If Roger Goodell finds out that indeed Bill Belichick and the Patriots have been "cheating" as far back as their first Super Bowl win, would this scar the NFL for good? I heard that Goodell has ordered Belichick to turn in ALL his videos and notes that he has. So obviously it is well known that Belichick has multiple seasons of videos that is in his possession.
My question is, if Goodell does get to the bottom of this issue and finds out that Belichick has been cheating and cheated during his Super Bowls, it's definitely going to scar the NFL, but what about for life? The NFL has been scarred before with other issues including a huge episode earlier this year with arguable the league's most exciting player, and other issues involving drugs, rape, spouse abuse, and even murder and came back. Will the NFL ever repair itself from this, if this is in fact true!?
2007-09-19 04:49:04 · 12 answers · asked by tonydgr8 5 in Sports ➔ Football (American)
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/070918&sportCat=nfl&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1
2007-09-19 04:52:03 · update #1
Bottom Contributor & Robert F,
I understand what you're saying, but I don't think you understand how far the Pats took this. They actually video taped games, games! of their opposing teams that they play. They took those videos and studied them, studied each and every play that was called. They stole their signals and knew them as well as the signal callers! This is as low down and as dirty and rotten as it gets. Not to mention, there are other allegations coming out now that the "cheating" scandal has surfaced. About hiding microphones in shoulder pads, so the coaches can steal audibles and line calls. This isn't just a few peeks over at your buddy's playstation controller to see what he's calling, this is big time cheating!
2007-09-19 05:03:57 · update #2
***ILuvurMom,
I'm not trying to compare apples and oranges, I'm comparing cheating to... well umm cheating!
This has nothing to do with the Atlanta freaking Falcons. Why is it when people don't have anything intelligent to say or they know they're wrong, they just come back with a ignorant comment that has nothing to do with the issue at hand?
2007-09-19 05:16:40 · update #3
Just as the Vick problem was still glowing then this problem comes along, football fans can only hope that this latest problem is limited to what we know now, but we will have to wait, if it does come out that there is more to this it will be a long time before fans can get the true meaning of the game...
2007-09-19 05:02:25 · answer #1 · answered by sirmrmagic 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, he wants to get to the bottom of it and get it over with. it really is not the major issue that you make it out to be because I will guarantee you almost all teams are violating the rules in some fashion ot gain a competitive advantage. belichick got caught because he is in a feud with Mangini.
Goodell just wants to expose whatever is there and move on.
I also think you are wrong to state that because Goodell requested any additional tapes and notes that might be available that this means that it is well known that the Pats have been at this for years. It simply means that Goodell wants to investigate that fact further and, if there are any more tapes, he wants them. It is a normal request whether there are tapes or not.
The other issues you mentioned will not have any effect on the popularity of the NFL because they are isolated OFF-FIELD incidents which the NFL and it's teams won't be held accountable for.
As long as Goodell makes a good faith effort to expose any bending of the rules the NFL will continue to be the most popular sport in America, regardless of what he finds.
2007-09-19 05:43:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think Goodell or anybody else besides the Patriot caoching staff will ever know the real truth. Sure, Belichick has been told to hand over all his videos and notes but there is no way he's going to hand over anything thats going to incriminate him beyond what the commissioner already knows. There's already a barrell fire burning in his back yard with notebooks and videotape fueling the flames.
2007-09-19 08:25:43 · answer #3 · answered by DoReidos 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It won't kill the NFL, but it could lead to the first revoking of a Franchise. Ok so that would be if I was the Commissioner. I would say hey Kraft either you knew or you SHOULD HAVE. Since you can't be responsible for who you hire you don't deserve to own a franchise and I would take it back. Now I may keep it in New England BUT the league would be running it until I found someone I trusted with the team. The hardest part would be to decide what to do with the players.
2007-09-19 05:18:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Coaches always try their best to steal the other team's signals. I think the Patriots went off the deep end though. I am sure every NFL head coach has called a successful play because he was able to steal a signal or two. If the league wants to regain its reputation then it will need better security on the sidelines to guarante that nobody is illegally videotaping anything.
2007-09-19 04:56:46 · answer #5 · answered by robert f 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no it wouldnt scar the nfl. it would upset a lot of people no doubt, but it wouldnt be a major effect where everyone will then decide to watch MLB or something. Goodell is just setting things straight. he's reorganizing the NFL, keeping the role models in the league, and throwing out the ones who break the rules and laws.
2007-09-19 05:06:22 · answer #6 · answered by The Claymaker- Go Pack! 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Roger Goodell will show us that he is a puppett for Robert Kraft by not suspending Belicheck and probing deep into what happened during the Super bowl runs. I think that it stinks to high hell that Belicheck was allowed to coach this past sunday. Yet he is ready to throw the book at Michael Vick. Then to add insult to injury, Belicheck gets a contract extension from Kraft. Talk about a slap in the face.
2007-09-19 05:00:28 · answer #7 · answered by eplayerj 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
All that is true, but this goes to the very integrity of the actual game playing. The NFL will never rebound unless anyone caught taking part in this is thrown out of the league
2007-09-19 04:54:26 · answer #8 · answered by Greg 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
So who says Belidick is going to turn in all his stuff. He'll just take a page from the Clinton's history book by destroying most of the stuff and giving just a little information to look as if he has complied with the order. As far as the integrity of the game what are you talking about. I have never considered the game to have intergirty since the late 70's.
2007-09-19 04:59:34 · answer #9 · answered by Zinger 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It's just like steroids in baseball. They don't want too much truth to come out or it could permanently scar the game. They want to fix the current without erasing the past. I think the least they should do is keep people like Bellichick and Bonds out of the Hall Of Fame.
2007-09-19 05:34:55 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋