Posted on 02/03/2008 3:57:28 AM PST by SkyPilot
PHOENIX - A member of the New England Patriots' video staff taped the St. Louis Rams' last walkthrough before the 2002 Super Bowl, a Boston newspaper reported Saturday. The NFL, however, said it was satisfied this was not another Spygate.
New England Patriots chairman and owner Robert Kraft, center, is seen as the team gets ready for a team photo at University of Phoenix Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008 in Glendale, Ariz. The Patriots will play the New York Giants in the Super Bowl XLII football game on Sunday, Feb. 3
"We were aware of the rumor months ago and looked into it. There was no evidence of it on the tapes or in the notes produced by the Patriots, and the Patriots told us it was not true," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press.
Citing an unidentified source, the Boston Herald reported that a Patriots employee recorded the Rams' walkthrough at the Superdome in the New Orleans a day before the Super Bowl. New England beat the heavily favored Rams 20-17 its first NFL title.
The Herald reported that a source close to the Patriots in the 2001 season said the team held a walkthrough at the Superdome in New Orleans before the game on Feb. 3, 2002. After the Patriots took a team picture, a member of their video department stayed inside the stadium and taped the Rams' session.
It was not known whether the cameraman was told by the Patriots to film the practice or what he did with the tape, the Herald said. The Rams were two-touchdown favorites, but lost on Adam Vinatieri's last-second field goal.
"The suggestion that the New England Patriots recorded the St. Louis Rams' walkthrough on the day before Super Bowl XXXVI is absolutely false. Any suggestion to the contrary is untrue," Patriots spokesman Stacey James told the AP.
Rams spokesman Rick Smith, reading a statement from team president John Shaw, said, "At this point, we have no comment."
The unbeaten Patriots will try to win their fourth Super Bowl in seven seasons Sunday when they play the New York Giants.
Early this season, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined New England coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and docked the team $250,000 and a first-round draft pick after the Spygate scandal. The Patriots were accused of videotaping New York Jets defensive coaches as they signaled to players.
New England did not have a walkthrough Saturday. The Giants held one at the Arizona Cardinals' practice facility.
A walkthrough is done without pads or helmets, giving teams a chance to practice their formations.
Goodell spent much of his state of the game address Friday talking about that episode. He said he did not think the Patriots used such tapes to win previous titles.
"There was no indication that it benefited them in any of the Super Bowl victories," he said.
Goodell also defended his decision to destroy notes and videotapes linked to the Spygate, saying "there was no purpose for them."
Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who sent Goodell a letter asking for explanation, said Goodell's response "didn't make any sense at all."
As is often said - the timing is not a coincidence.
Lousy picture of Brady here too....
But I really , really get tired of congress and especially spector sticking his damn nose in this.
No where in the constitution does it say anything about policing football
Fight the war, protect the borders and worry over interstate commerce Arlene, THATS your job, leave the games to the professionals.
They can't fix Social Security or find time to declare war (as is called up in the Constitution), but they have plenty of time to micro-manage Baseball and Football?
I am Giants fan, but this story should not have led AP's morning release on Superbowl Sunday.
I want to see a good game, and a good match up between Manning and Brady (one of the game's all time great quarterbacks).
Perhaps the Patriots should to investigate Congress.
I would think that may just accomplish something.
Cheaters cheat. It is what they do.
NE Patriots, the KGB of NFL spying.
The article I read yesterday, about the tapes destroyed, said that 6 of the tapes were from the 2006 season. So if they have tapes from 2007, 2006...why wouldn’t there have been a taping in 2002? I sure believe the team spokesman that said it didn’t happen (end/sarcasm.)
It's right in the Commerce clause in small font with invisible ink, able to be read only by congress critters and nanny staters.
Amazing how the founding fathers know football would become the national pastime and had the foresight to know Snarlin Arlen Spector would need the powers of the Commence clause to find something to do instead of real governance
Being a giants fan I'd be very concerned. I don't know whose going to win the Superbowl, but what I do know is between Plaxico making his prediction, Giants and NFL fans calling the Pats cheaters, and the press causing a rouse by over hyping a "rumour," the Pats players are going to come out to PLAY!!
For all anybody knows Belichick had this info released. He a master at pumping his team up!
Now, that does bother me. The NFL should have asked for the tapes (all of them) to be turned over last September. If the Patriots refused, they should have initated more penalties until they complied.
I am not trying to be a smart a__ - but I didn't know that. I thought the rule was around for awhile.
Thanks.
If you read the article Goodell addresses this and other concerns.
It is just sour grapes hatred that drives this on and on. It seems that very few fans and some bitter atheletes are on the Anti-Patriots rant and do not want it to die. Meanwhile the vast majority of NFL pundits and commentators and even coaches agree its much ado about nothing.
I don’t remember which article, but it was one of the ones talking about Arlen Specter’s investigation. I wondered why they were making such a big deal about the Pats destroying evidence, until I read in that article that there were 6 tapes from 2006.
The reason I posted this story was it was the #1 headline on my Comcast homepage, it was the #1 story on Yahoo, and this morning my local news put it on.
It is news - but I don't think it warrants this coverage Superbowl morning.
And Bill Belicheat is the spymaster.
Congress is putting the US in debt by the day because of MediCare, payment on the debt, and Social Security. But, they have time to investigate football?
Cheaters cheat. It is what they do.
are you talking about the clintons or the patriots....really both the same!!!!
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