U.S. Senator Arlen Specter says he is pursuing the “Spygate” case against the Patriots. Specter met for over an hour with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday to discuss why evidence turned over by the New England Patriots regarding their illegal videotaping of other teams was destroyed. Specter told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette he was not happy with Goodell’s response.
Specter says Goodell’s answer made no sense, saying the evidence was destroyed so no one could gain a competitive advantage. Specter asked Goodell if the Patriots ever taped the Steelers and was told four games were involved; the 2001 and 2004 AFC Championship games at Heinz Field and two regular-season games in 2002 and 2004. Specter says one problem is that Goodell imposed the punishment before he had all of the notes relating to any tapings. Specter says the taping of the New York Jets occurred on September 9th. Goodell fined the team and Bill Belichick September 13th, didn’t get the material until September 17th and destroyed the evidence on September 20th. “He imposed the fine before he had the notes and tapes,” Specter said. Specter says he may hold hearings into the case, which could also involve the Philadelphia Eagles, who lost to the Patriots in the 2004 Super Bowl.
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Jets Fan
February 15, 2008 at 9:07 am
Why is Specter angry at this? Doesn’t the government do the same thing every single day in regards to just about everything? Worry about the war and getting our guys home not the MLB steroids or cheating in the NFL.
mark
February 15, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I have to agree with JetsFan that there are more important issues going on in the country. But lets not compare apples and oranges. Its football we are talking about and the Patriots had a distinct edge over teams in BIG games. I had my heart broken in those AFC championship games because I, as well as most thought our Steelers were the best team in the AFC.Who would have known the Steelers were beaten before kickoff? Think back at the 2001 AFC chapionship game. That was a great template for the accusations. The Steelers even got back in that game, but the Pats were always just a step ahead. Even in 2004,after the Steelers buffed the Pats earlier, the Rematch was not the same. The STeelers played like they were in slo-mo because the Pats were all over the ball. Yes, lets bring the troops home, lets use our heads in this election year and on the flip side lets hope sports can get cleaned up for us fans.