Posted on 09/11/2007 4:12:17 PM PDT by jmc813
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has determined that the New England Patriots violated league rules Sunday when they videotaped defensive signals by the New York Jets' coaches, according to league sources.
NFL security officials confiscated a camera and videotape from Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella on the New England sidelines when it was suspected he was recording the Jets' defensive signals. Sources say the visual evidence confirmed the suspicion.
Goodell is considering severe sanctions, including the possibility of docking the Patriots "multiple draft picks" because it is the competitive violation in the wake of a stern warning to all teams since he became commissioner, the sources said. The Patriots have been suspected in previous incidents.
The Patriots will be allowed an opportunity to present their case by Friday, sources said, most likely via the telephone.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said on Tuesday that no official decision has been made and that the club has not been notified.
The league also was reviewing a possible violation into the number of radio frequencies the Patriots were using during Sunday's game, sources said. The team did not have a satisfactory explanation when asked about possible irregularities in its communication setup during the game.
Goodell is expected to have a decision no later than Friday but that is not set in stone.
The Pat’s have apparently (but not yet definitivly) been caught video taping their opponent’s signals. But, are the Pat’s the only team in the NFL who have and/or are doing this? Seems to me that if coaches have been hiding their mouths while communicating with other coaches and players that suggests this has been an ongoing problem for some time. If so, why all the angst at just one team? I’m willing to bet the Pat’s are not alone in this behavior. Could it be that so much vitriol is being directed at them because they’ve been so successful in recent years? This does seem to be a trend when one team has been so dominant -people voice complaints (whether deserved or not) at that organization. If the league is to have any credibility on this issue then any team caught using such tactics must be held accountable equally with any other.
Brett Farve is my absolute favorite football player!
Your post kind of goes along with something a coworker years ago told me about a deaf kid on his son’s junior high football team. The kid was great at reading lips, and supposedly would tell his teammates what the opposing coach was saying to his team on the sidelines. Not sure if it’s true.
“The Patriots will be allowed an opportunity to present their case by Friday, sources said, most likely via the telephone.”
Will the Jets be allowed to tap the line?
I think two of those Supre Bowls were won by three points, or less. How can you say this type of cheating was not a factor in those wins, assuming they were cheating in those games?
He sheats in his private life, too. Just ask his ex-wife.
Losers may have a valid claim against the Patriots; at least the legal bettors.
what does “radio frequencies” imply?.....were they listening in on the Jets conversations as well?
so maybe Brady ain’t the greatest qb in the world?....maybe his record is because he had a little help?......
The radio frequency issue may absolutely blow this wide open and cause the Pats serious problems. The Pats have a big following on FR and the defense of them has been very weak. Why, because most of them know Billicek(sp) is a cheater. He’s not the only one.
The radio frequency problem would likely mean that the Pats were caught monitoring the Jets communication frequencies. Each team is assigned a range in which they may operate, the ranges do not overlap. The Patriots may have been dialing through frequencies outside their assigned band to find what the Jets were using and then listen into their communications.
This would be an extraordinary gross rules violation. This would be sufficient grounds for Goodell to rule that New England forfeit’s game 1. The filming on the sidelines would not be sufficient to cause such a major ruling imo. I can never remember a team forfeiting a game because of cheating. Anyone remember if it’s happened before?
if I ever knew that about Henderson, I had long since forgotten. Thanks.
The Pats should forfeit the Jets game...but I don’t know if the Jets should be awarded a win for that game. I think both teams should be 0-1. I dunno. Thoughts?
if that happens, do I win my parlay?
Taking away the Patriots draft choices? *shakes his head* Un-Uh. Sorry, but that’s not good enough. The Patriots need to have the win taken away, period. You can hand out fines, take away draft picks, or do whatever. That won’t nearly have the affect of taking away a win.
This happened my senior year of high school, which prevented my team from making the playoffs. The team who wound up beating us out for the playoffs actually lost it’s first game of the season, but got the win by forfeit. It was determined by the school board that the team they were playing against cheated because one very key member of it’s team was actually inelligible. So they were stripped of the win and it was awarded to the team who wound up beating us out for the playoffs. Otherwise, they would have been out and we would have been in.
Bottom line is the NFL needs to take away the win from the Pats and award the game to the Jets by forfeit. What better way to send a message to the rest of the league that cheating will not be tollerated.
9/12/07
Statement from Bill Belichick New England Patriots
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has issued the following statement.
STATEMENT FROM PATRIOTS HEAD COACH BILL BELICHICK
“Earlier this week, I spoke with Commissioner Goodell about a videotaping procedure during last Sunday’s game and my interpretation of the rules. At this point, we have not been notified of the league’s ruling. Although it remains a league matter, I want to apologize to everyone who has been affected, most of all ownership, staff and players. Following the league’s decision, I will have further comment.”
Well, uh, thanks for the ping and posting of Belichick’s statement. But, uh, and, so? This appears to be a non-statement statement at this time.
Stealing signs is part of the game in MLB. Some guys on the bench have no other job than trying to steal signs. That is why the signs are so complicated with the use of an "indicator" and the true sign being the first, second or third sign after the indicator.
Usually.
What is NOT "legal" is putting someone in centerfield with binoculars and a walkie-talkie to relay signs of what pitch a catcher is calling for.
However, a runner at second base can pick off the pitch signs, BUT the catcher usually gives mutiple signs with the true sign being an agreed upon sign in the series between the pitcher and catcher.
That is "mostly" what conferences at the mound are for when runners are on base.
The runner is usually not there long enough to figure out which sign is the true one but someone in centerfield would be there long enough to figure it out.
Good managers have the pitch sign and other signs changed fairly often in a game. Billy Martin was one of the toughest managers to steal signs off.
The only thing the statement really says, is that it implies that the filming was done with Bellicheck's knowledge. It takes a little bit of the wild conjecture and hyperbole out of the picture.
I expect this'll go down one of two ways: Kraft will be conciliatory, and there'll be at least two suspensions (including possibly Bellicheck), maybe a few more; or the Pats will deliver a nice package of video from around the league and a notation of some complaints of their own that went unacted upon.
I’ll be watching with keen interest to see how this unfolds. Popcorn is popping.
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