New Claim of Taping Emerges Against Patriots - New York Times

I made quite a few enemies as a die hard Bears fan this past NFL season for my stalwart opposition and arguments against the AFC darling New England Patriots and their taping episodes coupled with this past unusually successful season minus of coarse the Big Game which they pitifully blew.

(A) I not only couldn't believe the leniency that the infraction against the Jets was treated with throughout the league and fandom per say with such indifference when discovered early in the season which I wrote about here saying as much.

(B) Meanwhile I continued holding my ground throughout the entire season right up until the week and very day of the Super Bowl, making as I said quite a few friendly "football" enemies along the way, like for instance my best friend and neighbor who all season long defended their supposed "honor" win after win after win to my chagrin, while I, despite the pressure, continued adhering to my solitary opposition opinion just like my conservative principles while arguing our cause on my blog and throughout my daily life here in for all intents and purposes liberal Chicagoland Illinois.

I felt this way, meaning my thinking that the Patriots would lose as a result of them missing those little tidbits of crucial information they were used to accumulating prior to many of the 2007 season's contests, (including the Rams Super Bowl win a few years ago, the Patriots first Super Bowl Victory, which they are now being sued for), little things that could mean the difference between winning or losing at this high level of competition.

So convinced was I that I legally bet a substantial portion of a quite generous life insurance settlement I received resulting from my dearly beloved mother's unexpected and life shattering passing at the young age of 63 on my birthday in late November of 2007, feeling so sure of my hunch. Mom would not have liked this but would have appreciated the outcome as she knew how I felt about the Patriots season even at that time at about 12 & 0 at that time.

And miraculously as a result of my intuition which usually sucks pertaining to betting situations I cleared a once in a lifetime, enviable low 5 figure payoff I still cannot believe occurred because of what most people assumed to be an impossible 'against all odds' Giants win.

A win of which I obviously felt comfortable enough with anticipating to place an unusual bet while also prophetically writing about my anticipated outcome days before the game here on my blog as well.

Now it appears that the league and everyone else is finally coming around to my cynical and radical thinking in that the Patriots were clearly at an advantage of some degree as a result of the prior taping of their opponents, which seemingly was quite regular for years on end it appears as the Patriots attempt to explain this not any longer so innocuous of a revelation.

This now has "genius coach" Bill Belichick explaining (futilely at this point I might add) that he, the football genius, simply misunderstood the rules in regards to these taping activities, which most folks including myself disregard as absolute obvious CYA BS. (cover your a** bullspit)

So the facts soon to fully emerge will show that indeed the coach knew what he was doing and was so enthralled with all the winning and fruits of such that he threw caution to the wind, and will (as I stated after the Super Bowl) sadly go down as an incredible cheater and the immaculate achievements of his New England Patriots will eventually go the way of Barry Bonds' cheating home run record and the other baseball episodes of recent times that we've all come so sadly accustomed to seeing in the spotlight of years late.

Sad to say that unfathomable amounts of money and fame have corrupted all our beloved pro sports to a level that is truly pathetic and nearly unforgivable I'm afraid in this fan's life at least.

New Claim of Taping Emerges Against Patriots -

New York Times: "INDIANAPOLIS — The Patriots’ pattern of illicitly videotaping the signals of opposing N.F.L. coaches began in Coach Bill Belichick’s first preseason with the team in 2000, a former Patriots player said. The information was put to use in that year’s regular-season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Belichick’s debut as New England’s coach.

The secret taping of signals, which is against league rules, continued at least through three championship seasons to the 2007 season opener against the Jets, when the Patriots were caught and subsequently sanctioned by the league."

As coaches and executives gathered here Thursday for the N.F.L. scouting combine, many saying they were satisfied with the league’s investigation and ready to move on, new details were emerging about the history of the Patriots’ videotaping.

According to several executives in the league, the season opener against the Jets was not the first time the Patriots had been spotted taping another team’s defensive coaches at Giants Stadium. In the final preseason game of 2006, the Patriots were caught taping a Giants defensive assistant giving signals, the executives said.

The incident prompted a letter addressed to all teams seven days later from the N.F.L. vice president Ray Anderson that detailed the league’s interpretation of the rules. That letter was cited by Commissioner Roger Goodell when he punished the Patriots.

Belichick has said that he misinterpreted the league’s bylaws, telling Goodell that he thought it was permissible to use electronic equipment as long as the information was not used in the same game. That explanation has been greeted with disbelief by some peers and league officials. continued

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