolute hilarity when one of the Pats homers said that ESPN had an agenda against the Pats.

[Don Corlemahomes]

Originally Posted by jspchief

The same reason they would sneak footballs into a bathroom after the refs had checked them for proper inflation.

Cheating ****s. Belichick should be banned from the NFL.

Exactly. My point is they wouldn't bother covering shit up if it were legal.

[GoChargers]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

FIFY

[shocked]

The Mike Martz allegation is getting challenged by Florio

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...hasnt-changed/

[MagicHef]

Originally Posted by shocked

The Mike Martz allegation is getting challenged by Florio

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...hasnt-changed/

All the things Florio is complaining about not being included are obvious in the article. They never say any of the things that he apparently is reading into the article.

[rabblerouser]

Originally Posted by jspchief

The same reason they would sneak footballs into a bathroom after the refs had checked them for proper inflation.

Cheating ****s. Belichick should be banned from the NFL.

Seriously, come on.

This is somewhat akin to when Ted DiBiase paid off the referee to give Andre the Giant the title win, then DiBiase 'purchased' the title from Andre. WWF President Jack Tunney 'stripped' DiBiase of the title, blah blah blah.

It's entertainment. The NFL is 'sports entertainment', protected by the same antitrust as the WWE.

So, while the Patriots are probably the biggest offenders, they're hardly the only ones who have done what they've been accused of...just like the Saints were definitely not the only team to have bounties. Goodell had to bust them for SOMETHING after all that Vicodin came up missing...

[BlackOp]

How does Belichick still have a job? Explains why Pioli was such fraud too...take away the cheating and he fell flat on his fat ass. Also explains why almost all of the Belichick tree has failed once they leave "the building".

Rams, Steelers and Eagles fans have to be fuming right about now...

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by wazu

This report is devastating. It really lays out the way the Pats systematically cheated their way to multiple championships. I honestly don't want it to be true.

The investigation report published Tuesday by ESPN runs over 11,400 words. ESPN says, "Patriots’ SpyGate Scandal More Extensive Than NFL Revealed"

Within the report:

"If that gets out, that hurts your business"

The report, based on interviews with more than 90 officials, owners, executives and coaches within the NFL—including some within the Patriots organization—claims that the Patriots spied on other teams dozens of times before being caught in the 2007 “Spygate” scandal. Insiders also told ESPN that Commissioner Roger Goodell’s attempts to punish quarterback Tom Brady for this year’s “Deflategate” scandal was restitution for his initial failure to properly penalize the Patriots for “Spygate.”

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/...patriots-apart



In another report published Tuesday by Sports Illustrated senior reporter Michael Rosenberg explains "Suspicions of Bill Belichick's Patriots regime persist among opponents," and how opponents 'go extra mile to limit cheating.'

SI spoke with dozens of people throughout pro football: team presidents, general managers, head coaches, assistants and players; some are still in prominent positions and others no longer work in the league.

At various times over the last decade, at least 19 NFL franchises took precautions against the Patriots that they didn’t take against any other opponent, people who worked for those teams told SI. The list of safeguards is long and varied.

In 2006, after several teams—including the Giants, who caught the Patriots videotaping coaches’ signals in a preseason game that year—complained to the league about New England’s video espionage...

http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/09/08/pat...hick-tom-brady



Tuesday, the Patriots received global media attention and outrage - Give the Shaytan his due. There is something that we think they have won.

[Amnorix]

Originally Posted by Bewbies

No. The Yankees.

The mick butthurt will be glorious!

Ah, got it now.

[Amnorix]

Pretty hilarious. The hit pieces put out yesterday include alot of ridiculous stuff, and other stuff that isn't quite as nefarious as the article suggests. Here's one good example.

2. The Patriots aren't just in opponents' heads; they are in reporters' heads, too. That was the thought that came to mind when reading the Sports Illustrated piece about how opponents have suspicions about New England -- specifically the section that details how Belichick talks to his staff members on Saturday nights about which players from the opposing team didn't travel to a game at New England ("It’s not clear how Belichick knows ... but he does ... this gives the Patriots a few extra hours to adjust to any roster changes ... others wonder how much of an advantage such knowledge really provides ... it’s quintessential Belichick.) Well, the reason Belichick knows is because it's part of the league's injury-reporting policy. If a player isn't on the flight to a road game, he must be downgraded to out on the injury report because he's physically not with the team. The reason we know this is that the Patriots once had that issue with Richard Seymour in the 2000s and faced repercussions from it. For Patriots beat reporters, that word usually comes down at 8 p.m. ET on Saturdays, and we're conditioned to be available at that time to report any downgraded players.

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-england-...triots-stories